NCAA College Football Betting – Vanderbilt at Georgia Bulldogs
A pair of teams who are still very much in the running for the SEC title will do battle on Saturday when the Georgia Bulldogs (5-1 SU, 2-1-2 ATS) play host to the Vanderbilt Commodores (5-1 SU & ATS) in NCAA college football action that is scheduled to begin at 12:30 PM ET at Sanford Stadium (natural turf) in Athens, GA.
Saturday, October 18
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: GEORGIA -15
Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* VAN has won and covered five of its last six games
* VAN has played four of its last five games UNDER the total
* VAN has covered four of its last six road games
* VAN has lost 17 of its last 25 road games SU
* VAN has played five of its last seven road games UNDER the total
* GA has won 12 of its last 13 games SU
* GA has won nine of its last ten home games SU
Also….
* GA has won 12 of the last 13 meetings SU
* VAN has covered four of the last six meetings as the road team
* GA has won five of the last six meetings SU as the home team
I suppose there are people who cast suspicion upon Vanderbilt’s 5-1 record and #22 national ranking (by the AP). But this team has demonstrated its meddle, even if it hasn’t steamrolled over some opponents. Vandy is perfectly comfortable with trading punches and getting down in the trenches with teams like Auburn and South Carolina. And they’ve had the kind of defense that has made it happen, producing 15 takeaways (including 11 interceptions).
There are shortcomings on the Vanderbilt side, for sure. In five of the six games this team has played, it has gained less than 100 yards through the air. As much as one has to recognize what Mackenzi Adams has done (especially in the win over Auburn, as he had 153 yards passing), the ‘Dores are going to have to be successful in moving the ball on the ground to get anywhere here. The other quarterback, Chris Nickson, is a key figure here (317 yards), but even so, Vandy struggles to get over four yards a carry.
And that is a challenge against this Georgia defensive front, which has limited opponents to just 2.1 yards a pop (3rd best in the country). It would be hard to imagine how Vanderbilt will get something consistent going against the Bulldog defense.
But Vanderbilt’s defense is a force to be reckoned with. And while we recognize that Georgia has the highly-touted Knowshon Moreno, the sophomore has not exactly met the expectations that had placed him as a prime Heisman contender (just 135 yards in last two games). Matthew Stafford (8 TD’s, 3 INT’s) is good, but not sensational. And Vandy has defended well enough to cover five straight times as an underdog.
We’ll look for them to make things close enough again, grabbing the 15 points in the BetUS NCAA college football betting odds.
