Vanderbilt odds: Commodores out of SEC and playoff races at 4-5, chasing a bowl
Vanderbilt is 4-5 and 1-5 in the SEC, out of the title and playoff races, and needs two wins in its last three games to reach a bowl.
As of November 8, Vanderbilt has no real path to the SEC championship or the College Football Playoff. The Commodores are 4-5 overall and 1-5 in conference play. Five league losses put them out of the race for the two spots in the SEC title game, and a team with five losses will not get a playoff bid. The goal that is still realistic is a bowl game. With three regular-season games left, Vanderbilt needs two more wins to reach six.
Our Vanderbilt team page is the full guide to the Commodores' season. This story covers the past week: the win that ended a five-game losing streak and the Alabama game coming to Nashville.
A first SEC win, and a long drought ends in Starkville
Vanderbilt held on to win 25-23 at Mississippi State on Saturday, November 7. It was the program's first SEC win of the season. It also ended a five-game slide that started with a 21-15 loss at Auburn and continued through losses to Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Kentucky. The Vicksburg Post reported it was Vanderbilt's first win in Starkville since 1971.
The kicking game produced most of the scoring. On3's The Dore Report called it a record-setting day for kicker Brock Taylor, who made six field goals. Mississippi State made it close at the end. The Bulldogs drove 75 yards in 74 seconds and scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Sanfrisco Magee with 32 seconds left. Vanderbilt held on from there. The Washington Post described the finish as the Commodores holding off a comeback attempt.
With the win, Vanderbilt will not go winless in league play, as Yahoo Sports noted. Sports Illustrated's Vanderbilt site wrote that the result separates this team from the worst ones of Clark Lea's tenure.
What the futures picture looks like now
Markets for the SEC title and the national championship no longer have much to do with Vanderbilt. The questions left for the Commodores are about individual games and the season win total.
The nonconference schedule went well. Vanderbilt beat Austin Peay, Delaware and NC State and scored 28 or more points in each game. SEC play has been harder. Against conference opponents other than Mississippi State, the Commodores scored between 14 and 21 points per game and lost by margins ranging from six points at Auburn to 35 against Ole Miss. Through nine games, they have not beaten a ranked opponent.
This site's board has no Vanderbilt prices posted right now. Once lines for the Alabama game go up on Novig and other venues, Alabama is likely to be favored, given how Vanderbilt has played against ranked SEC teams this fall.
This weekend: No. 5 Alabama in Nashville
Vanderbilt hosts No. 5 Alabama on Saturday, November 14, at FirstBank Stadium. Kickoff is 11:45 a.m. Central on SEC Network, according to Vanderbilt Athletics. It is Alabama's first trip to Vanderbilt in years, 247Sports noted. The game carries playoff stakes for the Crimson Tide.
For Vanderbilt, an upset would leave the Commodores one win from bowl eligibility with two games to play. A loss would mean they have to win both of their final two games to reach six wins. That would be a steep request for a team that won its first SEC game in early November.
