Kentucky football odds and prediction for the Vanderbilt game

Well, we have finally reached that week in the season when a Kentucky football fan’s excitement level drops over the opponent, and the chance to notch an easy and usually the last win over the SEC against a cellar dweller appears before a brutal conference foe the following week.

Vanderbilt.

In years past Kentucky needed this win just to become bowl eligible. However, the Cats already accomplished this by beating Missouri last week. They will now play for the seventh consecutive season in a bowl game in just 22 in program history.

Then there is the nation’s No. 1 undefeated team Georgia coming to Lexington next Saturday and rival Louisville arriving the following week.

Coach Mark Stoops was asked on Monday about November and the possibility of the team becoming a bit complacent. 

"“That’s not an issue. Bowl eligibility, I want to say this very clear, we don’t ever take that for granted. It’s very hard, it’s very difficult……. There are very good, proud programs that we’re all fighting and we don’t take that for granted. Things can take a tick up or a tick down very easily, very quickly nowadays, so we don’t take it for granted. Complacency or any of that won’t cross our minds. It’s about continuing to, as you mentioned earlier, with three games left in November, we still have to be relentless in our improvement. We’ve got to finish strong. That old saying ‘remember November’ is no joke. You want to remember how you finish.”"

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis has been beaten, battered, and bruised all season with teams easily getting through the offensive line. Some of that is his fault for waiting too long and other times the porous line just couldn’t fight off the blitz.

But Vanderbilt offers a chance to change all of that.

The Commodores haven’t won an SEC game in over three years and again just don’t have the overall depth and talent to keep pace. They beat Missouri in 2019 and that was the lone SEC win that year.

They rank second to last in passing yards allowed (130 out of 131 FBS schools) giving up 314 per game. Dane Key, Barion Brown, Tayvion Robinson, and the tight ends should have a field day – finally.

Add to that that Vandy though nine games has just 13 sacks for the season.

Missouri got to Levis six times last week and for the year teams have sacked him 35 times. That number is the highest in the SEC, and frighteningly the highest allowed by all Power 5 teams coming in at No. 128.

Vandy quarterback AJ Swann has been ruled out of the game and Mike Wright is back under center. Swann has been injured in both the Missouri and South Carolina games.

Kentucky Football vs. Vanderbilt Commodores odds for Game 10:

The Wildcats are back home at Kroger Field as a 17.5-point favorite on FanDuel. The spread line has both teams at -110.  So if you bet $100 on Kentucky to cover the spread, you’d win $90.91, or if you think Tennessee will cover, you will pocket $90.91.

FanDuel’s money line odds for Kentucky and Vanderbilt right now is -1,200 for the Wildcats and +720 for Vandy. If you drop $100 on the Cats for the money line you would win $8.33 and for the same bet on the Commodores, you would claim $720.

The over/under is 47.5 points, with the under and over at -188 for Kentucky so that $100 bet would win you $84.75 while Vanderbilt at -104 would bring in $96.15.

Kentucky Football vs. Vanderbilt Commodores prediction for Game 10:

Betting this game I’d be afraid of taking the over as neither of these teams really lights up the scoreboard. With Vanderbilt’s quarterback out and Levis hobbled around and not allowed to run out of the pocket I wouldn’t expect this to be a high-scoring affair.

Of course, most games in this series are traditionally not. I’ve sat through many of these games and watched field goal after field goal be the main source of points and difference in the end.

Oh and nothing like this game where it will be raining up till kickoff at Noon EST with highs in the upper 30s.

Kentucky just needs to start fast, throw the ball downfield to put some points on the scoreboard, and not get anyone injured in a game like this, and the Bulldogs coming next Saturday.

The Wildcats have won 6 straight and 7 out of the last 8 meetings leading the series 48-42-4.

Wildcat Blue Nation Staff predictions:

The final push for SEC finishing positions is on with most teams having two conference games left. This also plays a huge factor in the bowl selection process. Kentucky needs to improve its stock in order to get to a sunny Florida bowl and not a trip back next month to Nashville and the Music City Bowl. No offense to those in Nashville.

Eric Thorne – Kentucky 28, Vanderbilt 14

Tyler Reed – Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 13