The Kentucky Wildcats have undoubtedly been one of the most impressive teams in the nation this season, but the SEC championship hopefuls will be looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season when they host the visiting Vanderbilt Commodores in an intriguing SEC showdown on Saturday.
If you want to know whether the Wildcats can not only win outright, but cover the chalk as a double-digit home favorite, then let’s get to my expert Week 8 college football odds pick right now.
Vanderbilt vs Kentucky NCAA Football Week 8 Spread & Expert Pick
Gold out at practice | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/ofHy2SK08Q
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) October 17, 2018
- When: Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 7:30 PM ET
- Where: Kroger Field
- TV: SEC
- Radio: Vanderbilt / Kentucky
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- NCAA Football Week 8 Odds: Kentucky -11.5 / Total: 48.5
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 12°C/53°F
- Humidity: 56%
- Precipitation: 10%
- Wind: 13 mph WNW
- Cloud Cover: 57%
- Type of Stadium: Open
Why Bet On The Vanderbilt Commodores?
Why should you bet on Vanderbilt in this Week 8 matchup? Well, the best reason is that they’re getting 11 points. The Commodores collapsed in their 37-27 Week 7 home loss against No. 14 Florida one week after getting smacked around by Georgia 41-13. Vandy failed to cover the chalk as a 9.5-point home dog against the Gators after failing to cover as a whopping 26-point road dog at Georgia.
Quarterback Kyle Shurmur passed for 229 yards with two touchdowns and one interceptions but the Commodores lost star running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the loss. Vanderbilt fell completely apart after building a 21-3 lead midway through the second quarter. The Commodores gave up 24 unanswered points while allowing at least 37 points or more in each of their last three losses.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 25.43
- Total Yards: 395.71
- Pass Yards: 238.14
- Rush Yards: 151.57
- Average Score Against: 25.86
- Total Yards: 423.86
- Pass Yards: 240.57
- Rush Yards: 183.29
Why Bet On The Kentucky Wildcats?
Why should you bet on No. 14 Kentucky in Week 8? There are several reasons like the fact that the Wildcats have gone 4-0 ATS in their last four home games. There’s also the fact that Kentucky averages four points per game more than Vandy or better yet, the fact that the Wildcats have the far better defense in this affair by limiting the opposition to an average of just 13.8 points per game compared to Vanderbilt’s 25.8 points allowed. Another good reasons is that Kentucky is well-rested after getting a bye last week, plus they’re hungry after suffering their first loss of the season by losing to Texas A&M 20-14 in overtime two weeks ago.
Kentucky kicker Miles Butler missed a 43-yard field goal to start the extra period and Texas A&M quickly took advantage by scoring on their next drive to get the win. The Wildcats were trying to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 1950, but they struggled offensively and never took an offensive snap in Texas A&M territory until overtime. Quarterback Terry Wilson was limited to 108 passing yards and one touchdown in the loss.
“I wish we could have finished it off and gotten that victory, but I am proud of our team,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 29.33
- Total Yards: 369
- Pass Yards: 145.50
- Rush Yards: 223.50
- Average Score Against: 13.83
- Total Yards: 304.83
- Pass Yards: 185.50
- Rush Yards: 119.33
Vanderbilt vs Kentucky NCAA Football Week 8 Betting Trends
- Vanderbilt is 1-4 ATS in the last 5 games
- Vanderbilt is 1-4 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went UNDER in 5 of Vanderbilt’s last 7 games
- Kentucky is 5-10 ATS in the last 15 games
- Kentucky is 5-1 SU in the last 6 games
- The total went UNDER in 4 of Kentucky’s last 5 games
Expert Analysis and Prediction for Vanderbilt vs Kentucky
I really like Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason and I had some high hopes he would turn the program around at Vanderbilt, but it doesn’t seem to be happening unfortunately. The same can’t be said about Mark Stoops who is getting Coach of the Year buzz right now and rightfully so. Kentucky has been playing lights out defense since the start of the season and they’ve proven they’re legitimate by beating two nationally ranked opponents in taking out Florida 27-16 in Week 2 and South Carolina 24-10 in Week 5.
Vanderbilt is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall and 1-9-1 ATS in their last 11 conference games. Kentucky has won two straight and three of the last four meetings in the SEC rivalry including an emphatic 44-21 road win over the Commodores last season. Simply put, Kentucky is the better team on both sides of the ball, which is why I like them to improve on their 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings against Vanderbilt.
NCAA Football Week 8 Pick: Kentucky 31 Vanderbilt 17
