VANDERBILT vs NOTRE DAME
When: 2:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 15, 2018
Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

TV: 2:30 PM
LINE: -14.5
PREDICTION: NOTRE DAME , VANDERBILT

Oddsmakers currently have the NOTRE DAME listed as -14.5 point favorites versus the VANDERBILT, while the game’s total is sitting at 52.

Notre Dame looks to make it three straight home wins to open the season as it hosts undefeated Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon. The eighth-ranked Fighting Irish are coming off an unconvincing 24-17 win over Ball State, while the Commodores are feeling confident after their 41-10 home win over Nevada last weekend.

The Irish were in the perfect position for a letdown game after their opening-weekend victory over Michigan and barely snuck away with the win against Ball State after being a 35-point favorite. “I obviously didn’t do a good enough job getting them up to play at the level they need to play,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly told reporters after the game. Vanderbilt outscored Nevada 24-0 in the second half to pull away as quarterback Kyle Shurmur went 23-of-32 for 258 yards and two touchdowns. “I thought Shurmur did a great job all day long. He really directed traffic. That’s who he is. That’s what he does,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said after the game.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: Notre Dame -14.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (2-0): Shurmur seems to have developed a nice rapport with receiver Kalija Lipscomb, as the junior has 14 catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. The Commodores like to keep things fresh in the backfield as four running backs have touched the ball at least 10 times this season, with junior Ke’Shawn Vaughn leading the way with 20 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The defense has been stellar as well, giving up just 17 points through two games, including holding Nevada to 10 points last week after the Wolfpack put up 72 in their season opener.

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (2-0): In a game in which Notre Dame was expected to light up the scoreboard, it was a couple of defensive players that helped the Fighting Irish to a tight victory over the Cardinals. Junior safety Jalen Elliott had two interceptions to go along with seven tackles, while star linebacker Te’von Coney had 14 tackles, including three tackles for a loss, to bring his season total to 24. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush will need a bounce-back performance after going 17-of-31 for 297 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions last weekend.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Irish RB Tony Jones Jr. scored twice on only 13 carries (61 yards) against the Cardinals.

2. Notre Dame allowed Ball State to gain 349 offensive yards after holding Michigan to just 307 in the opener.

3. Vanderbilt has won eight in a row versus non-SEC teams.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame 28, Vanderbilt 17

The post VANDERBILT vs. NOTRE DAME 9/15/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

NEVADA vs VANDERBILT
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 8, 2018
Where: Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

TV: 12:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: VANDERBILT , NEVADA

Oddsmakers currently have the VANDERBILT listed as point favorites versus the NEVADA, while the game’s total is sitting at .

Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason recognizes there are adjustments to make from the season opener, and that is the focus this week as the team prepares for Saturday’s home contest against Nevada. The Commodores were solid – if not spectacular – in defeating Middle Tennessee State 35-7 last week, but Kyle Shurmur and the offense shook off a sluggish first half while the defense impressed in its first game under new coordinator Jason Tarver.

“It’s the first game,” Mason told reporters on Tuesday. “There will always be things to clean up afterward. In terms of things missing, it’s simple things.” Shurmur completed 4-of-5 passes for 93 yards in the third quarter to help the Commodores pull away, turning a 14-7 game into a comfortable margin of victory, and finished with 170 yards passing and two touchdowns. Defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo returned a fumble for a touchdown, Vanderbilt’s first such score since 2016, and the defense finished with six sacks. Nevada blasted Portland State 72-19 in its season opener, the highest output for the Wolf Pack since the program began playing in FBS in 1992.

TV: Noon ET, SEC Network. LINE: Vanderbilt -9

ABOUT NEVADA (1-0): The Wolf Pack took advantage of big plays in their season opener, scoring five touchdowns of 40-plus yards. Quarterback Ty Gangi completed 16-of-26 passes for 342 yards, hooking up with McLane Mannix for three touchdowns as Nevada scored 42 unanswered points in the second half. The Wolf Pack have struggled on the road, losing six in a row and 11 of their last 12.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (1-0): The Commodores were more conservative offensively in the first half as they tried to establish the running game, with Shurmur passing for only 28 yards before intermission. Jamauri Wakefield and Khari Blasingame each rushed for a touchdown and combined for 108 yards on 19 carries. Linebacker Kenny Hebert was one of five players to record a sack against Middle Tennessee State, registering a pair.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Commodores gave up 100 passing yards in the first quarter of their season opener but just 78 over the rest of the game.

2. Vanderbilt RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, a transfer from Illinois, rushed for 37 yards on nine carries in his team debut.

3. The Commodores converted 7-of-13 third-down opportunities in the opener and were 2-for-2 on fourth down.

PREDICTION: Vanderbilt 41, Nevada 21

The post NEVADA vs. VANDERBILT 9/8/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

MIDDLE TENN ST vs VANDERBILT
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 1, 2018
Where: Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE: -4
PREDICTION: VANDERBILT , MIDDLE TENN ST

Oddsmakers currently have the VANDERBILT listed as -4 point favorites versus the MIDDLE TENN ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 57.

The post MIDDLE TENN ST vs. VANDERBILT 9/1/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

TENNESSEE vs VANDERBILT
When: 11/26/2016 7:30 PM

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network. LINE: Tennessee -7.5
PREDICTION: Tennessee 44, Vanderbilt 38

With the SEC East Division title now resting in Florida, No. 24 Tennessee looks to play to enhance its bowl credentials.

Vanderbilt is playing for automatic bowl eligibility, though the Commodores still may get into the postseason even with a loss.

And, of course, there is always the reward of beating an intrastate rival.

Such is the situation when the Volunteers (8-3, 4-3 SEC) and Commodores (5-6, 2-5) face off at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The SEC Network has the telecast.

Until last weekend, the Vols were hoping that LSU would pin a third conference loss on Florida to give them an opportunity to play in the SEC Championship. Tennessee held the tiebreaker over the Gators to get the berth if each team finished with 5-3 marks.

About halftime of the Vols’ 63-37 rout of Missouri last weekend, however, Florida was holding on for a 16-10 victory over LSU to finish conference play with a 6-2 record to snuff out Tennessee’s last opportunity.

That may have been a downer, but coach Butch Jones doesn’t see that as an issue this week.

“In terms of putting the East behind us, I guess the greatest illustration I can give you is that our players came out and played one of their best second halves in the second half against Missouri,” he said. “I’m not naive enough to tell you — they knew what had happened. They knew exactly the situation. We never addressed it, but kids are kids.

“They know. I think that’s what defines who we are as a football program and what defines our players. We went out and had one of the best second halves.”

It’s a bit early to see how things will eventually shake out in the bowl picture, but with a quarterback like Josh Dobbs and a receiver like Josh Malone, the Vols can be an attractive team. Dobbs has rushed for a team-best 660 yards and nine touchdowns and passed for 2,315 yards and 24 touchdowns with a 60 percent completion rate, while Malone is averaging 19.2 yards on 38 receptions.

That’s if Tennessee can go into the postseason with nine wins and alone in second place in the division, not tied with Georgia and Kentucky at 4-4.

“There’s a lot to be played for,” Jones said. “This has the makings to be a great, great, very, very special season. You look at all the great things that we have accomplished and all the great things that are ahead of us — and I think also it’s a great illustration of persistence and resiliency of all the adversities that have gone through this season.

“I have never been through a season like this in 30 years of coaching in terms of the adversities, the injuries, the setbacks, the big wins, all that that goes into it.”

Vanderbilt’s Derek Mason could express similar sentiments.

“This group has earned the right as you look at what they’ve had to go through, the close ballgames that have been,” he said.

The Commodores have done a remarkable turnaround after ranking 128th out of 128 FBS teams in total offense just a few weeks ago. After starting the season at 2-4, they have almost reversed that by winning three of their last five games.

Last week against Ole Miss, they amassed 481 yards in total offense, their season high against an FBS opponent, and the 38-17 win over the Rebels were the most points they have scored against a conference opponent since Mason took over in 2014.

In particular, Vanderbilt’s receiving corps stood out with Trent Sherfield gaining 73 yards on two receptions and Darius Sims getting 53 on just two grabs. C.J. Duncan had four catches and Caleb Scott three.

“They made some great plays,” Mason said. “They gave us chances to be successful. They’ve been maligned all year, so it’s good to see them have a breakout game.”

The win kept the Commodores’ hopes alive for getting to six wins and not having to depend on their academic credentials to get them into a bowl if not enough six-win teams are available to fill the slots.

“Why settle for second when first is available,” Mason said.

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