College football is an unpredictable phenomenon. If you don’t believe it, you need merely to look at the spread in Week 8’s LSU–Vanderbilt contest to see the truth.
At this moment, the Commodores are 2.5-point favorites according to the latest college football betting lines. Yes, the game is in Nashville, not Baton Rouge. But No. 10 LSU (5-1, 2-1 SEC) opened the season as the No. 9 team in the country. Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1 SEC) was unranked. Now they’re the No. 17 team in the nation, and — like their opponent — have a legitimate shot at a College Football Playoff appearance.
ESPN’s Football Power Index doesn’t offer score predictions for games, but does provide insight into who will win them. FPI gives Vanderbilt a 60.2% chance to beat LSU (39.8%) this weekend.
If the Commodores do win the game, they’ll secure bowl eligibility in back-to-back seasons for just the second time in program history (2011-13).
The Tigers and Commodores faced off in Death Valley last season on Nov. 23. LSU prevailed 24-17 to extend their series winning streak to 10. Vanderbilt, though, had lost the previous 6 matchups of the 200s by at least 14 points. It wasn’t the same history that they made against Alabama, but it was a significant development for Clark Lea and Co. nonetheless.
Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. E.T. on Oct. 18 (ABC).