Vanderbilt Embracing Familiar Role Against Texas; Vanderbilt at Texas Betting Line
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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt football is a 1.5-point underdog against Texas, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
After two-consecutive games in which Vanderbilt is a favorite after it had been the underdog in 51-straight SEC matchups, it’s taking on the underdog role again. The Commodores boosted their stock and moved up to No. 10 in the AP Top 25–its highest ranking since 1947 and the second-highest ranking in program history–after their win over LSU a week ago and did it again on Saturday with a 17-10 win over Missouri.
Vanderbilt’s campus was overtaken by ESPN’s College Gameday on Saturday and had its matchup with the Tigers broadcast on national television. That will be the case again on Saturday as it heads to Austin for the first time since 1928.
The Commodores are 7-1 on the season with wins over LSU, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Utah State, Georgia State and Charleston Southern in addition to their win over Missouri. They’ll likely have to go 3-1 the rest of the way to find themselves in the College Football Playoff field.
If Clark Lea’s team leaves Austin with a win over Texas on Saturday, it will mark its first win over the Longhorns since its 13-12 win in 1928. The Commodores and Longhorns hadn’t played since that matchup until they met at FirstBank Stadium last season. Quinn Ewers and Texas won that game 27-24, giving Vanderbilt a loss that was the first of a few it sustained down the stretch of the season.
Texas finished last season in the College Football Playoff, but is just 6-2 and has its back against the wall this season. The Longhorns are 3-0 at home, though.
The six wins for the Longhorns came against Mississippi State, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Sam Houston, UTEP and San Jose State. Texas’ two losses came to Ohio State and Florida—which has since fired head coach Billy Napier.
“This is a new Vandy,” Vanderbilt defensive end Khordae Sydnor said after its win over LSU. “People expect that we’re gonna win. It’s period point blank, in the SEC we can compete with anybody and I think you saw it today.”
“If we end the season with six wins we’re going to be pissed,” Vanderbilt tight end Cole Spence added. “We're trying to go win a national championship. That's our goal for this year.”
Time to see if it can bolster its rèsumè again with a win over Texas on Saturday.
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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