Vegas SEC Predictions
Temple at Vanderbilt (Thursday)
Line: Vanderbilt by 14
Wildcat Blue Nation
The Vanderbilt Commodores must begin life without James Franklin and a decimated recruiting class Thursday night at home against the Temple Owls. New head coach Derek Mason probably faces the toughest job in college football because now, at a nearly impossible place to win, the expectation is to win even more than it has. It doesn’t help that Mason loses all of his best playmakers at receiver and in the secondary, and he also has to break in a new starting quarterback.
Mason’s first game is against a Temple Owls team that is much more dangerous than it looks. This is a team that was 2-10 but easily could have been 7-5 after five very close losses, and it returns a lot of starters. With the drop-off expected in Nashville, the Commodores can’t take this team lightly, or they’ll be in big trouble.
Prediction
Temple will come out and initially shock Vanderbilt fans in the first half with a few nice plays, but the Commodores will regroup in the second half and close the deal. They won’t cover the spread, but they’ll get the win.
Vanderbilt: 24 Temple: 14