College football predictions for 2019 Week Five SEC and top 25 games
Northern Illinois Huskies at Vanderbilt Commodores
Line: Vanderbilt -6.5; Over/Under: 51.5; TV: SEC Network
Saturday, Sept. 28 at Noon E.T.; Vanderbilt Stadium; Nashville, Tenn.
It’s hard to ignore the rough start for the Vanderbilt Commodores, but we’ve had an easy time betting against them in our college football predictions because they’ve had such a brutal stretch so far. That 0-3 stretch includes all three games against Power Five opponents, two against top five SEC opponents and the other on the road.
Now, though, the Northern Illinois Huskies come to town, and Derek Mason’s team is looking to get into a bit of a rhythm. Coming off a 66-38 loss to the LSU Tigers, they clearly have some issues they need to work out, but at least their offense has some things going.
Northern Illinois is 1-2, but they don’t have any bad losses either, with both coming on the road to the Utah Utes and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. So there is reason to believe that they just might be able to travel to Nashville and make this a game. If the pull off the upset, then Mason will all of a sudden be in serious trouble.
Prediction
Call us crazy, but we believe in the Vanderbilt Commodores’ offense. Riley Neal is getting things going, and Ke’Shawn Vaughn is still elite. That will be the difference for Vanderbilt, as they are able to win this game and cover at home. Also, we’ve seen enough of their defense and their offense to believe this game hits the over.