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Tennessee football, SEC, top 25 picks and bets for Week 3 of 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Fans gather outside of Neyland Stadium on Peyton Manning Pass during the Vol Walk ahead of an SEC football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football
Fans gather outside of Neyland Stadium on Peyton Manning Pass during the Vol Walk ahead of an SEC football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football /
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Nov 15, 2017; DeKalb, IL, USA; An exterior view of Huskie Stadium before the game between the Western Michigan Broncos and Northern Illinois Huskies at Huskie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2017; DeKalb, IL, USA; An exterior view of Huskie Stadium before the game between the Western Michigan Broncos and Northern Illinois Huskies at Huskie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Gambling odds according to WynnBET

  • Line: Northern Illinois -2.5
  • Over/Under: 59
  • Moneyline: Northern Illinois -140; Vanderbilt +115

After teasing people into thinking they took a step forward in Clark Lea’s second year by blowing out the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, the Vanderbilt Commodores then struggled to put away the Elon Phoenix before losing to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Oh, and Hawaii is as bad as an FBS team can be given all the turmoil surrounding the program.

As a result, Vanderbilt is no threat once again, including to Tennessee football. However, they still want to prove that they are better than last year to show themselves as a program on the rise, and a win at Northern Illinois would surpass last year’s win total, so they have something to play for in this game.

Northern Illinois is coming off a close 38-35 loss to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane under fourth-year head coach Thomas Hammock. They are on a quest to repeat as MAC Champions but also build off of last year’s team that went 9-5. Despite that loss, everything is still there for them.

Prediction

The easiest call here is the over. Vanderbilt has an elite dual-threat quarterback with no defense, and Northern Illinois plays no defense. As to who wins, I’m going with the upset here. NIU was lucky to win half its games last year, and they barely beat the Eastern Illinois Panthers to start the year. Vandy has some issues, but they’ll pull the upset for their last win of the season.

Vanderbilt: 41 Northern Illinois: 37 (Vanderbilt +2.5; Over 59)

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