The Alcorn State Braves (0-1) travel to Nashville, TN, to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at 7:30 PM (ET) on Saturday, Sept. 7 and can be seen live on ESPNU.
While there is no betting line out yet for this contest, Vanderbilt is a projected favorite of 29.5 points with a total projected at 56.5.
Below, find my Alcorn State vs Vanderbilt Prediction, Picks, and Odds for Saturday, September 7.
Alcorn State vs Vanderbilt Prediction
For my Alcorn State vs Vanderbilt best bet and picks, I'm targeting the under. Odds aren't available at time of writing, though.
- Vanderbilt vs Alcorn State Picks: Under 52.5 or Better
Alcorn State vs Vanderbilt Preview
Alcorn State Braves Betting Preview: Recovering from Last Week
Alcorn State comes into this game after suffering a season-opening throttling at UAB by a final of 41-3.
Replacing quarterback Aaron Allen and running back Jarveon Howard was always going to be a tough task for head coach Fred McNair, even with a decent offensive line returning this season.
It did not go well for the Braves against a UAB defense that was leaky last year. Alcorn State drives saw 10 punts, two turnovers and a field goal set up by a UAB turnover. The Braves had 60 pass yards on 9/21 and averaged 2.8 yards per carry on 41 attempts.
While the defense forced three turnovers, they otherwise were dominated. UAB accumulated over 500 yards of offense, including 302 on the ground. Geoffrey McKelton was a bright spot for the Braves on defense recording nine tackles in the game.
The camp reports for Alcorn State mention continuing to focus on the run game in an attempt to keep the Vanderbilt offense on the sideline. It's also going to try to stay out of third and long — something it was unable to do against UAB.
Vanderbilt Commodores Betting Preview: Pavia Making a Difference
Vanderbilt enters its second home game of the season sky-high after a thrilling overtime victory over Virginia Tech last week.
The Commodores completely controlled the first half as dual-threat New Mexico State transfer QB Diego Pavia (Consistent G5 hero of the week) dazzled with his arm and ran with purpose.
At the half, Vandy led by the score of 17-3. Virginia Tech then chipped away in the third quarter, taking the lead in the fourth. Eventually, Vanderbilt punched a score in late to tie and missed a game-tying field goal as time expired before winning in overtime.
Looking forward, Vanderbilt defensive-minded head coach Clark Lea needs to see some progress. The offense will be ball-control-based with Pavia at the helm along with a strong O-Line.
I like how Vanderbilt controlled the line of scrimmage limiting VT to 75 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per carry. It also registered four sacks, which is a massive step in the right direction.
With the front seven being the strength of the Commodores defense, I look for continued success limiting teams on the ground and potentially deploying a ball-control style of offense themselves to stay in games in SEC play.
Vanderbilt vs Alcorn State Picks & Predictions
In this game, I'm looking at the under which is projected to come out at 56.5. I mentioned that Alcorn State wants to focus on the run game, to keep Vanderbilt on the sidelines. That will help shorten the game.
Alcorn State also ran the ball at a 2/1 clip against UAB. Vanderbilt was also run-heavy with 75% of its offensive plays coming from the ground. Vandy ran for 181 yards against Virginia Tech, but it wasn't overly explosive with only one run over 20 yards.
I doubt we'll have to worry about overtime or a big comeback in this game. Vanderbilt ran a play every 32 seconds on average and Alcorn ran 28 seconds between plays last week.
I expect this trend to continue here with a slower-paced game. Alcorn should have virtually no explosiveness but could deploy a game plan to stay on the field and keep the clock moving.
Vanderbilt will also go run-heavy again but should control the line of scrimmage and win handily. With a road game on deck, I would expect the Commodores to get the second unit in for the fourth quarter with a sizeable lead and grind clock.
FCS lines were released unseasonably early in Week 1, but that has not been repeated in Week 2. The books are delaying release, so I suspect the line and total on this one to come out sometime Saturday morning around 10 a.m. ET.
The lines and totals can move somewhat quickly, so be ready hovering over the submit button and hit the under here.
I'm looking for under 56.5 and would play it to under 52.5.
Pick: Under 52.5 or Better
How to Watch Alcorn State vs Vanderbilt Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location
| Location: | FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN |
| Date: | Saturday, Sept. 7 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPNU |
Vanderbilt vs Alcorn State Betting Trends
- Alcorn State's only game this year hit the Under.
- Vanderbilt's only game this year went Over.
