Texas and Vanderbilt clash Saturday in Nashville for a game with SEC and College Football Playoff implications, something few predicted entering the season. The Longhorns are 18.5-point favorites on the road, per FanDuel Sportsbook, as the program looks to get back in the win column after a loss to Georgia last week. Horns247‘s Chip Brown and Robbie Weinstein of Vandy247 analyzed key players and matchups and offered their predictions ahead of the SEC clash.
All eyes will be on the quarterbacks in Nashville. Texas briefly benched Quinn Ewers against Georgia, which set a precedent if the early-season Heisman hopeful continues to struggle, according to Brown. Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia has been among the SEC’s top signal-callers this season. The transfer has thrown for 1,391 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception through seven games and ranks third in the SEC with a 164.4 quarterback rating (minimum, 100 completions).
Saturday marks the 12th all-time matchup between Texas and Vanderbilt, but the first since a 13-12 Vanderbilt win in Dallas in 1928. Vanderbilt is 4-0 at home this season.
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Below is insider analysis from both sides of the Texas-Vanderbilt matchup in Week 9:
