The Tennessee Volunteers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Check out our college football odds series for our Tennessee Vanderbilt prediction and pick.

The Tennessee Volunteers have something to play for this week, and it's not just the fact that Vanderbilt is a disliked in-state rival. No, this game goes beyond bragging rights, though bragging rights for the next 52 weeks of the year are certainly important. Tennessee has not been to a New Year's Six bowl (formerly known as a BCS bowl) since the 2000 Fiesta Bowl, when the Vols played the Nebraska Cornhuskers. When a proud program such as Tennessee goes over two decades without appearing in a top-tier bowl game, that's a big deal. Being able to stop that long drought is very important for Tennessee.

What adds to the urgency of this game for the Vols, even though they have been eliminated from the College Football Playoff race, is that in 2016, Vanderbilt knocked Tennessee out of the running for a New Year's Six bowl. The Vols were headed for the Sugar Bowl and a date with Oklahoma if they could have beaten the Commodores, but they were upset. Six years later, we have a similar situation. The Vols might not be ticketed for the Sugar Bowl in particular, but they should land in a New Year's Six bowl as long as LSU loses to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game … and as long as the Vols beat Vandy. It would be crushing to get pushed out of a New Year's Six bowl once again. Vanderbilt hasn't come close to making an elite bowl game in its entire history. Suffering another upset loss to the Commodores with a big prize on the line would completely destroy what had been a great regular season for the Vols just a few weeks ago. This team has to get over the loss to South Carolina, regroup, and play a good game. It's true that Hendon Hooker is out for the season with an injury, but former Michigan Wolverine quarterback Joe Milton has been the backup to Hooker and has played in garbage time this season. This is his moment to show that his preparation and film study have paid off. Vanderbilt does not have a good pass defense. Milton has a chance to make a significant contribution to Tennessee this season.

Vanderbilt is writing quite a story under second-year head coach Clark Lea. The Commodores have won two straight SEC games for the first time in a very long while. They snapped a 26-game SEC losing streak two weeks ago at Kentucky, but then they followed that up with another upset win over the Florida Gators. If Vanderbilt can put together a third straight win over an SEC opponent, it will finish the season 6-6 and will qualify for a bowl game, which would be an absolutely spectacular achievement. The fact that Lea has been able to squeeze five wins out of this team and get two SEC wins, with a chance for three, shows that he has the Vanderbilt program headed in the right direction. The Commodores might have found the right head coach to lead them forward.

Here are the Tennessee-Vanderbilt NCAA Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Tennessee-Vanderbilt Odds

Tennessee Volunteers: -13.5 (-115)

Vanderbilt Commodores: +13.5 (-105)

Over: 64.5 (-110)

Under: 64.5 (-110)

Why Tennessee Could Cover the Spread

Joe Milton has meaningful collegiate experience as a quarterback, having played for Michigan before transferring to Tennessee. He is going up against a low-ranked Vanderbilt pass defense. This is a matchup he should be able to manage, given Tennessee's terrific talent at wide receiver.

Why Vanderbilt Could Cover the Spread

The Commodores are flying, having won back to back SEC games and getting contributions from nearly everyone on the roster. They are in a very good position to bother Tennessee's weak defense and create a competitive game behind quarterback Mike Wright, who has looked really good in recent weeks.

Final Tennessee-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick

This is a game to savor much more than anyone possibly could have predicted a few weeks ago. Vandy is actually competitive! Tennessee should win outright, but Vanderbilt will make it a contest, especially with Hendon Hooker out.

Final Tennessee-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick: Vanderbilt +13.5