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

The Kentucky Wildcats have a lot of injuries and have had to deal with so many disruptions to their roster and their season. It's true that Tennessee has risen to the top tier of the SEC East in ways which Kentucky could do nothing about. The Vols were a better team than Kentucky this year, and there's no shame in admitting that for the Wildcats. However, Kentucky still could have had a better season than it did if the injury bug had not hit UK so hard.

It has been a brutal autumn in terms of attrition for coach Mark Stoops. Will Levis, the team's starting quarterback, has been hurt. He has missed games, and even though he will play on Saturday, he is far from fully healthy. Levis loves to run the ball — it is a big part of his arsenal of skills — but he just can't run very quickly right now, which erodes his level of potency as a quarterback.

Kentucky has also been hit hard with injuries on the offensive line and at linebacker. These are core positions which get exposed if the depth pieces aren't first-rate, as is often the case. Alabama or Georgia might have depth pieces which are just as good as the starters, but Kentucky is less likely to have that luxury. You haven't seen this team at its best for most of 2022 because the best players at the important positions have not been healthy.

Now add the punter to the walking wounded. Colin Goodfellow saved the ball, the punt, and the game against Missouri last weekend with a scramble play late in the fourth quarter, but his ability to launch a punt under duress led to a season-ending injury. Kentucky already has limitations, and now it won't have its starting punter if it has to give up the ball.

The big break for Kentucky is that it is facing a Vanderbilt team which has not won an SEC game since October of 2019. Second-year head coach Clark Lea has enabled his team to be competitive against non-Alabama, non-Georgia SEC opponents, but the Commodores have had a hard time finishing games in their conference. They gave Ole Miss a strong test for two and a half quarters. They very nearly beat Missouri. However, they haven't been able to get over the hump. Even with Kentucky's limitations, this is a tough challenge for Vanderbilt.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Vanderbilt-Kentucky College Football odds.

College Football Odds: Vanderbilt-Kentucky Odds

Vanderbilt Commodores: +17.5 (-110)

Kentucky Wildcats: -17.5 (-110)

Over: 47.5 (-104)

Under: 47.5 (-118)

Why Vanderbilt Could Cover the Spread

The case for VU covering the spread is very simple: Kentucky has a lot of players who are either unavailable or aren't at full strength. Vanderbilt is pushing hard to get that first SEC win. It might not lead to an outright victory, but Vanderbilt's effort combined with Kentucky's attrition will enable the Commodores to cover.

Why Kentucky Could Cover the Spread

Kentucky is still a much better team than Vanderbilt. Its defense can shut down Vanderbilt. Its offense, knowing it doesn't want to punt the ball with Colin Goodfellow hurt, will be motivated to play well.

Final Vanderbilt-Kentucky Prediction & Pick

Kentucky is beaten up, but Vanderbilt is a bad team. Picking the spread feels like something you should stay away from. Bet on the under, since Kentucky's offense isn't likely to go wild and UK has the defensive quality to smother VU's offense.

Final Vanderbilt-Kentucky Prediction & Pick: Under 47.5