Coach Shane Montgomery's Miami University football team is being picked as one of the favorites to win the Mid-American Conference East Division in 2008. Its opponent in Thursday’s (Aug. 28) season opener is Vanderbilt, picked to finish last in the powerful SEC Eastern Division as it is almost every year.
The Red Hawks will be excited to play an SEC opponent on their home field at Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio. This is the first time a SEC member school has traveled to Oxford to play Miami. However, fans should not expect Vanderbilt to resemble your run of the mill SEC team. The Commodores football team in most years would not compete for a MAC championship.
Miami and Vanderbilt played in Nashville last year with the Commodores getting the best of the Red Hawks 24-13. Half of Vanderbilt’s team of 2007 has moved on leaving only 11 returning starters in 2008. Meanwhile, Miami returns 18 starters from last year including 9 on defense.
The strength of the 2008 Red Hawks will be the linebacking corps which returns intact to an already solid defensive line and secondary. This could be trouble to a young Vandy team that has not even settled on a quarterback.
Online oddsmakers at sportsbook Bodog (Bodoglife.com) currently have the Red Hawks installed the favorite ATS by a -4 point chalk and -165 on the money line with a 41 total. Vanderbilt is getting +145 money line odds as a road underdog.
Prediction: Look for Miami to win this game SU and cover the -4 points ATS.
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