Vanderbilt stuns Alabama as huge underdog in historic upset

In a classic letdown spot, Alabama followed last week’s thrilling win over Georgia by falling flat Saturday in a stunning upset loss at Vanderbilt.

The No. 1 Crimson Tide lost 40-35 as 23½-point favorites and -2,000 on the money line, meaning bettors had to wager $2,000 to win $100 on Alabama to win.

The Commodores were 12-1 underdogs on the money line, but the vast majority of bettors took Alabama.

“It was a really good game for our side of the counter,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “Eighty-five percent of the tickets were on Alabama. There was just not a lot of love for Vanderbilt on the money line.

“Alabama was coming off that huge win over Georgia. That just screams how much parity there is in college football.”

Vanderbilt jumped out to a 23-7 lead in the first half and never trailed. Alabama pulled within two points twice in the second half, but the Commodores answered each time en route to their first win over the nation’s top-ranked team and first victory over the Crimson Tide in 40 years.

While it was a massive upset, the decision was relatively small at sportsbooks.

“It was a good win, but it’s not going to carry us through the whole day,” Westgate SuperBook director John Murray said. “We didn’t have as many money-line parlays as we would’ve liked to have on the game.”

MGM Resorts director of trading Lamarr Mitchell said BetMGM sportsbook in Nevada took only seven tickets totaling $100 on Vanderbilt on the money line (11-1).

“Nobody really thought ’Bama was going to lose that game,” he said.

Alabama, which was -2,500 on the money line at MGM, led the ticket count against the spread by a 3-1 margin.

“It was a small win for us,” Mitchell said. “We won more on the total going over (53½) than we did on the side.”

The Crimson Tide (4-1), then ranked No. 4, outlasted No. 2 Georgia 41-34 last Saturday in a wild shootout in which Ryan Williams caught the winning 75-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe with 2:18 left. Alabama, which closed as a 2-point home underdog, jumped out to a 28-0 lead in that one and led 30-7 at halftime before the Bulldogs stormed back.

“It’s a classic letdown,” Murray said. “That was such a big win last week against Georgia. Alabama has got some big games coming up in October and November. They have to play at Tennessee, at LSU and at Oklahoma. I hate to say it, but I think they looked past this game.

“We saw what Alabama is capable of when they’re focused. The first half against Georgia, they looked incredible. How else can you explain losing a game like that?”

Vanderbilt’s upset was the biggest in college football since Sept. 7, when Northern Illinois knocked off Notre Dame 16-14 as a 28-point underdog and 20-1 on the money line.