VANDERBILT: ONCE AN UNDERDOG, ALWAYS AN UNDERDOG?

Vanderbilt is 5-0, beating No. 25 South Carolina, No. 13 Auburn and Ole Miss the week before the Rebels upset Florida.

Mississippi State is 1-4, stinking it up against Louisiana Tech, narrowly losing to Auburn in a slugfest, getting blown out of Bobby Dodd Stadium by Georgia Tech, and earning a 10-point moral victory against LSU. The Bulldogs' only real victory has been against one of those directional Louisiana schools (SE).

So what was the opening line on this week's game?

Pick ’em. That's right. A toss-up.

OK, the game's in Starkville (clang, clang, clang) and the Bulldogs are a hard-nosed team and Vanderbilt's not used to winning, etc.

But most folks are putting their money on the Dores. A couple of days later, they're a 2 1/2 point favorite. If it holds, it will be only the second time this season that Vanderbilt has been favored in a game.