Kickoff Time, TV Assignment Announced for Alabama vs. Vanderbilt

No. 17 Alabama football's home matchup against No. 18 Vanderbilt will be on Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC or ESPN, the SEC announced on Monday.

The Crimson Tide announced the kickoff times and television assignments for multiple games on June 11, but Vanderbilt was initially listed as a FLEX—2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Now it is officially set in stone.

The Vanderbilt game isn't typically one that Alabama fans circle on their calendars, but that'll change this season. The Commodores shocked the college football world on Oct. 5, 2024, with a 45-40 victory over the Crimson Tide in Nashville. It was Alabama's first loss to Vanderbilt since 1984.

The Crimson Tide entered last year's game with a No. 1 ranking after taking down formerly No. 2 Georgia the week before, but that momentum didn't carry over. Goalposts came down and celebrations were aplenty. The Commodores, which entered the game losers of two in a row, spun some of that momentum into their first winning season of the decade.

The Vanderbilt matchup was head coach Kalen DeBoer's first loss as Nick Saban's successor—and it came against an unranked team. Saban once had a 100-game win streak against unranked teams, but DeBoer finished the 2024 regular season with additional unranked losses to Oklahoma in Norman and Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Then-No. 7 Alabama also fell to then-No. 11 Tennessee in Knoxville last season.

Almost a full year later, Alabama and Vanderbilt will run it back in Tuscaloosa. This will be Alabama's second SEC contest of the young season as it'll face Georgia on the road on Sept. 27. The Crimson Tide currently has an open week ahead of the marquee matchup in Athens, Ga.

The Crimson Tide started its 2025 season on the wrong foot as then-No. 8 Alabama fell to then-unranked Florida State 31-17 in Tallahassee. It was UA's first season-opening loss since 2001. However, DeBoer and company have responded well in the past couple of games as they obliterated Louisiana Monroe 73-0 in Week 2 and cruised past Wisconsin 38-14 in Week 3 before having their first bye this past Saturday.

Vanderbilt presents a challenge to Alabama as it ranks No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25. The Commodores are off to a hot 4-0 start to 2025, with the most recent outcome being a 70-21 win over Georgia State. More notably, head coach Clark Lea and company obliterated then-No. 11 South Carolina 31-7 on the road in Week 3.

Offensively, quarterback Diego Pavia, who led the Commodores throughout last year's upset, sits fifth among all conference players in total yards (890 passing and 215 rushing). Vanderbilt's two sacks allowed through four games are tied for the fewest in the SEC.

Defensively, Vanderbilt is fifth in the conference in points allowed per game (12.75) and fourth in rushing yards allowed per game (70). Defensive linemen Nicholas Rinaldi and Miles Capers each average the SEC's fifth-most tackles for loss with 1.25 apiece.

Of course, Alabama's top priority at this time is not Vanderbilt but rather Georgia. It can't look forward to the Commodores before facing the Bulldogs, as it already has one loss on the season and could be in danger of missing the College Football Playoff if the Tide falls again.

Read More: