Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia Throws Shade at Purdue, Nebraska While Blasting Big Ten

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has already made a lot of enemies in the Big Ten, especially in West Lafayette, Ind., and Lincoln, Neb. The sixth-year senior threw some major shade at Purdue and Nebraska while talking about the SEC's football superiority in a recent episode of the Bussin' with the Boys podcast.

Pavia has been a college football journeyman, spending two seasons at New Mexico Military Institute (2020-21) and two years at New Mexico State (2022-23) before getting an opportunity at Vanderbilt in 2024. Thanks to an injunction granted by a federal judge in Tennessee, the 24-year-old will get that all-important sixth season of eligibility in 2025.

But before he takes the field for a sixth year, the Vanderbilt star stepped onto the Bussin' with the Boys podcast to discuss his journey into the SEC. That's when he decided to take a few shots at the Big Ten, and specifically Purdue and Nebraska.

“You want to play with the best. You don’t want to play with the Big Ten. You ignore those calls. You know that,” Pavia said.

“You’ve got to think about this, too. The SEC is, like, nothing. Like, okay, the Big Ten, you have Ohio State, Oregon. The SEC, it’s like week after week. You’re going to get beat on. The Big Ten, you’re not gonna get beat on with the Purdues, Nebraskas."

Reminder, Vanderbilt suffered a 36-32 loss to Georgia State last season. Maybe the Sun Belt is a better league than the Big Ten, too.

Pavia was a solid quarterback for the Commodores last season, throwing for 2,293 yards and 20 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He also rushed for 800 yards and eight touchdowns. He really entered the spotlight on Oct. 5, when he led Vanderbilt to a 40-35 win over No. 1 Alabama in Nashville. He completed 16-of-20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for an additional 56 yards in the victory.

While there's still a belief that no other league in college football can sniff the SEC, the Big Ten has claimed the last two national championships, with Michigan winning the title two years ago and Ohio State winning the College Football Playoff championship this past season.

Additionally, the Big Ten had four teams earn a spot in the 12-team field, while the SEC had just three teams in the mix. The Big Ten also had a 5-1 record against the SEC in College Football Playoff and bowl games last year.

There may be a few teams in the Big Ten that don't hold their weight, but the same can be said for every conference in college football.

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