2025 Vanderbilt Football Opponent Preview, Game 6: Alabama

Last October, Vanderbilt did the unthinkable.

The Commodores hosted No. 1 Alabama, who came off a victory against then-No. 2 Georgia, and beat the Crimson Tide in an upset that nobody in the country saw coming.

Vanderbilt controlled the clock the entire time, holding the ball for 41:33 compared to Alabama’s 17:52. One reason Vanderbilt was able to pull off a shocking win? Third downs.

The Commodores had a success rate of 66% on third downs, going 12/18 and keeping the Alabama defense on the field for what felt like the entire game.

Diego Pavia played perhaps the game of his career that night. Pavia completed 16 of his 20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns while also carrying the ball 20 times for 56 yards.

The fallout of the game for Alabama turned out to be devastating to their playoff chances in the end. The Crimson Tide lost two more games and finished the regular season 9-3. While it had an outside shot to sneak into the College Football Playoff, October’s loss to Vanderbilt as well as a blowout loss to Oklahoma left a stain too big to be let into the playoffs.

Going into this season, Alabama brings in a new offensive coordinator in Ryan Grubb as the Crimson Tide will have a new quarterback with the departure of Jalen Milroe. With Vanderbilt going to Tuscaloosa this season, Alabama and its fans will not take the Commodores lightly this time.

Alabama will be one of the most anticipated games on Vanderbilt's schedule this season, especially considering what took place last season. Kickoff is scheduled for October 4, 2025 at a time and channel to be announced at a later time.

Offense

The most notable change for Alabama this year was at the quarterback position. With Jalen Milroe going to the NFL and Ty Simpson likely to be the next starting quarterback, the Alabama offense will certainly be intriguing to watch.

Alabama added former Miami wide receiver Isaiah Horton from the transfer portal while retaining Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams. Alabama’s wide receiver room could turn out to be one of the strongest in the country this season. Alabama’s success could depend on whether or not the Crimson Tide can get its quarterback and offensive chemistry in a consistent rhythm.

Defense

Alabama lost a few key pieces to last season’s defense. Defensive back Malachi Moore and linebacker Jihaad Campbell both left for the NFL. But Alabama still has plenty of help to fill in for the stars it lost.

Keon Sabb, Zabien Brown and Domani Jackson headline the back end of the Alabama defense this year while linebackers Qua Russaw, Deontae Lawson and defensive end LT Overton can provide a huge defensive lift each week.

Schedule

Alabama did not go easy with its non-conference scheduling. The Crimson Tide starts the season in Tallahassee, Florida to take on Florida State before hosting Wisconsin two weeks later. The other non-conference games include home games against UL-Monroe of the Sun Belt conference and Eastern Illinois of the FCS.

In SEC play, Alabama is motivated to go on what it hopes to be a revenge tour. It plays all three teams it lost to in 2024. Alabama plays Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma all at home this season. But the game every fan has circled on the schedule is the Crimson Tide’s matchup at Georgia on September 27. Last season’s matchup produced arguably the best regular season game of the season. Outside of that Alabama has to go to Missouri, South Carolina and in-state rival Auburn, but get to host LSU in November.

Outlook

Alabama is coming off a rather disappointing season despite finishing 9-4. The Crimson Tide fell short of playoff expectations. After starting the season 4-0, it finished 5-4 and was the last team out in last season’s College Football Playoff. Going into 2025, Alabama brings in Ryan Grubb as its new offensive coordinator. DeBoer and Grubb have plenty of experience working together, including taking Washington to the College Football Playoff National Championship against Michigan in the 2023-2024 season. Ty Simpson now takes the helm of the offense after Jalen Milroe was drafted to the Seattle Seahawks. With the Crimson Tide reloading on defense, it should give Alabama’s offense a chance to win just about every game, but that is all dependent on how well the Grubb and Simpson offense runs. Alabama should be a team that is at least in the playoff conversation, if not, in the playoffs this upcoming season.

The Game

Date: October 4, 2025

Time: TBA

TV: TBA

Location: Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The Team

Head coach: Kalen DeBoer (Second season)

Offensive coordinator: Ryan Grubb (First season)

Defensive coordinator: Kane Wommack (Second season)

2024-2025 record: 9-4

2024 rankings: 42nd in total offense, 21st in total defense

The School

Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Founded: 1831

Enrollment: 40,846 (Fall 2024)

Nickname: Crimson Tide

School colors: Crimson red and White

Mascot: Big Al the Elephant

The Program

Series history: Alabama leads 63-19-4

Last bowl game appearance: 2024

Playoff Appearances: 8

National Championships: 18

The Schedule

August 30: at Florida State

September 6: vs UL-Monroe

September 13: vs Wisconsin

September 27: at Georgia

October 4: vs Vanderbilt

October 11: at Missouri

October 18: vs Tennessee

October 25: at South Carolina

November 8: vs LSU

November 15: vs Oklahoma

November 22: vs Eastern Illinois

November 28: at Auburn