Vanderbilt Football Favored Against LSU

Clark Lea's Commodores broke a long streak as they opened as favorites over the No. 10 Tigers.

Oct 4, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) warms up before a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

Vanderbilt is a 2.5-point favorite over LSU, per Fanduel SportsBook.

The Commodores opened as a 1.5-point favorite against the Tigers, but have since seen the odds shift in their favor since the line’s initial release on Sunday morning.

If the line holds, Vanderbilt will snap a streak that’s hung over its head since before the beginning of Clark Lea’s tenure as Vanderbilt’s head coach. 

This program had been the underdog in 51-straight SEC matchups prior to the release of Saturday’s line. Perhaps it could see itself in a different role as it comes off of a loss to No. 10 Alabama at Bryant Denny Stadium. 

“We don’t have any guys pouting,” Vanderbilt pass rusher Khordae Sydnor said that afternoon. “Jaws are set. We’re looking on to LSU and we know that in the future we’re going to be better, so no pouting. Everybody is ready.”

The Commodores are 5-1 on the season with wins over South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Utah State, Georgia State and Charleston Southern. As a result, they’re ranked 17th in the latest addition of the AP Top 25. 

The Tigers are led by Lea’s mentor Brian Kelly, who was the head coach at Notre Dame while Lea was its defensive coordinator. The pair combined to make two appearances in the College Football Playoff.

Kelly’s team looks to do the same thing this season as it sits at 5-1 and is ranked the No. 10 team in the country. The Tigers have wins over Clemson, Florida and South Carolina—which they played over the weekend—on their rèsumè.

Their lone loss came in a 24-19 nail biter against Ole Miss. 

If Vanderbilt leaves FirstBank Stadium with a win on Saturday, it will mark its first win over the Tigers since the 1990 season. The last 10 times the teams have faced have resulted in an LSU win. 

This Vanderbilt team appears to believe it can defy the odds in any circumstance, though. 

"We've got every single goal that we want out in front of us,” Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia said after Vanderbilt’s loss to Alabama. That's a national championship. Alabama has a loss. We have a loss. A lot of people in the SEC have a loss. We just gotta win out."

Perhaps the odds are stacked against this Vanderbilt team in its quest to win a national championship and win out, but they’re not on Saturday.

For the first time in a long time, Vanderbilt is expected to knock off a top 10 team.