Vanderbilt to Participate in College Gameday Ahead of Alabama Matchup
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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt football will be a focal point as College Gameday travels to Tuscaloosa, AL, and the Commodores’ matchup with the Crimson Tide, the show announced.
The Commodores took down No. 1 Alabama last season in a game that seemingly put it on national radar and catapulted it into a 7-6 finish and a Birmingham Bowl win. Vanderbilt is off to a 5-0 start in 2025 after wins over South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia State, Utah State and Charleston Southern.
ESPN’s renowned pregame show and their panel of experts—Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit and Nick Saban–will do their show live in the hours prior to Vanderbilt’s 2:30 P.M. central kickoff against the Crimson Tide.
Vanderbilt was ranked No. 18 in the country ahead of its Saturday win over Utah State in which it ultimately ended with a 55-35 win on the back of 321 passing yards and six total touchdowns from quarterback Diego Pavia. It’s got a chance to make a statement with a Saturday win over Alabama and hasn’t backed down from the opportunity.
“Tuscaloosa will be a good time,” Pavia said. “This is why you come to the SEC, for big games like this. We’ll be really excited to go down there and check them out.”
Alabama was ranked No. 17 in the country ahead of its Saturday showdown with Georgia. The Crimson Tide are 3-1 on the season with their only loss coming in their opener against Florida State after a statement 24-21 win in Athens on Saturday night.
Vanderbilt hasn’t participated in a College Gameday game since the 2008 season, when it hosted Auburn in Nashville. The Commodores won that game 14-13 after holding Auburn scoreless in the final three quarters of the game.
That game catapulted Vanderbilt to No. 13 in the AP Top 25, which is its highest ranking in the Top 25 in program history. The Commodores have a chance to make a push towards rising above that ranking with a Saturday win over Alabama.
The Commodores changed the outlook surrounding their program last season with their win over Alabama that resulted in a field storming. It was Vanderbilt’s first win over an AP Top five opponent in program history.
Alabama likely won’t be ranked in the top five as Vanderbilt faces it on Saturday, but a win would represent Vanderbilt’s biggest of the 2025 season thus far. It would also prove its worth in the national spotlight.
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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