Why ESPN’s “College Gameday” Picked Vanderbilt-Alabama as the Game of the Week

There was one other potential option “College Gameday” could have gone, but the show ultimately chose to go to Tuscaloosa. Here is why.

Vanderbilt Commodores running back Sedrick Alexander (28) celebrates a touchdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide during their game at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Not many people would have expected this in the preseason, but it is officially here.

“College Gameday” is in town as No. 16 Vanderbilt visits Saban Field and No. 10 Alabama Saturday afternoon. However, when the crew announced last weekend it was coming to Tuscaloosa for the upcoming week, plenty of fans were still surprised. While the college football slate is still not chalked full of premier matchups, the show chose to go to Vanderbilt’s game at Alabama over No. 3 Miami at No. 18 Florida State.

That begs a very important question: why?

“A big factor is the momentum with this show and what it brings. It's a different animal, and it's hard to go somewhere after a loss,” Steve “Stanford” Coughlin, one of the co-hosts of the show said. “And then the undefeated Commodores man, it's their story. They're going to be here. You look at their schedule, they got plenty of opportunities to make some noise going forward.”

Florida State's loss at Virginia last Friday did play some role in the decision, but ultimately Vanderbilt’s game in Tuscaloosa is arguably one of the most intriguing storylines of the season without question, and certainly one of the more surprising storylines of the season. Vanderbilt was projected to finish 13th in the SEC in the preseason poll, yet here it is at 5-0 and ranked No. 16 in the country against a No. 10 Alabama team that is looking to avenge last season’s stunner against the Commodores.

Compile that with the fact that Vanderbilt not only is 5-0, but its two road wins at Virginia Tech and South Carolina give itself one of the better resumes in the country at nearly the midpoint of the 2025 season. Vanderbilt is not in the national conversation yet, but it is getting closer and closer to being in the postseason conversation whether other schools like it or not. Its schedule offers plenty of opportunities, including this weekend, to build an even more impressive resume.

Rece Davis, the main host of “College Gameday,” also touched on why the crew decided to go to Tuscaloosa this weekend. 

“We always try to go to great stories every week there. Vanderbilt is a great story. And along with that, Alabama's response and winning at Georgia is also a tremendous story,” Davis said. “It's a clash of a traditional power and an upstart.”

Of course, the storyline of Alabama cannot be denied. After losing Week 1 31-17 over Florida State, seemingly every fan and pundit in the sport left the Crimson Tide for dead. In fact, there was even someone offering to pay head coach Kalen DeBoer’s contract buyout in the event she won the lottery. 

Then last weekend, after what felt like the vast majority of people in the media picked Georgia, it was Alabama who got the last laugh and took down the Bulldogs once again.

And yes, last season’s upset victory for Vanderbilt played into the decision to go to this year’s matchup. Stanford Steve recalled the crew’s reaction to last season’s game while they were at the airport, having just landed in Berkeley, California for last season’s Miami at California game.

“Then there's last year. I mean, everybody lost their minds at that. We were at Cal and I remember being at the airport, and people were trying to figure out how to get SEC Network at the airport. But that was the story that weekend, for sure,” Stanford Steve said.

This year, Vanderbilt is hoping it can make a win over Alabama the story of the weekend for again. The Commodores are looking for their first win in Tuscaloosa since 1984 when they took down the Crimson Tide 30-21.