David Pollack predicts winner, final score of Vanderbilt-Tennessee rivalry game

The former ESPN analyst picks Tennessee to defeat Vanderbilt in a high-scoring shootout driven by offensive playmakers.

College football analyst David Pollack is picking the home underdog Tennessee Volunteers to win against Vanderbilt in Week 14. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores arrive in Knoxville this weekend with a massive opportunity. The university has fielded a football team for 122 years but has never won 10 games in a single season. Head coach Clark Lea has his squad sitting at 9-2 with a chance to rewrite the history books.

Standing in their way is a dominant Tennessee Volunteers program that controls this rivalry. Tennessee leads the all-time series 81-21-4 and has won the last six meetings. The Volunteers are 8-3 following a road victory over Florida and look to secure their 22nd double-digit win season in program history.

Former Georgia linebacker and college football analyst David Pollack weighed in on the upcoming clash during a Wednesday episode of the See Ball Get Ball podcast. Pollack broke down the film and offered a prediction for the final score and winner. He expects the scoreboard operator at Neyland Stadium to be busy.

David Pollack Breaks Down Quarterback Dual Between Diego Pavia, Joey Aguilar

Pollack acknowledged the difficulty of securing a victory in such a hostile environment. He questioned if Vanderbilt can handle the atmosphere at Neyland Stadium.

"Can Vandy go into Neyland Stadium and win? That is a tough ask," Pollack said. "That is a tough place to play. It is going to be absolutely crazy nuts."

The analyst pointed to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia as the primary reason the Commodores remain competitive. Pollack praised the 28-year-old signal-caller for his physical resilience and ability to extend plays despite poor protection. "He makes it look so easy," Pollack said. "He has a thick build with really good speed. When he explodes out quickly, he shrugs off people."

Pavia has thrown for 2,924 yards and 26 touchdowns this year while completing 71.8% of his passes. However, Pollack believes the defensive matchups favor the home team. He noted that the Vanderbilt defense has been "leaking oil" and struggles to generate pressure.

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) has thrown for 3,145 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar leads an offense averaging 491.1 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the FBS. Pollack expects Aguilar to have plenty of time to find receivers like Chris Brazzell II downfield.

"If you don't pressure Joey Aguilar he is going to hurry," Pollack said. "Brazzell is going to go deep and he is going to hit him."

Both teams struggle against the pass. Tennessee ranks 111th nationally in passing defense while Vanderbilt ranks 113th. Pollack used these statistics to justify his prediction of a shootout. He sees the game ending in the 41-38 or 38-35 range.

"This is as high scoring as it gets," Pollack said. "I think Tennessee's offense makes a big play. Tennessee gets the dub."

The Volunteers host the Commodores on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.