Two years ago Vanderbilt pulled off the biggest upset in program history against Alabama. Now both teams show up with new quarterbacks and something to prove.
Bush’s Picks
ALAVAN
ALAVAN
OverUnder
Best BetAlabama
Alabama comes in with more proven infrastructure even amid the quarterback change, while Vanderbilt is asking a true freshman to replace a Heisman finalist. The 2024 upset happened with Pavia pulling the strings — take that away and the gap between these programs likely reopens. Back the Crimson Tide to win this one outright.
Alabama
+Two years of continuity under Kalen DeBoer
+Talent-rich roster even after coaching turnover
+Motivated by 2024 upset loss
−Starting QB job still unresolved into fall camp
−Overhauled OL room, new position coaches
−Smaller recruiting class, heavy portal reliance
Vanderbilt
+First 10-win season in program history in 2025
+Clark Lea named 2025 SEC Coach of the Year
+Already has a signature win over Alabama since 2024
−Lost Heisman-finalist QB Diego Pavia to the draft
−Replacing him with a true freshman starter
−Preseason rankings dropped into the 30s-40s range
This one's a revenge game whether Alabama wants to say it out loud or not. The Crimson Tide walked into Nashville in October 2024 as the No. 1 team in the country and left with a 40-35 loss that snapped a 23-game skid against the Commodores and ended a 60-game streak of Vanderbilt losing to top-5 opponents. It was ESPN's Game of the Year. Alabama hasn't forgotten, and this Friday, November 13 rematch is the chance to settle it.
Both rosters look different now, which is the real story here. Alabama enters 2026 breaking in a new starting quarterback after Ty Simpson's departure, with the job up for grabs between Austin Mack and 5-star sophomore Keelon Russell heading into fall camp — nothing settled yet. Kalen DeBoer also overhauled his offensive staff and flipped the entire offensive line room, so whatever Alabama looks like by mid-November is still taking shape.
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ALA Alabama
VAN Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt's transformation is even more dramatic. Diego Pavia, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year who authored that 2024 upset and threw for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns in it, is gone — he went undrafted in April's NFL Draft, the first Heisman finalist to do so since 2014. Clark Lea, fresh off SEC Coach of the Year honors following Vanderbilt's first 10-win season in program history, now hands the keys to 5-star true freshman Jared Curtis. That's a massive step down in experience for a Commodores team that just proved it belongs in the SEC's upper half.
The numbers reflect the uncertainty on both sidelines. Alabama sits around No. 8-11 in early preseason polls, still a proven brand but breaking in new pieces everywhere. Vanderbilt has dropped to the 30s and 40s in most projections without Pavia running the show. Alabama finished 11-4 last year with a Rose Bowl appearance before a lopsided 3-38 loss to Indiana closed the book; Vanderbilt closed with a 34-27 ReliaQuest Bowl loss to Iowa to finish 10-3. Neither team enters this one riding real momentum from how last season ended.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Nov 6?@ LSU—
Oct 16?@ Tennessee—
Oct 9?vs Georgia—
Oct 2?@ Mississippi State—
Sep 25?vs South Carolina—
Sep 19?vs Florida State—
Sep 12?@ Kentucky—
Sep 5?vs East Carolina—
Vanderbilt Commodores
Nov 6?@ Mississippi State—
Oct 16?vs Arkansas—
Oct 9?vs Ole Miss—
Oct 2?@ Georgia—
Sep 25?@ Auburn—
Sep 19?vs NC State—
Sep 12?vs Delaware—
Sep 5?vs Austin Peay—
Recent form.
The variable that actually matters here is development speed. Curtis is a true freshman taking over an offense that led the SEC in touchdowns behind Pavia's dual-threat chaos — that's not a scheme you replicate with a first-year starter overnight. Alabama's quarterback battle carries less pressure by comparison since DeBoer has two years of continuity around him even with a new signal-caller. If either team has closed that gap by November, it changes the whole complexion of this game.
Alabama Crimson Tide
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Vanderbilt Commodores
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Vanderbilt has already shown it can beat Alabama when everything breaks right. Doing it again without the guy who made it happen, against a Tide team looking to erase the memory, is a much taller order — but this program isn't the pushover it used to be, and that alone makes this a game worth circling.
