Former Alabama coach Nick Saban had nothing but kind words for Vanderbilt football and quarterback Diego Pavia as the Commodores prepare to play the Crimson Tide on Oct. 4.
That’s not always been the case for the man who won seven national championships, including six at Alabama. Before the Commodores upset the Crimson Tide last season in Nashville, Saban said on the Pat McAfee Show: “The only place you play in the SEC that’s not hard to play in is Vanderbilt. When you play at Vanderbilt, you have more fans there than they have.”
This year’s matchup will take place in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where Saban will be part of ABC’s “College GameDay” crew.
What Nick Saban thinks of Vanderbilt ahead of trip to Alabama football
Nick Saban will be back in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Oct. 4 for ‘College GameDay’ for Alabama football’s matchup with Vanderbilt. Here are his thoughts.
But let’s first look at what Saban said of Vanderbilt on Sept. 29, 2025.
Saban said he hadn’t watched the 5-0 Commodores in person, but had caught them on TV.
“I think these guys are a really good football team,” he said. “I think Clark Lea has done a fabulous job.
“Obviously, Diego Pavia is a really good quarterback. They have a really good running back. This is actually a little better team (than last season), in my opinion. I’m talking about all the way around − defensively and all that.”
Alabama, which is coming off an upset victory against Georgia on Sept. 27. is favored by around 12 points by most oddsmakers.
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
