The Alabama Crimson Tide welcome the undefeated Vanderbilt Commodores to Bryant-Denny Stadium for a top 25 matchup in Week 6 SEC football action Saturday.
Alabama (3-1 overall, 1-0 SEC) is ranked No. 10 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, where Vanderbilt (5-0, 1-0) is No. 16. The Crimson Tide are No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, with the Commodores No. 17.
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Coach Kalen DeBoer’s team is coming off its best win of the season, a 24-21 road victory over the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium last Saturday behind a red-hot Ty Simpson. The redshirt junior and first-year starting quarterback completed 24-of-38 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns.
Vanderbilt improved to 5-0 last week with a 55-35 win over Utah State in Nashville. Pavia threw for a season-high 321 yards and five touchdowns on 26-of-36 passes, and he ran for another 79 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Vanderbilt has the No. 4 scoring offense in the nation, averaging 49.9 points per game.
USA TODAY Sports makes unanimous prediction for Alabama vs Vanderbilt football game
USA TODAY Sports’ college football experts on Thursday unveiled their picks and predictions for every top 25 team in Week 6, including Alabama vs. Vanderbilt.
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The six-man panel of Paul Myerberg, Matt Hayes, Blake Toppmeyer, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Jordan Mendoza all see the Crimson Tide winning Saturday and avenging last season’s 40-35 loss in Nashville.
In that game, Pavia completed all but four passes in a 16-of-20 performance for 252 yards and two touchdowns. The Commodores converted 12 of 18 third-down attempts and completely dominated the Tide in time of possession, 42:08 to 17:52.
Alabama turned the ball over twice and lost its composure at times, committing six penalties for 57 yards. Last year’s loss to Vanderbilt marked a first for the Crimson Tide program in 40 years. The last time Vanderbilt beat Alabama in back-to-back years was back in 1955 and ’56.
Kickoff for Alabama-Vanderbilt is set for 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be televised on ABC. Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy will have the call from the broadcast booth at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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Alabama football schedule 2025
All start times Central.
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Sept. 6: vs. UL Monroe (W, 73-0)
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Oct. 4: vs. Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m. ABC
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Oct. 11: at Missouri, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN
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Oct. 25: at South Carolina, TBA
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Nov. 8: vs. LSU, prime time
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Nov. 22 vs. Eastern Illinois, 1 p.m., ESPN+
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football vs Vanderbilt prediction from USA TODAY Sports
