It's hard to avoid the parallels to last season for Alabama football at the beginning of Vanderbilt week. A year ago, the Crimson Tide faced the Commodores on the heels of an emotional win over Georgia. Alabama got ambushed by Vanderbilt in Nashville, falling to the 'Dores for the first time in 40 years.
One year later, and Alabama is in a similar situation. It just knocked off Georgia on the road and will welcome Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt to Tuscaloosa, hoping lightning doesn't strike twice.
There are two major differences this year. First, Alabama isn't undefeated, having lost the season opener to Florida State. That loss has caused the team to play with a chip on its shoulder ever since, with three wins in a row capped by the impressive win a week ago in Athens.
Second, Vanderbilt isn't sneaking up on anyone anymore. It doesn't have to. The Commodores are legit, coming in ranked No. 16 and a perfect 5-0 with every victory coming by 20+ points, including a pair of Power Four road wins over Virginia Tech and South Carolina. This is a big game, evidenced by College GameDay coming to Tuscaloosa for it.
It will take Alabama's full focus, for 60-minutes, to defeat a well-coached, confident, and talented Vanderbilt team.
Beating Georgia was nice, and renewed the perception of Alabama as a National Championship contender, but we'll see if this team has truly turned the corner at Bryant-Denny on Saturday.
How to watch No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 16 Vanderbilt in Week 6
- Date: Saturday, October 4th
- Time: 2:30 pm C.T.
- Venue: Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): ABC
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Alabama record: 3-1
- Vanderbilt record: 5-0
What are the betting odds for Alabama vs. Vanderbilt?
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Spread: Alabama -10.5
Over/Under: 56.5
Moneyline: Alabama -410/Vanderbilt +315
Injury report for Alabama and Vanderbilt
Alabama:
- LB Qua Russaw: OUT (Foot)
- LB Jah-Marien Latham: OUT (Neck)
- DL Jeremiah Beaman: OUT (ACL)
Vanderbilt:
- TBD and will be updated when Availability Reports are released on Wednesday
Who are the announcers for Alabama vs. Vanderbilt?
The trio of Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), and Molly McGrath (sideline reporter) will be on the call for ABC's broadcast of Alabama vs. Vanderbilt. McDonough/McElroy are considered ESPN/ABC's No. 2 broadcast team behind Chris Fowler/Kirk Herbstreit, but many believe they are the best.
What will the weather be like for Alabama football on Saturday?
Saturday's weather in Tuscaloosa is forecasted to be partly cloudy with a high of 87 degrees. There's a minimal chance of rain, and the dry conditions that have become all too frequent in the state for the month of September appear to be continuing into October. That's good for football, not as good for your lawn.
Alabama vs. Vanderbilt series history
This weekend's matchup will be the 85th meeting all-time between Alabama and Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide is 63-19-4 all-time against the Commodores.
Before last season's upset, Vanderbilt had not beaten Alabama since a 30-21 win in Tuscaloosa in 1984. Vanderbilt has not beaten Alabama two years in a row since 1955-56, a couple of seasons before Coach Bryant arrived in Tuscaloosa.