Vanderbilt Commodores On SI Staff Predicts Vanderbilt Football’s 2025 Season

The wait is just about over. It is officially game week as Week 1 of the 2025-2026 college football season kicks off with a full slate of games, starting Thursday.

Vanderbilt is looking to start the 2025 season where it ended in 2024. Last time fans saw the Commodores in action, they saw their team beat Georgia Tech win the Birmingham Bowl. It was the first time since 2013 that Vanderbilt finished above .500. 

This season, Vanderbilt wants to improve on that record. The mission to accomplish its dreams of placing at the top of the SEC starts Saturday night as it takes on Charleston Southern at FirstBank Stadium at 6 p.m. CT. 

But Vanderbilt comes into the new season with one of the hardest schedules in the nation with five games against teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25. So, how will Vanderbilt perform this fall? Staff members at reveal their record predictions as to how they think the Commodores’ season will go.

Staff Predictions

Dylan Tovitz: This Vanderbilt football team feels different than year’s past. And while vibes may be great going into the 2025 campaign, they won’t mean much until the Commodores start stacking wins together.

I do think this is an improved team from last year, and I think we’ll see that manifest as the schedule unfolds as they’re better equipped to outlast SEC competition than they’ve been in a long time. Ultimately, I think Vanderbilt takes a step forward, earning another bowl berth but stumbling on the road against Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Alabama and Texas. Strong play at FirstBank Stadium and a rivalry win in Knoxville to cap things off make the season a step in the right direction, but still one that fails to deliver on the program’s biggest aspirations. .  

RECORD PREDICTION: 7-5 

Graham Baakko: Before this season, Vanderbilt’s football program has not been in the scenario it is in now entering a season in a long time. Other teams in the SEC and fans around the country are paying attention to Vanderbilt and taking them far more seriously than they have in the past decade or more.

I think Vanderbilt has a chance to pick up where it left off last season and improve on last season’s record. However, the biggest issue is Vanderbilt’s schedule. There seems to be a clear divide in terms of who the Commodores will face at home and who they will travel to. With trips to Virginia Tech, No. 13 South Carolina, No. 8 Alabama and No. 1 Texas, it will be very difficult to come away with victories in those trips. I think Vanderbilt drops all four of those. However, I do think it will win on the road in Knoxville to finish the season.

At home, Vanderbilt has a favorable schedule. The Commodores should beat Charleston Southern, Georgia State, Utah State and Kentucky. However, I think they will lose two of three FirstBank Stadium between the Tigers of LSU, Missouri and Auburn

RECORD PREDICTION: 6-6

Joey Dwyer: The good news for Vanderbilt football is that it appears to have improved most places relative to where it was last season. The trouble with Vanderbilt football is that improvement in terms of talent doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to improve in terms of its record. 

Clark Lea’s team has to find a way to counteract the eventual regression that’s coming in terms of its ball security as well as what appears to be a more difficult schedule. It should get three gimmes against Charleston Southern, Georgia State and Utah State, but it’s still not good enough to not have to fight for everything. Pavia will likely work some magic, but Vanderbilt will have to win most of its close games to improve significantly in 2025.

RECORD PREDICTION: 6-6

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