Alabama looks to continue turnaround in matchup against team that started last season's demise

What a difference a full month makes in college football. The No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1) started the season with an embarrassing road loss to the unranked Florida State Seminoles. The Tide won big in their next two games and then made a statement with a  win at No. 5 Georgia this past Saturday.

Last season, the Tide started 4-0, including a huge win over No. 2 Georgia 41-34 in a thrilling shootout. One week later, the calendar turned to October, and the Tide went from king of college football to a mess. The Tide lost on the road 40-35 to the Vanderbilt Commodores. That loss broke a 14-game winning streak (counting two vacated wins) over the Commodores. 

It was the start to an ugly October for the Tide that included a devastating road loss to rival Tennessee and an ugly win at home over South Carolina. 

Since the win over No. 1 Alabama last year, Vanderbilt has won nine of its last 14 games, including a 5-0 start this season that has propelled the Commodores to No. 16 in the AP Poll. Dual-threat quarterback Diego Pavia has become a household name in college football.

The loss to Vandy in 2024 left a bad taste in many Alabama fans' mouths, likely more than the losses to Tennessee and Oklahoma. The Tide underestimated the Commodores and were too confident in their talent and their name. The Tide aren't looking for this to happen again. 

This Saturday will be a revenge game for second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer and his team. He knows his team shouldn't be overconfident after allowing Georgia to potentially take the win last week. The team also knows this isn't the same Vanderbilt team that would be at the bottom of the SEC or go 3-9 at the end of the season. This team has the potential to play in the SEC Championship game.

The Commodores are dangerous. They are sixth in the nation in points per game (49), 18th in rushing yards per game (223.4), and 31st in points allowed per game (17.2). Pavia has completed 74.6 percent of his pass attempts for 1,211 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing for 294 yards and two touchdowns.

Alabama should have a little more fire in its soul when it faces Vanderbilt, especially after Johnny Manziel slammed the program while boosting the hype of Pavia.

The Tide had better be more emotionally prepared for Vanderbilt than they were last season. They should also be more motivated to silence Manziel and others who are reveling in the program supposedly coming down a peg. Finally, they had better be focused on shutting down Pavia in the air and on the ground.