Former Alabama football head coach Nick Saban backed his old program as analyst Kirk Herbstreit praised Vanderbilt on College GameDay on Saturday.

Herbstreit broke down several college football games and then talked about Vanderbilt's progression. After Herbstreit finished praising the Vanderbilt Commodores, Saban smiled with a faint chuckle as he quickly responded with his well-known competitive spirit. “Let me speak up for Alabama now. We're better too,” Saban said, ensuring his former team received equal recognition.

Herbstreit had talked about how Vanderbilt has transformed since their shocking upset over Alabama football last season.

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“Last year when Vandy pulled off this upset, it was a shock. It's a different Vandy team. They're better, more mature, more experienced than they were a year ago. They're not intimidated because of the quarterback,” Herbstreit explained during the segment.

The ESPN analyst also touched on other matchups in his analysis, mentioning Texas Tech as an interesting team sitting 11th in the country that people keep on the back burner. He noted their game at Houston as another opportunity to prove themselves.

Herbstreit's words took us back to Vanderbilt's 40-35 victory over top-ranked Alabama in October 2024. That win was enough to end the Commodores' 23-game losing streak against the Crimson Tide. It marked their first victory over an AP No. 1 team in program history. The defeat also broke Vanderbilt's 60-game losing streak against top-five opponents.

If we look at the upcoming matchup between the two programs at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, the Crismon Tide are ranked 10th and looking for revenge against 16th-ranked Vanderbilt, which holds its position strong with an undefeated 5-0 mark. This is the first time both teams have met as ranked opponents since 1937.