With a 55-35 win over Utah State in Week 5 of the 2025 college football season, Vanderbilt is off to its best start in nearly 20 years. The Commodores continue to follow the guidance of quarterback Diego Pavia, who comedically celebrated the victory after the game on the SEC Network broadcast.

Pavia had another dominant performance, racking up over 400 total yards with six touchdowns. After the game, he joined the entire Vanderbilt football team in singing the school's alma mater while on the live broadcast with SEC Network sideline reporter Alyssa Lang.

In case anybody was wondering, the star quarterback is not as good a singer as he is a football player.

Pavia recorded a season-high 321 passing yards and five touchdowns in the win, while adding 79 rushing yards and another score on the ground. He threw one interception, but still improved his touchdown-interception ratio to 13-3 on the year.

The 20-point victory gave Vanderbilt its fifth consecutive double-digit victory to begin the season. In doing so, the Commodores got off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2008.

Vanderbilt entered the game at No. 18 in the AP poll. After beginning the year unranked, the Commodores entered the rankings after dusting No. 11 South Carolina in Week 3 and have only continued to impress.

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Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt set for Week 6 matchup against Alabama

Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) celebrates a first down as Auburn Tigers take on Vanderbilt Commodores at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. The Vanderbilt Commodores defeated Auburn Tigers 17-7.
Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The win over Utah State allows Vanderbilt to ride its momentum into arguably its biggest game of the year. The Commodores will hit the road in Week 6 to face Alabama, which will be coming off a grueling battle with Georgia.

Vanderbilt and Alabama meet one year after engaging in one of the most memorable games of the 2024 college football season. Fresh off a victory over Georgia, the Tide entered that matchup with a No. 1 ranking, but suffered a 40-35 upset loss to the Commodores.

The win allowed Vanderbilt to breach the top 25 rankings three games later for the first time since 2008. Although the Commodores could not sustain their momentum, they ended the regular season with a 6-6 record, earning their first bowl game appearance since 2018.

As big as the win in 2024 was, Pavia and Vanderbilt enter the 2025 matchup under a different light. The game will be in Tuscaloosa, likely favoring Alabama, but the Commodores fully believe in their national title aspirations and do not view themselves as underdogs.