NCAA Football
2025-11-08 - Auburn Tigers at Vanderbilt Commodores
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Week 11
Saturday 8th November 2025 - Scheduled 4pm
9pm (British Time)
Preview
They have already matched the seven wins that were secured in a winning 2024 season, but the Vanderbilt Commodores (7-2) may still want more. The opening College Football Playoff Rankings has Vanderbilt up at Number 16, which is impressive, but there are six SEC teams that have stronger Rankings and the Commodores will need to win out to have any hope of sneaking into the Playoff.
It would be really unexpected and the Vanderbilt fightback that just came up short against the Texas Longhorns in Week 10 could prove costly.
That loss has dropped the Commodores to 3-2 in the SEC and likely prevented a top ten opening Ranking, but they are having a much better season than the Auburn Tigers (4-5) who are just 1-5 in the Conference.
There are plenty of big vacancies all around the College Football scene, but the latest Auburn loss opened up another when Head Coach Hugh Freeze was fired. With games against Vanderbilt and Alabama yet to be completed before the end of the regular season, Auburn need at least one upset to become Bowl eligible and to have an opportunity to finish with a winning record.
In reality they are on course to match the 5-7 record from 2024, although the Auburn job will remain one of the most sought after in College Football as one of a number of SEC vacancies to be filled in the off-season.
Jackson Arnold was supposed to help the Tigers push forward, but his time with Auburn looks to be coming to a close after Ashton Daniels was announced as the starting Quarter Back ahead of this game. You would hardly say that Daniels had a big impact for the team in the loss to the Kentucky Wildcats when he finished with 108 passing yards and an Interception, while continuing to operate behind a shaky Offensive Line.
The Tigers may look to establish the run, but the Commodores have been pretty good at clamping down on the run and it is the Secondary that have struggled most. However, Ashton Daniels may not have the experience nor the current confidence to have the same kind of successes that Arch Manning had for Texas and this gives Vanderbilt a chance to earn a win and remain in touch with the College Football Playoff leading teams.
One of the reasons Auburn will feel they can be competitive is the Defensive unit, which has played at a level expected around these parts.
The Defensive Line have been very strong up front and it is going to be very tough for the Commodores to have the kind of success that they have been used to. However, Vanderbilt are home and they will not shy away from trying to pound the ball on the ground, especially with a Quarter Back who is comfortable making plays with his legs as much as his arm.
Diego Pavia is going to be well aware of the importance of his legs with the Tigers likely to get a strong push up front and look to collapse the pocket, while the dual-threat ability of the Quarter Back is key to at least put the Commodores in a position to be operating in front of the chains.
The Quarter Back does have over 2000 passing yards with 18 Touchdown passes and he should be able to find some spaces to attack this Auburn Secondary. In the main Diego Pavia has looked after the ball when throwing and that is key considering the ability of this Tigers team to turn the ball over and it could see the Commodores battle for another win by a Touchdown mark.
Vanderbilt have done that in wins over LSU and Missouri at home, while Auburn have lost by 7 points at Oklahoma and 6 points at Texas A&M. They also lost by 7 points in Week 10 at home against the Kentucky Wildcats and Vanderbilt can edge past this spread.
Prediction
Lay the points with the home favourite in this SEC game.
The Pick :
Vanderbilt Commodores 20-13 Auburn Tigers
