How Vanderbilt Football's win over Alabama is one of the best wins

Vanderbilt Football’s win over Alabama at FirstBank Stadium on Saturday was big. But how big?

The Commodores had a 0-60 record against AP top-five opponents before the win. They had never beaten a team as highly regarded as the Crimson Tide. But a Vanderbilt team that had lost its last two games still pulled off the 40-35 upset.

It won’t be known until Sunday whether the game will move the Commodores (3-2, 1-1 SEC) up in the rankings. They haven’t topped the AP poll since 2013, the second-longest losing streak among Power Four teams.

It was their first win over Alabama since 1984 and ended a 24-game losing streak against the Crimson Tide (including an Alabama win in 1993 that was later voided).

Here’s how he ranks among the best victories of the last 50 years:

CLARK LEA Clark Lea gets emotional as he explains Vanderbilt football defeating No. 1 Alabama: ‘Not shocking to me’

2024: Vanderbilt 40, Alabama 35

Vanderbilt has never done anything like this – ever. Not only had the Commodores never beaten an AP No. 1 team, they had never beaten a top-five team. (Alabama is ranked No. 2 in the U.S. LBM Coaches Poll.)

That fact alone puts this win at the top of the list. It was unexpected because Vanderbilt shocked the world after the Crimson Tide defeated Georgia just a week ago.

2016: Vanderbilt 45, Tennessee 34

This victory ticks many boxes. A win over your biggest rival, then ranked, to secure bowl eligibility? That’s hard to top.

It was also an exciting game. Tennessee led for most of the game, but Vanderbilt finally broke through in the fourth quarter, forcing a missed field goal and a fumble to stay on top.

1982: Vanderbilt 28, Tennessee 21

This wasn’t the biggest upset Vanderbilt had had before – Tennessee was unranked at the time and finished just 6-5-1, while the Commodores finished 8-4 and had already earned a bowl invitation. It wasn’t even the biggest upset in terms of rankings, as Vanderbilt also defeated then-No. 14 Florida this year.

But the game meant everything to fans at the time. It was the last time they broke the goalposts at FirstBank Stadium until Saturday. Vanderbilt played in just its third bowl game in school history this year.

2007: Vanderbilt 17, South Carolina 6

In retrospect, things don’t look so good. The 2007 Gamecocks were ranked No. 6 at the time of that matchup, but Vanderbilt’s win was the first in a five-game losing streak for South Carolina that finished 6-6 and was not invited to a bowl. The duel didn’t mean too much for the Commodores either, they ended 5:7.

But at the time, one could have argued that this was the best win in program history. According to the AP poll rankings at the time of the game, this was previously tied with a win over LSU in 1937 for the highest-ranked opponent Vanderbilt had ever beaten.

2006: Vanderbilt 24, Georgia 22

This was one of the most stunning victories in Vanderbilt history. That team finished 4-8 and won only one SEC game: this one. And unlike many of the Commodores’ other wins against ranked opponents, this one came against a team that finished the season ranked. The Bulldogs were 9-4 and ranked No. 23 in the final AP poll of the season.

And like the 2016 Tennessee game, this one was exciting. While Vanderbilt took its first lead in the third quarter, a pick-6 in the fourth quarter gave Georgia the lead back. But the Commodores rallied by hitting a 35-yard field goal with two seconds left to win the game.

1991: Vanderbilt 27, Georgia 25

Similar to the 2006 win, this was a mediocre Vanderbilt team that ended up going 5-6, upsetting the Georgia team, which was no coincidence. The Bulldogs finished 9-3 this season and were ranked 19th in the final coaches poll. The other two losses came to teams that finished in the top 10. But this time the Commodores managed to pull off a shock.

1984: Vanderbilt 30, Alabama 21

The 1984 Alabama team was not a particularly good team and ended with one of the few losing seasons in that program’s history. But it was a historic win for the Commodores, who hadn’t beaten the Crimson Tide since 1969. It is still Vanderbilt’s only win at Bryant-Denny Stadium, as Vanderbilt’s previous road wins against Alabama came in either Mobile or Birmingham.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.