Say what you will about Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia. But, he is certainly not a young man who is lacking in confidence.

After turning around the program following his transfer from New Mexico State in 2024 headlined by the shocking upset over Alabama, Pavia has Vanderbilt ranked within the top-20 at No. 16 with a 5-0 record headed into the much ballyhooed rematch against the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.

While many feel that things are going to be different this time around as Alabama is the home team and has revenge on their mind, those facts have not shaken the confidence of Pavia, who has revealed a declaration about his feelings on his team’s chances in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“I know we’ve got to bring it. That’s for sure,” he began via Chris Low of On3. “The crowd, I think, is going to be a big factor in the game. But we just gotta play within the white lines. If we do that, if we play our game, it won’t be close.”

Pavia’s team is roughly a 10-point underdog, so if he was actually correct and things winded up “not being close” as he asserted implying a Vanderbilt blowout, it would be quite the call.

Alabama is already 0-1 this season when playing with bulletin board material after Thomas Castellanos handled them in week on for Florida State following an offseason full of trash talk, but this is a chance to bounce back as well as redemption for last year’s embarrassing loss.

Pavia should be correct in saying it won’t be close, but based on the talent level on both rosters, perhaps he can just be incorrect about which team a “not close” result favors.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.