Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia declares 2025 South Carolina game a must-win
Vanderbilt has a daunting 2025 football schedule.
The Commodores have road games against Alabama, Texas and Tennessee as part of a 12-game schedule that ranks as the second-toughest in the country, per ESPN.
But Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has a different game circled.
“Game 3,” he said on a recent podcast appearance.
That’s when Vanderbilt travels to Columbia and plays South Carolina in both teams’ SEC opener on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Williams-Brice Stadium. The game does not have a formal kick time yet but will be a night game starting at either 7 or 7:45 p.m.
And Pavia threw some early fuel on the fire by labeling South Carolina, which has won 16 in a row against Vanderbilt, as the game he has circled heading into 2025.
During an appearance on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, Pavia, the 2024 SEC Newcomer of the Year, was asked if there was one game on Vanderbilt’s 2025 schedule “circled” as a must-win.
“Which one of these games is circled to you like, ‘I’ve gotta make sure’?” Lewan said.
“I don’t wanna give the opponent no fuel,” Pavia said. “What if they see this?”
“I think at this point we’ve already gotten past that,” Lewan said, laughing.
Pavia paused for a second, looking at the schedule in front of him.
“Game 3,” he said, smirking.
The episode was released June 17 and quickly caught the attention of USC fans.
South Carolina-Vanderbilt football history
South Carolina beat Vanderbilt and Pavia 28-7 on the road in Nashville last season as part of a 9-4 year for USC. The Gamecocks have won 16 games in a row against the Commodores (eight at home, eight on the road) dating back to the 2009 season.
But Vanderbilt had a good year, too, mostly thanks to Pavia, a New Mexico State transfer who led the Commodores to an upset win over then-No. 1 Alabama and their first winning record (7-6) and bowl win since 2013.
Pavia threw for 2,293 yards with 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions while rushing for 801 yards and eight touchdowns. He set multiple Vanderbilt school records and won a court battle with the NCAA for a final year of eligibility.
Lewan and Compton, both former NFL players, agreed with Pavia’s assessment.
“With ‘Sandstorm’ playing, that place gets rowdy,” Lewan, who played offensive line at Michigan, said of South Carolina. “Sleeper place to play. Sleeper place.”
“They’ll be tough this year, man,” Compton, who played linebacker at Nebraska, added later in the exchange about the Gamecocks. “They’ve got a squad.”
Entering Year 5 of the Shane Beamer, South Carolina returns star quarterback LaNorris Sellers and has an over/under win total of 7.5, per VegasInsider.com. Vanderbilt’s over/under win total is 5.5, but Pavia sees a better year ahead.
“We would be selling ourselves short if I was to sit here and tell you we don’t have the faith go and win the national championship,” he said on the podcast.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 12:11 PM.
