Diego Pavia on Vanderbilt-Texas: 'This is the Louis Vuitton vs some underground yard sale'

Vanderbilt vs. Texas features two programs on opposite ends of the college football spectrum, historically. The Longhorns have one of the more storied programs in the country, while the Commodores haven’t tasted success all too often.

However, the Commodores have turned into a top-10 team under head coach Clark Lea in 2025. QB Diego Pavia has been the driving force to that effort over the past two seasons. Now set to meet a Texas team on the road that has been to the national semifinal in each of the last two years, Pavia isn’t interested in being the underdog this weekend.

“This is like the Louis Vuitton vs. some underground yard sale,” Pavia told Marty Smith on the SEC Network ahead of kickoff. “My people have been slept on, but we know that. We know we’ve been slept on. 7-1, some people still don’t give us credit. We’re coming out here and we’ve got to make a point tonight.”

Kickoff between the Commodores and Longhorns is set for Noon ET. Pavia expressed his confidence that his guys can head back to Nashville with a win.

“We’ve just got to come out here and play our football,” Pavia said. “We play Vanderbilt football, no one can mess with us.”

That’s exactly what Pavia and company have done this season. Their lone loss came to Alabama on the road last month and have defeated consecutive ranked opponents ever since. They have a shot to do so once again this weekend, which would only further solidify the Commodores as a potential College Football Playoff team down the stretch.

Pavia credited the Texas defense, saying that the unit has all the talent in the world. If Vanderbilt plays “collaborative football,” and play for one another, then they’ll be just fine against the Longhorns on the road.

He also had high praise for Texas QB Arch Manning. Pavia and Manning are no strangers to critics, and is hoping the Longhorns starter has a long, fruitful career in Austin and beyond.

“He’s young,” Pavia said. “A lot of people gave him criticism when he was first starting out. But people have got to understand this is his first time really playing college football, so I think the sky’s the limit for that kid. I wish (him) nothing but success. A lot of people want to hate each other, but there’s enough success to go around for everyone.”

The winning quarterback will be praised mightily for their performance. Meanwhile, the losing party will face the brunt of the criticism. Fans can watch the matchup between the two programs live on ABC.