Vanderbilt spent most of 2024 as America’s team, and quarterback Diego Pavia was the little engine that drove that upset train. Unfortunately, it appears that after one winning season, the signal caller thinks his squad is among the elite programs in the country. To prove it, he aimed at the Big Ten and the Nebraska football program in particular.
Pavia appeared on a recent episode of Bussin’ with the Boys, where he talked about what the offseason was like after he rose to prominence and gained another year of eligibility. Among his experiences, he claimed that many teams from around the country tried to get him to transfer. However, he not only wanted to stay at Vanderbilt but also wanted to stay out of the Big Ten.
Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia tries to clown the Big Ten, takes aim at Nebraska
“You want to play with the best – you don’t want to play with the Big Ten. … You ignore those calls,” Pavia said. “You know that,” he reportedly joked to Taylor Lewan (who played for Michigan) and Will Compton (who played for the Nebraska football team.)
Given the league's strength, Pavia claimed that the SEC is a gauntlet.
“But you’ve got to think about this, too,” Pavia said. “The SEC is, like, nothing. Like, okay, the Big Ten, you have Ohio State, Oregon … the SEC, it’s like week after week. You’re going to get beat on. The Big Ten, you’re not gonna get beat on with the Purdue, Nebraskas.”
Pavia, who has spent much of the offseason running his mouth after finally getting Vanderbilt a winning record after 10 straight losing campaigns, is conveniently avoiding one crucial point.
While there are plenty of teams considered quite tough in the SEC, Vanderbilt is rarely one of them. One can argue that the Commodores are the Purdue of their conference.
Schedule fodder that everyone wants to play. Last year’s few upsets notwithstanding (which Purdue tends to get as well)
The Nebraska football team hasn’t been great over the last decade. Neither has Vandy. Diego Pavia needs to worry about the laughingstock his program has been, rather than taking shots elsewhere.