Diego Pavia didn’t want to jinx it. Asked at SEC media days about his dominance over the state of Alabama throughout his career, Vanderbilt football’s quarterback played it cool.

“We got two games facing up against them,” Pavia said. “We got Auburn and Alabama. So I won’t say too much. But they’re obviously great teams.”

Pavia is 2-0 against the Tigers, with last year’s win with the Commodores, and another in 2023 quarterbacking New Mexico State. He beat Alabama in 2024, one of the biggest upsets in college football last season, and took down Jacksonville State in 2023.

He brought up the Gamecocks unprompted.

“Jax State was good that year too,” Pavia said. “Really, really good, and they almost got us back. But I’ll be excited for those games (against Alabama and Auburn.)

Pavia has also had a run of success against Hugh Freeze. He and NMSU beat Freeze’s Liberty team before either of the two made their way to the SEC.

The quarterback praised Freeze on Monday.

“Hugh Freeze is a great coach,” Pavia said. “They have a very well-run program at Auburn. But it’s a battle of the warriors, so I feel like it comes down to who’s more prepared that week. Obviously we’ve got the best of him two times and obviously we always want it to play in our favor, but they run a well-ran program and they got some good talent there too. So it’ll be a fun game in Nashville this year.”

The preparation was a theme for Pavia. It’s the same thing he credited for the Vanderbilt win over Alabama in October.

”We had (tight end) Eli Stowers, who had a big game for us that week,” Pavia said. “And then obviously (wide receiver) Junior Sherill had a big week too. But I think it’s just who comes more prepared to the game. And I feel like that week, we were the more prepared team.”

Vanderbilt is scheduled to face Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 4. The rematch with Freeze and Auburn is set for Nov. 8 at FirstBank Stadium.

The Alabama game will be Pavia’s first game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. He’ll be looking to keep up his dominant run against the Yellowhammer State.

“That stadium is electric,” Pavia said of what he was looking forward to. “I’ve heard about it. And you, just going to come down to who’s more prepared that week and who wants it more.”