Tennessee and Vanderbilt are set to face off for a top-20 matchup to finish the regular season. The 9-2 Commodores are fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff, while the 8-3 Vols are looking to play spoiler.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is a big reason why the Commodores have become Playoff contenders and risen into the national spotlight. He is known for his confident attitude, which he shows by surrounding himself with the Dores.
He didn't have much to say about Tennessee after Vandy's 45-17 blowout win over Kentucky. Pavia chose not to give Tennessee any added bulletin board material ahead of their matchup.
"Yeah, I know you're trying to get me to say something or whatever," said Pavia. "But yeah, I've heard a lot about the stadium. I'm super excited. We've got everything we want ahead of us. Just to have that there, I want to play for my brothers."
This response is a change in tune from Pavia's usual demeanor. Pavia's confidence showed in the summer when he joined Bussin With The Boys to talk about Vanderbilt football.
"Vanderbilt is gonna run Tennessee after this year," Pavia said. "This is gonna be the new staple of college football. It's going to happen here at Vanderbilt."
"Everyone wants to come to Tennessee because of Nashville," Pavia added. "They want to come to Nashville, so Vanderbilt is [in Nashville]. And then when we have the most money in NIL, like, why not come here? So, we literally just have to win this year, and throughout the rest of the year, it'll take care of itself."
This is just one of many examples of Pavia's oozing confidence. He rarely shies away from taking shots at his doubters and opponents, but he holds off on saying anything about Tennessee as of now.
The Vols and Dores are set to face each other at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN. Saturday's matchup is the regular-season finale and the final game for Tennessee's seniors at Neyland Stadium.