Last year, after a positive start to the season, Vanderbilt ran into the buzzsaw that is Alabama and lost 59-0.
But the real deflating game arguably came a week later when the Commodores went to the Swamp and, after hanging around for most of the game, lost to the Florida Gators 38-24.
This year, instead of following a deflating loss with a road trip to play an SEC team, the Commodores will host Tennessee State instead. Tennessee State is 2-0 against the murderer’s row of Bethune-Cookman and Eastern Illinois; they’ve also had games against Jackson State and Hampton cancelled due to weather.