Interstate 65 Showdown

James Franklin and Nick Saban started this epic rivalry unofficially by clashing in the 2013 SEC championship. At the time offensive coordinator and now head coach, Patches O'Houlihan, cemented it into a rivarly. Vanderbilt and Alabama met on the gridiron 7 times in the league's first 5 years! O'Houlihan has built Vanderbilt into quite the contender. The rivalry was officially recognized by the Virtual Sports Clearing House in 2017 with the 2017 SEC Championship being the inaugural game. Vanderbilt has a record of 5-1 prior to the official rivalry.