Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia is coming off a season that has taken his confidence to another level. Pavia led the Commodores to a 7-6 record last season, which included an upset victory over No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. It was Vanderbilt’s first win over a top-five side in the program’s history.
David Cone Takes Issue with Diego Pavia Considering Big Ten a Secondary Conference
Appearing on the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast this week, Pavia again made headlines. He confidently asserted Vanderbilt as a college football powerhouse.
“Vanderbilt’s going to run Tennessee after this year. Like, this is going to be the new staple of college football. It’s going to happen here at Vanderbilt,” Pavia said (via CBS Sports).
Defending his confidence on Wednesday on the “Crain & Company” podcast, analyst David Cone said Pavia isn’t just talking the talk.
“I mean, this isn’t some cocky kid coming in who hasn’t proved this,” Cone said. “He has the wins on the field to back it up. And he had them even before last year when he was at Vanderbilt. But look—Alabama came to your place, and you beat ’em. He has some big-time wins.”
The last two college football national championships have gone to Big Ten teams. The Ohio State Buckeyes won it last season, while the Michigan Wolverines emerged as champions the year before. Despite that, Diego Pavia doesn’t consider Big Ten on the same level as the Southeastern Conference.
Speaking on the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast, Pavia said (via Sports Illustrated):
“You want to play with the best. You don’t want to play with the Big Ten. You ignore those calls. You know that. You’ve got to think about this, too. 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.”
However, David Cone didn’t like it when Pavia considered the Big Ten a secondary conference. He said on the “Crain & Company” podcast:
“What I take a bigger issue with is what he had to say about the Big Ten. Maybe he was just doing that tongue-in-cheek because Lean and Compton played in the Big Ten. But at the same time, I think maybe he tuned out of the College Football Playoff when he said that the Big Ten is just, you know, a secondary conference and not on the level of the SEC.”
Pavia had a breakout year in 2024, throwing for 2,133 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding 716 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He would hope to do well in 2025 and live up to his words of saying that Vanderbilt are on the verge of becoming a college football powerhouse.
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