Will Tennessee football knock Vanderbilt out of CFP hunt? Our prediction

Tennessee football has its final regular-season game and there's plenty at stake in a rivalry clash.

No. 18 Tennessee (8-3, 4-3 SEC) plays No. 12 Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2) on Nov. 29 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Neyland Stadium.

Here is what to know about the matchup:

Tennessee can shatter Vanderbilt's College Football Playoff hopes

Vanderbilt needs a win to stay in the hunt for its first College Football Playoff hunt.

The Commodores are on the outside looking in at the CFP picture after the most recent rankings, which placed them No. 14. They are behind five SEC teams in No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Georgia, No. 7 Ole Miss, No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 10 Alabama.

Tennessee beating Vanderbilt would eliminate it from the CFP chase as it would be the third loss for the Commodores.

Diego Pavia makes Vanderbilt's offense go

Diego Pavia is the star of Vanderbilt's offense, getting it done through the air and on the ground.

The senior quarterback has thrown for 2,924 yards and an SEC-leading 26 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He tops SEC quarterbacks with a 71.8% completion percentage.

Pavia also is Vanderbilt's leading rusher. He has scored eight rushing touchdowns and has 661 yards.

"He’s continued to get better throughout the course of the season in being efficient with football and has created a bunch of big plays," Vols coach Josh Heupel said. "But his ability to be a part of the run game as well is a huge part of what they do offensively.”

Tennessee and Joey Aguilar should air it out on the Commodores

Joey Aguilar is the SEC's leading passer with 3,145 passing yards and 285.9 passing yards per game. He has a suspect Vanderbilt pass defense to attack.

The Commodores have the second-worst passing defense in the SEC, allowing 248.3 yards per game.

"Defensively, a lot of different structures," Heupel said. "In the last two years that we’ve played them, structure-wise, it’s been dramatically different when we got the kickoff, so we have to prepare for the structures that we’ve seen in the past and also what they’ve done this year.”

UT passed for 257 yards and four touchdowns in its win against Vanderbilt in November 2024.

Tennessee vs Vanderbilt prediction

Tennessee 44, Vanderbilt 34: Tennessee is better than Vanderbilt this season. Neyland Stadium is a massive factor, especially in big games like this − and Vanderbilt is a bigger game than usual.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee vs Vanderbilt predictions. Will Vols end Commodore' CFP chase?