Vanderbilt’s next date on the schedule now has a kickoff time.
While the Commodores are in the middle of their bye week, the SEC released game times and television assignments Monday for conference games in the week of Nov. 7, and Vanderbilt learned when it will face Mississippi State. The matchup is set for 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
That settles one of the remaining mysteries around Vanderbilt’s 2026 schedule. Heading into the season, the Mississippi State game was expected to land in either the midday or night window, and now the Commodores know they’ll be in the afternoon slot when the two teams meet in a couple of weeks.
It will also be the first football meeting between Vanderbilt and Mississippi State since 2021.
For Vanderbilt, this will be the fourth time this season it has played in the midday window. The previous three came in the win over Delaware and in losses to Auburn and Ole Miss.
The timing update comes as Vanderbilt tries to regroup from another setback. Last weekend, the Commodores dropped their fifth straight game, falling 34-17 at No.
12 Kentucky. The start looked familiar: like the Oct. 17 loss to Arkansas, Vanderbilt opened well before the game began to slip away in the middle of the second quarter.
Now the focus turns to the final four games. Vanderbilt sits at 3-5 and needs to finish 3-1 in November to become bowl eligible. After the bye, the Commodores go to Mississippi State, then come home to face Alabama on Nov. 14, travel to Florida on Nov. 21, and finish the regular season at home against in-state rival Tennessee.
It’s a steep climb, especially with Vanderbilt still standing as the only SEC team without a conference win this season. The Commodores are back in the film room this week trying to sort out what’s gone wrong and how to change course.
November is the month that will decide how this season is remembered. Right now, the outlook is rough. But college football can turn fast, and Vanderbilt will get its next chance in Starkville.
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The bye week arrived with Vanderbilt carrying more frustration than momentum after a loss to No. 12 Kentucky pushed the Commodores to 0-5 in SEC play. Still, there were a few signs worth building on. Tight ends Cole Spence and Jayvontay Conner both showed up in the passing game, while receiver Junior Sherrill gave the offense a needed spark. Quarterback Jared Curtis also had moments that suggested there is something to work with as Vanderbilt sorts through a difficult stretch.
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Only three players are back from last years team, which means there is plenty of opportunity and plenty of uncertainty as the new group takes shape. Tyler Tanner, Chandler Bing and Jayden Leverett give Vanderbilt a small returning core, while the arrivals of Bangot Dak and Berke Buyuktuncel are part of a broader mix of transfers and freshmen that will determine how quickly the Commodores can turn that offseason optimism into something more concrete. [Read more 🡒]