At last, it’s game week in the Southeastern Conference as the Vanderbilt Commodores prepare to take on the Hawaii Fighting Rainbows in a Week Zero primetime matchup. Vanderbilt Football opens the 2023 Southeastern Conference season with a rematch of a 63-10 beatdown from Week Zero during the 2022 season. Last season, Vanderbilt used the Hawaii game as a stepping stone for a successful second season under Head Coach Clark Lea.

Despite finishing 5-7 last season and missing the postseason, the energy around Vanderbilt Football has reached an all-time high as the Commodores reach game week in Nashville, Tennessee. All around Music City, folks are talking about Vanderbilt Football; Coach Lea added an extra layer of excitement when he took over the podium at Vanderbilt Day during SEC Media Day. Coach Lea spoke with the media about his Vanderbilt Football program building for a future where the Commdores become a household name in the Southeastern Conference. Not only did Coach Lea win over his fan base at Vanderbilt, but he made the national narrative shift in favor of the Commodores following the positive outlook from the head man.

For Vanderbilt, all the off-season success will take centerstage on Saturday night. Vanderbilt has the opportunity on Saturday to start the season on the winning side of the track. The Commodores have a chance to show college football that Vanderbilt Football has a chance to win a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2018.

Sure, Vanderbilt is playing a far superior Hawaii team, but the excitement surrounding Vanderbilt Football is unmatched. People are genuinely excited about the future of Vanderbilt Football.

On the field, Vanderbilt has taken shape by looking the part of a Southeastern Conference Football team. According to multiple reports, Vanderbilt spent the off-season getting bigger and faster; many have said this might be the best Vanderbilt Football team in recent memory. According to Chris Lee from VandySports.com, in an interview on The Mitch Davis Show Podcast, after watching Vanderbilt practice this off-season convinced him the 2023 team would beat the 2022 team by a touchdown or so.

Led by an explosive offensive unit, Vanderbilt has a chance on Saturday to score a lot of points while putting the college football world on notice that the 2023 Vanderbilt Football team is a program that deserves respect. Vanderbilt has eight guys returning on the offensive side of the ball, led by AJ Swann at Quarterback and Will Sheppard at Wide Receiver; the Commodores will try to pick apart the depleted Hawaii defensive on Saturday.

Vanderbilt and Hawaii will kick off the 2023 Southeastern Conference Football season on Saturday night at 6:30 on the SEC Network.