[3][4] The significance of the upset was represented by the victory being Vanderbilt's first win over an AP top-ranked football program in its history,[5] the breaking of its 23-game losing streak against Alabama beginning in 1984, and winning its first game against a Associated Press-ranked top-5 opponent to break a 60-game losing streak, the longest of any team since the beginning of the AP poll era in 1936.

[18] The last game they played against Vanderbilt on September 24, 2022 saw quarterback Bryce Young throw for four touchdowns and 385 yards, defeating the Commodores with a 55–3 score.

In addition, Vanderbilt had a 0–60 game history against AP-ranked top-5 opponents, representing the longest streak since the beginning of the AP poll era in 1936.

[2] Prior to the start of the game, the entire eastern sideline of the FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee was filled with Alabama fans, aside from the Vanderbilt student section.

The Commodores' opening drive began with a short rushing gain by Sedrick Alexander, which was then followed with an outside run by A. J. Newberry resulting in a first down.

After a 4-yard rush by Justice Haynes, the team suffered a harsh setback on third down when quarterback Jalen Milroe's pass intended for the 17-year-old freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams was deflected and intercepted by Randon Fontenette.

Fontenette then returned it 24 yards for a touchdown to extend Vanderbilt's lead to 13–0, as kicker Brock Taylor's extra point attempt bounced off the left upright.

Alabama's second possession involved Milroe connecting with CJ Dippre for a 46-yard gain, followed by a first-down completion to Josh Cuevas, who was briefly attended to by trainers after a hard hit.

The drive concluded with Jam Miller scoring on an 8-yard run, with kicker Graham Nicholson's successful PAT narrowing the gap to 13–7 with 4:22 left in the quarter.

[17][1] Alabama's subsequent possession was marred by several difficulties, with Emmanuel Henderson fumbling the kickoff return, albeit being ruled down by contact upon review.

[17][1] After Vanderbilt received the ball and converted another third down to reach Alabama territory, their momentum was stalled by a delay of game penalty, leading to a third-and-15 situation.

[17][1] Alabama moved quickly down the field after from their 25 after a touchback, culminating in a 58-yard touchdown reception by Williams, who broke two tackles along the sideline enroute to the end zone.

Despite having a touchdown nullified by a holding penalty, Vanderbilt managed a 35-yard field goal from Brock Taylor, extending their lead to 33–28 with 10:35 remaining.

On Alabama's subsequent drive, following completions to Dippre and Bernard, Milroe was strip-sacked by Miles Capers with Elijah Pritchett being beaten on the pass rush.

The Crimson Tide executed a pitch to Williams, who found the end zone for a touchdown, narrowing the score to 40–35 with 2:46 left.

Starting at their 18-yard line with 2:44 remaining, Vanderbilt successfully executed a screen pass to Alexander on second-and-12 that resulted in a crucial first down just before the two-minute timeout.

Vanderbilt secured two additional first downs on a 13-yard run by Alexander and an 8-yard scramble by Pavia with just over a minute remaining, effectively sealing the game as Alabama had exhausted their timeouts.

[17][1] As the final kneel downs were taking place, Alabama graduate senior, strong safety, and one of the team's leaders Malachi Moore forcibly grabbed Pavia's facemask and slammed his head into the ground following the whistle, screamed at his teammates, threw his mouthpiece prior to a play, and kicked the ball out of a referee's hand after it was spotted, leading to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

[21][22] Many news outlets and publications immediately declared the game as the biggest in the history of Vanderbilt's football program at its conclusion.

[5][24] In addition, the stadium began to play clips on loop of Nick Saban's recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show calling Vanderbilt the exception to difficult teams in the SEC.

[19] Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea stated after the game that the victory was the dream, and promised to enjoy it before preparing his team to make more wins against big opponents.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, while being interviewed right after the upset victory, emotionally stated:[25] "It's literally all God's timing.

1 team since the beginning of AP polls to lose to an unranked program the week following a win over a top-two ranked opponent, and the first to do so since the 1960 victory of the Purdue Boilermakers over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Several sports figures reacted to the upset by giving high praise to Vanderbilt while also making fun of or celebrating the No.

1 ranked Alabama team's downfall, including former Indianapolis Colts punter and sports analyst Pat McAfee, J.D.

[30] Several social media users decried Malachi Moore's outbursts during the final plays of the game, with many stating that such behavior would not go undisciplined under former coach Nick Saban.

The following week back home, the Crimson Tide almost fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks, trailing 19–14 in the third quarter before ultimately winning 27–25 on a game-winning interception.

In the final minute of regulation, South Carolina scored a touchdown, failed the two-point conversion, and recovered an onside kick before losing.

After some debate over whether Alabama or SMU (which lost to Clemson on a last-second field goal in the ACC Championship game) deserve the final at-large playoff berth, the committee ultimately snubbed Alabama and chose SMU instead, citing the Crimson Tide's losses to unranked Vanderbilt and Oklahoma as a factor.