Vanderbilt Is Not Ranked In CFP Top 25, But Its Impact Is Felt Throughout First Poll | Trey Wallace

The first College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night and while Vanderbilt was not ranked, they got the full attention of the committee, which should show how far this team has come this season. 

Entering the 2024 season, expectations for Vanderbilt to be discussed regarding the playoff was a thought that certainly didn't cross the minds of folks outside the football building in Nashville. Now, that's not a shot at the Commodores or Clark Lea, it's just the reality of how tough the SEC is, and where Vandy has been over the past few seasons. 

But now that the Dores are 6-3 on the season, coming off the win over Auburn, led by Diego Pavia, a team which he seems to own now, teams around the SEC are no longer overlooking this team. The win over Virginia Tech to open the season was a shot across the bow, but following that up with a loss to Georgia State is still baffling to think about in November. 

If we're being honest, and I don’t think you would disagree, if they had won that second game of the season, they'd be ranked somewhere in the top 20 right now. That's the most disappointing part of the Vanderbilt story of 2024, but that's about all you will find when it comes to negativity around this football team. 

A close loss to Missouri, who looks nothing like a playoff worthy team now, was another warning sign that Clark Lea had something brewing on West End. But it was the following week when the college football world was put on notice, defeating No.1 Alabama and sending the fan base into a frenzy, along with the committee members who were voting on playoff rankings. 

By now, you've seen the results that have led to Clark Lea having this team bowl eligible in the first week of November. And while they should've been ranked in the initial poll in my opinion, especially over Missouri and Louisville, Vanderbilt was used multiple times during a teleconference on Tuesday night. 

For the first time, in maybe its history, the Commodores were used as examples of the strength of schedule for two different teams, which should be a clear sign that this program has reached a new level in its quest for relevancy. 

Vanderbilt On The College Football Playoff Committee's Mind

While they weren't ranked, playoff committee chairman Warde Manuel, who is also the athletic director at Michigan, was asked about the ‘eye test’ for ranking the Texas Longhorns 5th, which led to Manuel bringing up Vanderbilt. 

"Well, I think Texas has looked good all year in terms of how they have played," Warde Manuel noted. "They have won on the road at Michigan and went to Vanderbilt and won. As we've seen, Vanderbilt is a very good team this year. Their only loss at home was to No. 3 Georgia."

Did you ever think you'd see the playoff committee chair referencing a road win over Vanderbilt as a reason why a team is ranked at a certain spot? I sure didn’t, especially with all the unknowns about this team heading into the 2024 season. 

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 05: Diego Pavia (#2) looks on during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at FirstBank Stadium on October 5, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Vanderbilt Athletics/University Images via Getty Images)

But then came the second question, this time regarding the gap between a 2-loss Alabama team and other teams ranked in the initial poll. Once again, Vanderbilt was a topic of discussion when Warde Manuel was trying to explain the strength of schedule for the Crimson Tide. 

"Well, we obviously view them as the highest ranked two-loss team at this time, but you really touched on it. The home win over Georgia was impressive," Manuel explained. "What they just did against Missouri, a 24th ranked Missouri team. The loss to Vanderbilt on the road at Vanderbilt was something that we also looked at as well as the road loss at Tennessee, but Tennessee is ranked No. 7."

So, while they were ranked in the AP Top-25 but snubbed in the CFP poll, Clark Lea had his squad as part of the conversation regarding the college football playoff, and that is a testament to what this team has accomplished so far this season. 

The Road Continues This Weekend Against South Carolina

If you were wondering if the City of Nashville has bought into this team, look no further than ticket sales for the remaining home games this season. Saturday's matchup against South Carolina is sold-out, along with the Tennessee game on Thanksgiving weekend. 

Sure, there were a large group of opposing fans when Alabama and Texas traveled to Nashville. But it wasn’t hard to notice the amount of Vanderbilt fans that filled into FirstBank Stadium, and that will be the case once again on Saturday against the Gamecocks.  

AUBURN, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 02: Quarterback Diego Pavia #2 of the Vanderbilt Commodores celebrates after defeating the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

As quoted in the movie ‘Field of Dreams’, the perfect example of ‘If You Build It, They Will Come’, is happening in real-time for the Commodores. 

In terms of the national conversation surrounding Vanderbilt, it might not have been about where they were ranked on Tuesday night, but the fact we are discussing this football team right now is another sign of how far they've come in a short period of time. 

I know there are a number of teams in the SEC that are happy they won't have to play Diego Pavia anymore after this season. But the days of overlooking Vanderbilt are over, and the conversation regarding opposing teams in the college football playoff should be a clear indication of just that.