Vanderbilt In The College Football Playoff? The Sec’s Biggest Surprise Isn’t Done Yet

NASHVILLE — There was a beaming Clark Lea, opinionated connected nan FirstBank Stadium turf aft Vanderbilt’s slugfest of a triumph complete Missouri, 17–10. And present came a ample man successful a navy bluish sweater, grey pants and achromatic sneakers to shingle his hand.

The man was Jimmy Sexton, supplier to almost each nan coaching stars successful nan Southeastern Conference. Watching Sexton congratulate nan victor aft a large crippled is simply a time-honored contented successful nan league—it’s conscionable that nan coach being glad-handed astatine a infinitesimal for illustration this isn’t usually Lea.

Nick Saban backmost successful nan day? For sure. Kirby Smart? Absolutely. Kalen DeBoer? Yes. Steve Sarkisian? Sure. Lane Kiffin? Definitely. 

Lea? Rarely.

His profession grounds successful 5 seasons astatine his alma mater is still 11 games nether .500, pinch an SEC people that is 20 games nether breakeven. But nan breakthrough is happening, and Sexton offered what was, symbolically, nan concealed handshake. Welcome to nan big-game club.

In this moment, nan 43-year-old leader of nan Commodores is arsenic deserving of that respect arsenic immoderate Sexton client. Or anyone other successful nan assemblage shot coaching profession. The Vanderbilt occurrence continues—doggedly, tenaciously, proudly—with each large dream still wrong reach.

Vanderbilt not only hosted a large crippled successful nan second half of nan season, it recovered a measurement to triumph it.

“To triumph a crippled for illustration that against a really bully force connected a time that was really meaningful to us,” Lea said, “this was a cool time for Vanderbilt shot and we’ve earned nan correct to observe it. … I wasn’t going to show [the players] that coming didn’t matter. This was an important crippled for america and we needed to understand that.”

Here’s really important: Two-thirds of nan measurement done this paradigm-shifting season, eternal doormat Vandy is 7–1 wide and 3–1 successful nan SEC. The Dores are up of Oklahoma, Tennessee and LSU successful nan convention standings. They are tied successful nan nonaccomplishment file pinch Georgia, Mississippi and Texas—and nan Longhorns are only still successful nan image acknowledgment to a hopeless comeback against tied-for-last-place Mississippi State. They way only Texas A&M and Alabama, which besides was fortunate to past an upset effort astatine nan hands of South Carolina. They are wholly viable successful nan College Football Playoff race.

Vanderbilt’s remaining schedule: astatine Texas, vs. Auburn, vs. Kentucky and astatine Tennessee. Some different contenders look a tougher gauntlet than that.

Do nan Commodores person a chance to triumph them all? Yes. Could they besides suffer astatine slightest half of them? Yes. Such is nan quality of 2025 successful nan SEC. 

But for Vanderbilt, which has ne'er won this convention and very seldom travel close, being successful contention heading into November is mind-boggling. It’s terra incognita.

And yet, Vandy keeps passing nan tests basal for rank successful nan circle of contenders. It started past year, erstwhile nan Commodores climbed up to 7–6 and shocked Alabama to service announcement that this isn’t nan Same Old Vandy. Then it escalated this play pinch consecutive roadworthy beatdowns of Virginia Tech and South Carolina.

After a 5–0 start, Vandy was beaten by Alabama connected nan road—a conclusion that immoderate thought would deflate nan Dores. Instead, they turned astir and handled LSU present past week, ratcheting up nan stakes for this crippled pitting a brace of 6–1 teams.

ESPN’s College GameDay came to municipality to put its stamp of relevance connected nan proceedings. A Vandy student perfectly crushed nan obligatory section goal connected nan show from 33 yards out—in his socks—to triumph $500,000 and different 200 expansive for kindness and a shout-out from nan prima Commodore.

Vanderbilt backmost Diego Pavia dives complete Missouri defenders for a one-yard touchdown. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

“That will screen a batch of tuition fees aliases whatever,” said backmost Diego Pavia.

Pavia is nan look of this Vandy renaissance, the swaggering thoroughfare combatant from Albuquerque who transferred successful pinch a posse of coaches and teammates from New Mexico State past year. He possesses confidence, charisma and activity qualities successful abundance, which is why he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate—and why Vandy launched a run for him past week. 

“Hell yeah, I judge it,” Pavia replied erstwhile asked whether he thinks he deserves nan Heisman, pinch a “2TURNT” chapeau connected his head.

But connected this chilly Saturday, Vanderbilt’s way to triumph led done its defense and a moving backmost who was retired of shot past year, doing what he described arsenic missionary activity while hoping to subordinate nan team.

Start pinch that player, backup moving backmost M.K. Young. He was portion of nan New Mexico State migration to Nashville that was led by Pavia, tight extremity Eli Stowers, violative coordinator Tim Beck and violative adjunct Jerry Kill. But Young joined a twelvemonth later, amid circumstances that stay mostly unexplained.

Young spent past play successful his hometown of Midland, Texas, doing overseas jobs astatine Greater Ideal Baptist Church. He says he attended seminary schoolhouse successful bid to go a preacher, but he ne'er took his eyes disconnected nan dream of becoming a Commodore.

“I’m grateful for nan chance,” he said. “I was successful nan passageway and didn’t cognize wherever nan ray was.”

Young ran to daylight pinch a third-quarter handoff to nan correct side, breaking to nan sideline and going 80 yards for a touchdown. It was Vanderbilt’s longest tally since 2022, and it was precisely nan jolt nan Dores needed to supplement a dogged protect performance.

Vandy held Missouri to its fewest points successful 364 days, since a nonaccomplishment to Alabama past Oct. 26. The Dores stopped nan Tigers astatine their 21-yard statement successful nan first half, holding them to a section goal. They stopped nan Tigers astatine their 1-yard statement successful nan 2nd half, connected a play that ended up dislocating nan ankle of Mizzou starting backmost Beau Pribula (the remainder of his play is successful doubt). They stopped nan Tigers astatine their 11-yard line, forcing a section extremity effort that doinked disconnected nan upright.

And connected nan last play of nan game, pinch triumph seemingly assured but not complete, Vandy stopped Missouri astatine nan 1-yard statement again erstwhile a Hail Mary walk was caught conscionable short of nan extremity zone.

“Battled for each leaf of grass,” Lea said.

The azygous biggest protect play Vandy made came from information CJ Heard, a transportation from Florida Atlantic successful his first twelvemonth pinch nan program. Early successful nan 4th quarter, Heard blitzed and fundamentally intercepted a handoff astatine nan mesh constituent betwixt backup backmost Matt Zollers (who played awesome arsenic a existent freshman successful a reliable spot) and moving backmost Jamal Roberts.

“I caught nan mesh,” Heard said. “I fundamentally took it from nan moving back.”

That gave a struggling Vanderbilt discourtesy nan shot astatine nan Mizzou 44-yard line, and nan Dores slogged their measurement into nan extremity zone. There were 2 first-down-producing penalties connected Missouri successful nan thrust earlier Pavia vanished it by diving successful from 1 gait out.

That was astir 5:43 p.m. Nashville time. Simultaneously, preseason SEC favourite Texas was down double digits successful Starkville, Miss., and existent SEC leader Alabama was down 8 successful Columbia, S.C. It seemed for illustration nan full convention was astir to tilt connected its axis.

But while nan recently flattened level of nan athletics makes nan emergence of Vanderbilt possible, it doesn’t mean nan playoff way is paved smoothly. Order was restored elsewhere, and nan Commodores stay 1 of galore SEC teams gouging each other’s eyes retired to get to nan convention title crippled successful Atlanta.

“This is really it’s going to be,” Lea acknowledged.

But he and Vanderbilt are successful nan fight. Lea has often described his squad (himself included) arsenic misfits. Young came into nan postgame news convention wearing a garment that publication “Misfits.” While each squad loves to champion nan underdog role, Vandy’s ownership of it is much authentic than astir anyone’s.

“All of america person scuff marks,” Lea said. “There’s not a 1 of america that was wanted anyplace else. It’s conscionable who we are, man.”

Yet astatine nan extremity of a flawed-but-fierce day successful Nashville, location was obscurity other Clark Lea wanted to beryllium than here. Heading into Vandy really has a chance.

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