Vanderbilt Can Keep College Football Playoff Hopes Alive as They Host Gamecocks
Now that the Vanderbilt Commodores have secured their first bowl season since 2018, they now have a new goal in mind: reaching the College Football Playoffs.
As the Commodores (6-3, 3-2 in SEC) prepare to host the South Carolina Gamecocks this Saturday, they returned to the AP Top 25 after falling out of the poll a week earlier. The 24th-ranked Vanderbilt will need to win all three of their remaining games for a chance to make the new 12-team playoffs.
The team is coming off a hard-fought victory over the Auburn Tigers 17-7 this past weekend. It was the first time they defeated the Tigers since 2012. Their resume has surely grown as they have beat both Auburn and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the same season for the first time since 1955.
This isn’t the same Vandy squad as head coach Clark Lea has the program looking like a completely different team compared to last year's roster.
The rest of the Dores' schedule is undoubtedly challenging, but for the first time in recent memory, the team stands a chance against some of the top-ranked teams inside the SEC.
Here is a preview of the Commodores and the Gamecocks.
South Carolina at Vanderbilt
FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Time: 4:15 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
Coaches: Vanderbilt – Clark Lea (15-30 at Vanderbilt and career as head coach); South Carolina – Shane Beamer (25-21 at South Carolina, overall)
Records: Vanderbilt – 6-3 (3-1 in SEC); South Carolina 5-3 (3-3)
All-Time Series: South Carolina leads the series 29-4.
Last Meeting: South Carolina defeated Vanderbilt 47-6 in Columbia, South Carolina.
Series Notes: South Carolina has won the last 15 meetings against the Commodores. Vanderbilt's last win in the series came in 2008.
Last week: Vanderbilt defeated Auburn, 17-7. South Carolina defeated Texas A&M 44-20.
South Carolina Snapshot: The Gamecocks have won three of their last five games, and one of their losses came in a close shootout with the Crimson Tide.
The program is looking for its third winning season in the past four years under head coach Shane Beamer. A win this weekend would make the team bowl-eligible for the first time since 2022. If the Commodores hope to pick up their seventh win of the season, they will need to find ways to score points South Carolina’s defense ranks 20th in college football, allowing only 18.9 points per game
Vanderbilt Snapshot: With bowl season locked up, last year’s 2-10 season seems like a distant memory. With multiple players transferring in to help jumpstart the program, including star quarterback Diego Pavia, the team has a solid chance to be a top-end conference contender for not just 2024 but beyond.
Vanderbilt held the Tigers to only seven points in last week's contest, and although they did not play the best offensively, they found a way to get the victory. With the way South Carolina played against A&M on Saturday, they will need to be more efficient when they have possession this coming Saturday if they look to keep their playoff hopes alive.
