Vanderbilt Commodores Conference Stock Rises Ahead of Matchup With LSU
As everyone debates the merit of the College Football Playoff rankings for the second consecutive week, one of the more surprising storylines of the season has been the emergence of the Vanderbilt Commodores.
It has been a year that has seen the program play spoiler to many teams, with upset victories over the Virginia Tech Hokies and Alabama Crimson Tide helping lead to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018.
The Commodores are coming off a massive loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in their most recent game, but they have had two weeks to prepare for their next contest against the LSU Tigers.
The time off has seen Vandy's stock in the conference rise, as Adam Spencer of Saturday Down South released his latest Southeastern Conference power rankings this week, with Vanderbilt climbing from 10th to ninth.
"The Commodores catch LSU at an interesting time, as the Tigers are falling apart a bit down the stretch. Ending at LSU and vs. Tennessee isn’t easy," writes Spencer. "Do Clark Lea, Diego Pavia and company have more magic up their sleeves? We’ll find out starting this Saturday in Death Valley."
Quarterback Diego Pavia will be on his way out of college football at season's end, something that he is attempting to sue the NCAA over as it will likely be his last year of meaningful football.
For fourth-year head coach Clark Lea, it has been a massive turnaround from his first three seasons at the helm of the program. Those campaigns saw Lea lead the team to a combined 9-26 overall record with a 2-21 record in conference play.
This year, the team has a 6-4 overall record with a 3-3 record in conference play.
While Pavia has gotten much of the credit for the team's success this season with his dual-threat ability, the defense has mostly gone unheralded for their efforts which have played a big part in the program's success.
The Commodores' defense ranks 12th in the conference in yards allowed per game (349.1), 12th in passing yards allowed per game (227.1), eighth in rushing yards allowed per game (122.0), and 11th in points allowed per game (21.7).
While those may not be great, they are drastic improvements over 2023, a year that saw the team finish last in the conference in all of those metrics.
It has been a magical performance for Vandy and Clark Lea, and with two games left in the regular season, that magic might not be done just yet.
