Vanderbilt Commodores Could Create Chaos in College Football Playoff Bubble
The Vanderbilt Commodores didn’t have many expectations coming into the 2024 college football season, but they have provided their fans with plenty of excitement over the last few months.
Already 6-4 this year, this is the most victories they have had since the 2018 campaign, which was also the last time the Commodores were invited to a bowl game.
2013 was the last time they finished with a record over .500 when James Franklin led them to back-to-back nine-win campaigns before leaving for the Penn State Nittany Lions head coaching gig.
While this campaign has certainly been a successful one already, there is still plenty of work for Vanderbilt to do.
Clark Lea has to have his guys ready to play on the road against a reeling LSU Tigers team that has lost three straight.
They are ripe for another upset, as the Commodores look to get over an ugly 28-7 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in their last outing before a bye week.
It would be nice to build some positive momentum heading into a massive regular season finale.
Vanderbilt is going to be welcoming their in-state rivals, the Tennessee Volunteers, to FirstBank Stadium with a ton on the line.
Tennessee, who lost last week to the Georgia Bulldogs, is on the bubble in the College Football Playoff. An at-large berth is certainly attainable, but they cannot afford any more slip-ups the rest of the way.
The Commodores have shown what they are capable of accomplishing when they face off against upper-echelon opponents. They have risen to the occasion, defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide and playing tough games against the Missouri Tigers and Texas Longhorns.
Is another upset brewing?
Stewart Mendel of The Athletic certainly believes it is possible.
In his opinion, Tennessee’s trip to Nashville is one of the five biggest upset possibilities over the last two weeks of the season.
“Ole Miss at Florida and Tennessee at Vanderbilt are both plausible SEC upsets that would set the current bubble picture aflame. That brings us to three possibilities.”
The first game mentioned was the Colorado Buffaloes heading on the road to face the Kansas Jayhawks in a matchup that can make an already messy Big 12 even more confusing.
For his fourth game, Mendel moved to the Big 10.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers and their stingy defense are hosting Penn State.
Last but not least, a Group of 5 matchup sees the Colorado State Rams heading on the road to face the Fresno State Bulldogs.
