Anything is possible right? Vanderbilt did manage to stun the college football world and Alabama when it took down the then No. 1 team in the country in Nashville. So that means everything is on the table for the Commodores right?
Well, let’s pump the brakes and contextualize a little bit here. Sure, Vandy is in a great position taking down an SEC title favorite and coupling that with another win to bust through the AP Top 25.
But how long can Vandy keep this hot streak going? It might be a bit overzealous to say they’re a College Football Playoff contender. It’s probably a little much to say they’re a contender for an SEC title too.
They’re schedule doesn’t get any easier to close out the season. But it does set up for an exciting finish for college football’s darlings.
Vanderbilt can send a massive message to SEC to close out season
Getting into the top 25 is just the tip of the iceberg for Vanderbilt as they’ve flipped the SEC standings upside down with its win over Alabama. Three of their final five games are against teams currently ranked in the top 10.
First is Texas this weekend. This could be the game they catch the Longhorns still reeling from a disappointing home loss to Georgia last Saturday. If the Commodores found a way to stun Texas and Alabama in the same season for two top 5 wins, both at home, I’m not sure there are enough goal posts to rip down to commemorate that stretch.
And then they finish the season with LSU and Tennessee, respectively, in the final two games. Tennessee snuck past Alabama but has some alarming issues offensively. LSU could very well be a winnable game too. And to make it that much better, the only game that’s away during that stretch is LSU.
Vanderbilt could do something unthinkable and end up being one of the top teams in the SEC. It could do something no one anticipated this season too and end up as one of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff.
I don’t think Vanderbilt has to win out just to get to the College Football Playoff. There’s a scenario in which the Commodores could either lose to Texas and/or Tennessee and still find a way in.
I guess it’s safe to say, Vanderbilt might not be the weakest home stadium in the SEC after all.