After beating Missouri 17-10 on Saturday, the Vanderbilt Commodores sit at 7-1, will be in the top-10 in the AP Poll, and sit three wins away from a College Football Playoff berth. Two years ago, this thought would have seemed impossible. Just two years ago, Vanderbilt was in the middle of a 2-10 season in which they would go winless in the SEC.
And two years ago, 1300 miles away, Diego Pavia was playing in front of mostly-empty stadiums on Tuesday and Wednesday nights for New Mexico State. College football sickos like myself knew about Pavia – he was must-see TV while in Conference USA, and singlehandedly carried New Mexico State to the Conference USA Championship game in 2023. After that magical season, Pavia packed up and headed to Vanderbilt, and it was a match made in heaven.
The Commodores tasted a little success last season, upsetting then number-one Alabama in one of the games of the year, and winning a bowl game. But this season has taken everything up a level. Head Coach Clark Lea utilized some newfound NIL money and defensive acumen to re-tool a defense that is now one of the best in the country. The 2025 Commodores had already beaten LSU, South Carolina, and Virginia Tech, but a Week 9 victory over Missouri gives them yet another feather in their cap. In the 17-10 victory, Pavia only accounted for 150 total yards, but that doesn’t tell the full story.
The Commodores’ option-inspired, RPO-heavy offense allows Pavia to do what he does best – make things happen. Almost every play allows Pavia to play the artist, having the ball in his hands with a decision to make. This allows him to use his arm as well as his legs, and tight end Eli Stowers functions as a chess piece all over the field. It’s quite difficult to stop, and Missouri was unable to do so with the game on the line, as Pavia barreled in the end zone for the game-winner with just under 2 minutes to play.
It is time to get used to Vanderbilt as a CFP contender. They have four games remaining, and two of which are against Auburn and Kentucky. Road trips to Texas and Tennessee will serve as stern tests, but only one win from those two will be needed to get in the bracket – a 10-2 SEC team will surely be in. Two years ago, it was more likely that hell would freeze over than Vanderbilt would make a College Football Playoff.
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