How Does This “College Gameday” Visit Differ From 2008?

NASHVILLE – It is a featured matchup that nobody could have predicted even two months ago.

Vanderbilt and Missouri square off in a top-15 matchup Saturday afternoon in a game between the No. 10 Commodores and the No. 15 Tigers. As if the game was not already unpredictable enough, ESPN’s “College Gameday” is making its first trip to Nashville since 2008.

And to put the cherry on top, this game has major implications for the 12-team bracket for the College Football Playoff. The winner from Saturday’s game is in the driver seat at 7-1 and watches its playoff odds increase substantially, while the loser drops to 6-2 and would need to win out more than likely in order to make the playoffs.

In short, the importance of this game cannot be understated.

The show’s arrival on the campus of Vanderbilt University this week is a moment that all students of the school, alumni of years past and the entire city of Nashville has been waiting 17 years for. For the students, it could be the only chance they get to welcome the “College Gameday” crew to campus. But not if Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea is able to keep building what he has been.

Seventeen years ago, the show visited a 4-0 Vanderbilt team for a game against No. 13 Auburn, where the Commodores won 14-13 and became 5-0. But the rest of the season did not treat the Commodores too kindly. Vanderbilt finished the regular season 1-6 and eventually won the Music City Bowl against Boston College after the show went to Vanderbilt’s campus.

But this year feels different. Vanderbilt has already had plenty of success this season with road wins at Virginia Tech and South Carolina and a home win over No. 10 LSU. So, how does this year differ from 2008?

“I think it feels different from a staying power,” “College Gameday” analyst and co-host Kirk Herbstreit said as he pondered the question during Friday’s media availability. “I feel like win or lose, Vandy is a program that is not going away.”

Herbstreit is right. Even if Vanderbilt were to lose to No. 15 Missouri, the season is still not over when it comes to hopes of making the College Football Playoff, or even a SEC Championship Game. However, it would have to mean the Commodores would almost certainly need to win out to make it to the playoffs. And with two conference losses in that scenario, Vanderbilt would need to hope for some chaos at the top of the SEC.

More importantly, head coach Clark Lea and his staff has proven over the past year that this Commodore football program is not a joke, but rather a program that teams need to take seriously. In other words, as long as Lea and his guys are in place, Vanderbilt is not going anywhere.

Something else that is different this time around when compared to 2008 is the confidence of not just the coaches, but the players' confidence in the system and program. People have seen and heard the quotes from players like quarterback Diego Pavia about how Vanderbilt has plans to win the conference and a national championship. But it all stems from a level of confidence that this program has not seen before the Commodores’ sudden rise.

“Right now the SEC Championship this year is wide open. If you talk to Diego Pavia, he makes it sound like ‘we’re going to be in it,’ and it is 100 percent confident and serious,” Herbstreit said. “I think it is because he’s seen this program grow over these last two years. So, it feels different because I think this is a program that isn’t going away.”

Given how Vanderbilt was able to bounce back after the 30-14 loss to Alabama, there is no reason to believe that the Commodores will just go back to the bottom of the SEC after its appearance on “College Gameday” this time around. This team has given the fanbase and the entire college football world visible proof that it is no longer just a cool story.

As long as the confidence and belief is there - which has shown no signs of fading - Vanderbilt football will be in the national conversation in the sport.

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