Vanderbilt Commodores Bowl Fate Looks Clear According to Most Projections

Most major bowl projections see the Vanderbilt Commodores headed to the same bowl.

Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Vanderbilt Commodores are bowl eligible for the first time since 2018 after a 6-6 season that delivered some of the most memorable moments the program has seen in a very long time.

Still with a chance to secure their first winning season and first bowl victory since 2013, it has certainly been a special season in Nashville under head coach Clark Lea. Commodores fans who are wanting to know ahead of selection day which bowl their team is going to be playing in may be safe to start making travel plans as the picture is starting to become pretty clear.

According to projections from Action Sports, 247Sports, and the Sporting News, Vanderbilt is projected to be playing in the Gasparilla Bowl, which will be held in Tampa Bay and is approximately 10 hours away from Nashville for local fans of the program who want to attend the bowl game.

Sporting News has the Commodores facing off against the Tulane Green Wave as does the Action Network in what would be a massive challenge. Tulane, led by first year head coach Jon Sumrall, has had a special season of their own and were seen as a possible College Football Playoff contender before dropping back-to-back games to finish off the season including a domination at the hands of Army 35-14 in the AAC Championship game.

The 247 projection also sees the Commodores taking on Tulane.

Vanderbilt has won three bowls since 2008 but none since 2013 when they defeated Houston in the BBVA Compass Bowl, now known as the Birmingham Bowl. In 2012 they also claimed victory closer to home in the Music City Bowl over North Carolina State, also defeating Boston College in the 2008 Music City Bowl.

Since the last bowl victory, the program has only gone to two bowl games at all, losing the 2018 Texas Bowl to Baylor and losing the 2016 Independence Bowl to NC State.

With just four bowl wins in program history, the 2024 Commodores will try to become just the fifth Vanderbilt team to return home to Nashville with a bowl trophy.