Vanderbilt Football Cheering Guide: Who Vanderbilt Fans Should Want to Win During the Bye

Vanderbilt is off this weekend before playing Kentucky next week. Here is who fans should root for this weekend.

Vanderbilt safety Dontae Carter (1) and safety Randon Fontenette (2) celebrate their overtime victory against Auburn at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vanderbilt fans get the luxury of a mid-November bye this weekend to not worry or stress over watching their team play this weekend. With the Commodores at 8-2 with two games remaining, there is still a spot in the College Football Playoff to play for.

In the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, Vanderbilt jumped up to No. 14. At its current spot, Vanderbilt would be considered the fourth team on the outside looking into the bracket. But there is plenty of football left around the country. Things will get sorted out on their own as some teams that are ranked ahead of Vanderbilt still have yet to play each other.

This weekend, there are a few games that have major implications on Vanderbilt’s playoff odds that could help or hurt the Commodores depending on what happens Saturday. Here are a few teams and games Vanderbilt fans need to watch this weekend.

First is No. 9 Notre Dame traveling to No. 22 Pittsburgh. The Fighting Irish are 7-2 with a favorable remaining schedule. Judging by how the committee views Notre Dame, if it won out then the Irish would be in the playoffs without question. This weekend is Notre Dame’s hardest game left on the schedule. Vanderbilt fans need to cheer for Pittsburgh. A third loss to Notre Dame would eliminate itself from the playoffs, which opens up a spot in the bracket.

Secondly, Vanderbilt fans need Texas to lose. The No. 10 Longhorns are the last team in at 7-2, but travel to No. 5 Georgia this weekend. What is interesting is the question of whether Texas could go 9-3 and make the playoffs. A Texas loss this weekend certainly helps Vanderbilt, but for Vanderbilt to feel most comfortable, it would also help the Commodores if Texas were to also lose to No. 3 Texas A&M during rivalry week at the end of the month.

Vanderbilt fans should cheer for No. 4 Alabama against No. 11 Oklahoma. The Sooners are another two-loss team ahead of Vanderbilt. Oklahoma is currently the first team out, but a win against Alabama would certainly give them a strong case to steal a final spot if an opportunity presented itself. A loss for Oklahoma would essentially eliminate it from playoff contention, and help Vanderbilt.

Another team Vanderbilt fans need to keep an eye on is what the committee does with Utah. The Utes are No. 13 and have three winnable games to finish 10-2. This week, they play at Baylor, who did win at SMU in September. To make life easier, Vanderbilt should want Baylor to win to avoid the question about Utah.

If Vanderbilt were to win its final two games against Kentucky at home and Tennessee on the road, the Commodores would have a very good case at 10-2 to be an at-large bid in the playoffs. It would be difficult for the selection committee to keep Vanderbilt out considering it has won games against LSU and Missouri when they were both ranked in the top 15. Vanderbilt would also have a win in Knoxville if it were to finish 10-2.

As of right now, two conference champions that get an auto bid in the 12-team bracket are ranked outside of the top 12. No. 15 Miami is the highest ranked ACC team and therefore the assumed ACC champion currently and No. 24 South Florida is the highest ranked Group of Five champion right now.

If things were to stay this way, that means the cut line between in and out of the playoffs is between the No. 10 and No. 11 spots. In other words, Vanderbilt has to climb four spots over the next three weeks to get into the playoffs, and there are plenty of chances for that to happen.