Where Vanderbilt Landed in Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 After Week 4

A week after entering the Top 25 in both the Coaches and AP polls for the first time this season, Vanderbilt proved it wasn’t just one and done in the rankings.

The Commodores routed Georgia State 70-21 Saturday on the back of an offensive onslaught from offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s unit. It was the most points Vanderbilt football has scored in a game since it beat Tennessee 107 years ago by a score of 76-0. Now, Vanderbilt is ranked the highest its been in the Coaches and AP Polls in 17 years.

Georgia State is no SEC team, but it isn't completely insignificant competition either. Just a year ago, Vanderbilt lost to the Panthers 36-32 in a crushing loss on the road. This year, though, things were different.

“We did not forget that game from a year ago and how painful that was,” head coach Clark Lea said after the win. “But tonight was our night, and the kids came out. They started fast. They maintained the energy throughout.”

Vanderbilt scored 42 points in the first half with touchdowns on all its first six drives to begin the evening. The Commodores might have won a game like this in past years, but it wouldn’t look like that. This was your traditional, SEC-style beatdown that Vanderbilt fans aren’t used to seeing.

Contributions came from everywhere, with six different Commodores finding the end zone on the ground, including backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz and longtime program stalwart and third-string signal caller Drew Dickey.

“[We have] a deep team. A team that has a bunch of weapons,” Lea said. “And it's also an unselfish team. These guys allow for performance in their teammates.”

Vanderbilt now sits at 4-0 on the season and will face Utah State at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville next weekend. If it can come away with another victory, Lea’s team will head to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for a high-stakes rematch with the Crimson Tide in Week 6. For now, though, the Commodores are focused only on the game ahead.

“This becomes, when you win games, you just give way to another big game,” Lea said. “We'll have a big one this coming week, and one that we'll be excited to play.”

Here’s where Vanderbilt stands in the Week 5 Coaches Poll and AP Top 25:

Coaches Poll

1. Ohio State, (61), 3-0, 1667
2. Penn State, (3), 3-0, 1552
3. Georgia, (1), 3-0, 1497
4. LSU, 4-0, 1458
5. Oregon, (1), 4-0, 1442
6. Miami (FL), (1), 4-0, 1399
7. Texas, 3-1, 1209
8. Florida State, 3-0, 1100
9. Texas A\&M, 3-0, 1043
10. Oklahoma, 4-0, 1024
11. Ole Miss, 4-0, 996
12. Indiana, 4-0, 915
13. Iowa State, 4-0, 870
14. Texas Tech, 4-0, 807
15. Tennessee, 3-1, 715
16. Alabama, 2-1, 649
17. Georgia Tech, 4-0, 558
18. Michigan, 3-1, 469
19. Missouri, 4-0, 433
20. Vanderbilt, 4-0, 417
21. Notre Dame, 1-2, 261
22. USC, 4-0, 249
23. Illinois, 3-1, 214
24. BYU, 3-0, 185
25. TCU, 3-0, 112

Others Receiving Votes: Arizona State 104, Utah 99, Louisville 67, Mississippi State 57, Memphis 55, Auburn 48, South Florida 32, Washington 19, Navy 17, Maryland 10, Kansas 6, Syracuse 4, Houston 4, UNLV 3, Tulane 3, Nebraska 3, North Texas 2, Iowa 1.

AP Top 25

1. Ohio State, (52), 3-0, 1629
2. Miami (FL), (7), 4-0, 1479
3. Penn State, (5), 3-0, 1460
4. LSU, 4-0, 1433
5. Georgia, 3-0, 1420
6. Oregon, (1), 4-0, 1404
7. Oklahoma, (1), 4-0, 1194
8. Florida State, 3-0, 1183
9. Texas A\&M, 3-0, 1072
10. Texas, 3-1, 1057
11. Indiana, 4-0, 990
12. Texas Tech, 4-0, 890
13. Ole Miss, 4-0, 843
14. Iowa State, 4-0, 779
15. Tennessee, 3-1, 635
16. Georgia Tech, 4-0, 598
17. Alabama, 2-1, 595
18. Vanderbilt, 4-0, 546
19. Michigan, 3-1, 458
20. Missouri, 4-0, 452
21. USC, 4-0, 264
22. Notre Dame, 1-2, 219
23. Illinois, 3-1, 145
24. TCU, 3-0, 138
25. BYU, 3-0, 131

Others Receiving Votes: Auburn 122, Mississippi St. 102, South Florida 77, Utah 45, Arizona St. 30, Memphis 23, Louisville 23, Maryland 6, UNLV 3, UCF 3, North Texas 2.