Where Vanderbilt Landed in Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 After Week 11

Vanderbilt Football outlasted Auburn 45-38 in an overtime thriller Saturday at FirstBank Stadium, securing one of the most dramatic wins of head coach Clark Lea’s tenure and keeping its playoff hopes alive and strong. The victory improves the Commodores to 8-2 on the season.

In a game full of momentum swings, Vanderbilt came alive in the second half and in overtime, erasing an early 17-3 deficit. Quarterback Diego Pavia once again led the charge as signal caller, throwing for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns while scrambling for another 112 and a score, all without turning the ball over. Tight end Eli Stowers was Pavia’s go-to target, hauling in 12 passes for 122 yards.

“[Pavia] took the game,” Lea said in the postgame. “I've said it at this podium before, but in our minds, he's the best player in the country. He found a way to win a game for us tonight.”

In overtime, Pavia brought his magic once again, throwing a go-ahead touchdown to Cole Spence on a Patrick Mahomes-esque jump pass before defensive coordinator Steve Gregory’s unit stifled the Tigers' final drive.

Despite the overtime stand, the defense struggled for most of the game, allowing recently promoted Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels to throw 353 yards and the Tigers’ offense as a whole to run for 210. Daniels shredded Gregory’s soft zone defense with short passes, and wideout Cam Coleman repeatedly took advantage of the secondary and limited pressure from Vanderbilt’s pash rush, especially after edge rusher Miles Capers exited with an injury.

“We haven’t necessarily played to our standard [on defense],” Lea said. “We'll make our adjustments and look to focus on the things that we do well, eliminate things we don't.”

Following the win over Auburn, Vanderbilt jumped two spots in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25, securing its first eight-win season since 2013 under then-head coach James Franklin. The Commodores now enter their second bye week before hosting a red-hot Kentucky team in their penultimate game of the season. A win over the Wildcats would set up a perennial high-stakes showdown at Neyland Stadium in the regular-season finale, with a potential playoff berth on the line.

Here’s where Vanderbilt stands in the Week 11 polls:

US LBM Coaches Poll

(Ranking, team, first-place votes, record, points received)
1. Ohio State, (59), 9-0, 1571
2. Indiana, 10-0, 1492
3. Texas A&M, 9-0, 1465
4. Alabama, 8-1, 1368
5. Georgia, 8-1, 1322
6. Oregona, 8-1, 1238
7. Ole Miss, 9-1, 1216
8. Texas Tech, 9-1, 1143
9. Notre Dame, 7-2, 1041
10. Texas, 7-2, 929
10. Oklahoma, 7-2, 929
12. Georgia Tech, 8-1, 823
12. BYU, 8-1, 823
14. Vanderbilt, 8-2, 751
15. Utah, 7-2, 635
16. Miami (FL), 7-2, 626
17. Michigan, 7-2, 559
18. Southern Cal, 7-2, 528
19. Virginia, 8-2, 336
20. Tennessee, 6-3, 312
21. Louisville, 7-2, 279
22. Cincinnati, 7-2, 216
23. Pittsburgh, 7-2, 144
24. Missouri, 6-3, 132
25. James Madison, 8-1, 108

Others receiving votes: South Florida 99; North Texas 98; Iowa 81; Houston 73; Tulane 53; SMU 32; Illinois 15; Washington 12; Arizona 7; Nebraska 6; Memphis 6; Arizona State 3; Navy 2; San Diego State 1; East Carolina 1;

AP Top 25

(Ranking, team, first-place votes, record, points received)
1. Ohio State, (55), 9-0, 1610
2. Indiana, (6), 10-0, 1549
3. Texas A&M (4), 9-0, 1518
4. Alabama, 8-1, 1427
5. Georgia, 8-1, 1353
6. Ole Miss, 9-1, 1248
7. Oregon, 8-1, 1245
8. Texas Tech, 9-1, 1211
9. Notre Dame, 7-2, 1102
10. Texas, 7-2, 961
11. Oklahoma, 7-2, 928
12. BYU, 8-1, 898
13. Vanderbilt, 8-2, 821
14. Georgia Tech, 8-1, 788
15. Utah, 7-2, 695
16. Miami (FL), 7-2, 683
17. Southern Cal, 7-2, 645
18. Michigan, 7-2, 498
19. Louisville, 7-2, 326
20. Virginia, 8-2, 313
21. Tennessee, 6-3, 276
22. Cincinnati, 7-2, 224
23. Pittsburgh, 7-2, 201
24. James Madison, 8-1, 167
25. South Florida, 7-2, 116

Others receiving votes: South Florida 99; North Texas 98; Iowa 81; Houston 73; Tulane 53; SMU 32; Illinois 15; Washington 12; Arizona 7; Nebraska 6; Memphis 6; Arizona State 3; Navy 2; San Diego State 1; East Carolina 1;