Where Vanderbilt Landed in Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 after Week 14
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Vanderbilt didn’t just close out its regular season with a rivalry win. On Saturday, it delivered a statement, pummeling Tennessee 45-24 en route to securing the program’s first 10-win season in school history.
“It's really special to win a game here in Knoxville in a tough environment against a really tough Tennessee team,” Lea said. “That makes it more meaningful. It’s credit to our players and our coaching staff.”
The performance was as complete as any Vanderbilt has put together this season. Despite two early interceptions, Diego Pavia once again proved why he’s a true Heisman Trophy contender, finishing with 268 yards through the air, 165 on the ground, and two total touchdowns. Vanderbilt piled up 314 rushing yards as a team and held Tennessee to just three points after halftime.
“The way we settled in and finished the first half, the way we dominated the second half — that's a mature team,” Lea said. “That's a physically capable team. There's a lot to like about that performance.”
The strong finish also strengthened Vanderbilt’s national résumé. The Commodores now own double-digit wins, a ranked victory on the road over their rivals, and a Heisman Trophy contender as their signal caller. With five victories in its last six games, Vanderbilt has proven themselves as one of the most intriguing teams heading into bowl selection and potential playoff decision-making.
Saturday’s win amplified Pavia’s Heisman trophy candidacy as well. After leading his team to a season-defining victory against its archrivals, the New Mexico native sits firmly in the conversation alongside Fernando Mendoza, Julian Sayin, and Jeremiyah Love. Pavia’s success has been a byproduct both of his own talent and work-ethic and the scheme and creativity of offensive coordinator Tim Beck and Jerry Kill. Beck and defensive coordinator Steve Gregory called a near-flawless game on Saturday, delivering Vanderbilt its first win at Neyland Stadium since 2017.
Despite the big win, Vanderbilt once again got little help from surrounding teams, as every program above the Commodores in the polls either won or was idle for the second weekend in a row. Thus, Vanderbilt remained at No. 12 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, and dropped a spot to No. 13 in the AP Top 25. It will be patiently waiting to see if it can move up in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday.
Here’s where the Commodores stand in the Week 15 polls:
US LBM Coaches Poll
(Ranking, team, first-place votes, record, points received)
1. Ohio State 12-0 (63), 1575
2. Indiana, 12-0, 1510
3. Georgia, 11-1, 1438
4. Oregon, 11-1, 1353
5. Ole Miss, 11-1, 1306
6. Texas Tech, 11-1, 1266
7. Texas A&M, 11-1, 1178
8. Oklahoma, 10-2, 1106
9. Notre Dame, 10-2, 1061
10. Alabama, 10-2, 1019
11. BYU, 11-1, 942
12. Vanderbilt, 10-2, 855
13. Miami (FL), 10-2, 844
14. Texas 9-3, 753
15. Utah, 10-2, 750
16. Virginia, 10-2, 613
17. USC, 9-3, 505
18. Michigan, 9-3, 427
19. James Madison, 11-1, 356
20. North Texas, 11-1, 345
21. Tulane, 10-2, 300
22. Arizona, 9-3, 223
23. Georgia Tech, 9-3, 170
24. Tennessee, 8-4, 135
25. Navy, 9-2, 107
Others Receiving Votes: Iowa 85; Houston 73; Missouri 52; SMU 28; Washington 18; UNLV 17; Pittsburgh 15; South Florida 12; Illinois 9; Louisville 6; Connecticut 6; TCU 5; Penn State 5; Old Dominion 2; New Mexico 2; Arizona State 2; San Diego State 1;
AP Top 25
(Ranking, team, first-place votes, record, points received)
1. Ohio State 12-0 (61), 1645
2. Indiana, 12-0 (5), 1589
3. Georgia, 11-1, 1504
4. Oregon, 11-1, 1396
5. Texas Tech, 11-1, 1366
6. Ole Miss, 11-1, 1350
7. Texas A&M, 11-1, 1282
8. Oklahoma, 10-2, 1140
9. Notre Dame, 10-2, 1100
10. Alabama, 10-2, 1053
11. BYU, 11-1, 982
12. Miami, 10-2, 898
13. Vanderbilt, 10-2, 871
14. Texas 9-3, 861
15. Utah, 10-2, 739
16. Virginia, 10-2, 637
17. USC, 9-3, 566
18. Michigan, 9-3, 441
19. James Madison, 11-1, 417
20. North Texas, 11-1, 402
21. Tulane, 10-2, 373
22. Arizona, 9-3, 257
23. Navy, 9-2, 146
24. Georgia Tech, 9-3, 90
25. Missouri, 8-4, 73
Others Receiving Votes: Tennessee 71, Houston 57, Iowa 51, UNLV 33, New Mexico 20, South Florida 11, SMU 8, Iowa St. 4, Arizona St. 3, Louisville 3, UConn 3, North Dakota St. 3, Illinois 2, Washington 1, Pittsburgh 1, San Diego St. 1.
Dylan Tovitz is a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, originally from Livingston, New Jersey. In addition to writing for Vanderbilt on SI, he serves as a deputy sports editor for the Vanderbilt Hustler and co-produces and hosts ‘Dores Unlocked, a weekly video show about Commodore sports. Outside the newsroom, he is a campus tour guide and an avid New York sports fan with a particular passion for baseball. He also enjoys listening to country and classic rock music and staying active through tennis and baseball.