Where Vanderbilt Landed in Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 After Week 7

Vanderbilt's first bye week of the season came at a perfect time for head coach Clark Lea’s team.

After a 30-14 loss to Alabama in Week 6 in which the Commodores’ offense was tested for the first time all season, Vanderbilt dropped in both the Coaches Poll and AP Top 25. Still, their place at No. 20 in both polls signaled that voters still view Vanderbilt as a legitimate contender in 2025. The upcoming stretch, beginning with LSU, is an opportunity to prove that.

After defeating Missouri 27-24 on the road in Week 7, Alabama and quarterback Ty Simpson looks like a top five team in the nation. Simpson appears to be emerging as the Heisman frontrunner, and the Crimson Tide haven’t lost since Week 1.

“[Alabama] took it to us,” Lea said after the loss. “He’s a good player and [their offense] made more plays than we did on third down.”

Now, Vanderbilt badly needs a signature home victory — and that opportunity comes immediately in Week 8 against LSU. If the Commodores can pull of a win, their College Football Playoff aspirations will remain alive and real. Vanderbilt wouldn’t be eliminated with a loss, but the path forward becomes much steeper.

Oddsmakers expect a close matchup, opening the line as a Pick’em, meaning both teams have even odds to win. LSU took down South Carolina 20-10 at home in Week 7, while Vanderbilt handled the Gamecocks 31-7 earlier this season.

Following the Week 7 bye, Vanderbilt climbed two spots in the Coaches Poll and three spots in the AP Top 25 after Michigan, Illinois and other teams around the Commodores in the rankings were defeated. Vanderbilt hopes the week off provided time for key defensive contributors — Marlon Jones, Issa Ouattara and Mark Davis — to recover from injuries. From there, attention shifts to game preparation and cleaning up execution. Confidence, though, hasn’t been an issue — something that’s been clearly evidence since the first day of summer training camp.

Here’s how the Commodores stack up in the Week 8 polls:

US LBM Coaches Poll

(Ranking, team, first-place votes, record, points received)
1. Ohio State, (63), 6-0, 1646
2. Miami (FL), (2), 5-0, 1566
3. Indiana, (1), 6-0, 1492
4. Texas A&M, 6-0, 1417
5. Ole Miss, 6-0, 1389
6. Alabama, 5-1, 1280
7. Georgia, 5-1, 1198
8. Texas Tech, 6-0, 1183
9. Oregon, 5-1, 1154
10. LSU, 5-1, 1062
11. Tennessee, 5-1, 962
12. Georgia Tech, 6-0, 951
13. Oklahoma, 5-1, 781
14. BYU, 6-0, 720
15. Notre Dame, 4-2, 661
16. Missouri, 5-1, 585
17. Texas, 4-2, 519
18. Vanderbilt, 5-1, 498
19. Virginia, 5-1, 415
20. Memphis, 6-0, 337
21. USC, 5-1, 310
22. Utah, 5-1, 298
23. South Florida, 5-1, 234
24. Cincinnati, 5-1, 169
25. Illinois, 5-2, 151

Others Receiving Votes: Michigan 119, Nebraska 90, Washington 85, UNLV 43, Navy 43, Louisville 18, Tulane 17, Arizona State 17, Duke 11, Iowa 9, Iowa State 7, Clemson 6, Houston 4, TCU 1, San Diego State 1, Pittsburgh 1.

AP Top 25

(Ranking, team, first-place votes, record, points received)
1. Ohio State, (50), 6-0, 1631
2. Miami (FL), (13), 5-0, 1582
3. Indiana, (3), 6-0, 1531
4. Texas A&M, 6-0, 1433
5. Ole Miss, 6-0, 1331
6. Alabama, 5-1, 1315
7. Texas Tech, 6-0, 1266
8. Oregon, 5-1, 1175
9. Georgia, 5-1, 1148
10. LSU, 5-1, 1012
11. Tennessee, 5-1, 939
12. Georgia Tech, 6-0, 904
13. Notre Dame, 4-2, 793
14. Oklahoma, 5-1, 786
15. BYU, 6-0, 655
16. Missouri, 5-1, 649
17. Vanderbilt, 5-1, 547
18. Virginia, 5-1, 521
19. South Florida, 5-1, 398
20. USC, 5-1, 361
21. Texas, 4-2, 319
22. Memphis, 6-0, 285
23. Utah, 5-1, 261
24. Cincinnati, 5-1, 184
25. Nebraska, 5-1, 149

Others Receiving Votes: Illinois 113, Michigan 73, Washington 36, UNLV 30, Navy 11, Mississippi St. 8, Tulane 2, San Diego St. 2