Where Vanderbilt Landed in Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 After Week 9

It wasn’t pretty, but Vanderbilt Football escaped FirstBank Stadium with a 17-10 win Saturday, outlasting Missouri to improve to 7-1 — its best start since 1941.

The victory — Vanderbilt’s third over an AP Top 15 opponent in 2025 — continued a historic run that’s turned the Commodores from preseason afterthoughts to legitimate College Football Playoff contenders.

“I wasn't going to tell them that tonight didn't matter,” head coach Clark Lea said after the game. “This was an important game for us, and we needed to understand that. This team found a way to win.”

Unlike its first two Top 15 wins over South Carolina and LSU, Saturday’s victory wasn’t about offensive fireworks. It was about toughness, grit and “winning ugly,” as head coach Clark Lea described it in his opening statement post-game.

“[The tough win] reveals our character,” Lea said. “It reveals our toughness, reveals our commitment. I’m proud of this group.”

Quarterback Diego Pavia didn’t have his best game, but he did enough to give his team a chance, scoring with his legs to give the Commodores a 17-10 lead with 1:52 remaining.

“Hell yeah, I believe [I should win the Heisman Trophy],” Pavia said after the game.
“We just have to keep winning football games.”

This week, though, it was the defense that stole the show, forcing two late stops and holding Missouri to just 10 points — the first time it's been held under 23 notches on the scoreboard all season. CJ Heard delivered the game-changing turnover, taking the handoff out of backup quarterback Matt Zollers’ hands and forcing a fumble around midfield.

OUR BALL ‼️ pic.twitter.com/fX7R9ybsU2
— #10 Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) October 25, 2025

This was more than just another win for this university. With College GameDay in town in the morning, it was an opportunity to show a national audience that Vanderbilt is more than just books and country music. The environment both on Wyatt Lawn in the morning and inside of FirstBank Stadium created a winning atmosphere for Lea and his team.

“It was so much fun to see this community rally around the football program” Lea said. “The crowd made a difference in this game.”

Now 7-1, Vanderbilt is having its best season since the start of World War II. The win pushed the Commodores to No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the AP Top 25, up one spot in both from last week. It's the highest Vanderbilt's been ranked in the AP Poll since Week 2 of 1937.

Next Saturday, Lea's squad will be in Austin, Texas to take on the Texas Longhorns in a game in which it opened as 2.5-point underdogs.

Here’s where the Commodores stand in the Week 10 polls:

US LBM Coaches Poll

(Ranking, team, first-place votes, record, points received)
1. Ohio State, (62), 7-0, 1598
2. Indiana, 8-0, 1524
3. Texas A&M, (2), 8-0, 1478
4. Alabama, 7-1, 1381
5. Georgia, 6-1, 1331
6. Oregon, 7-1, 1254
7. Georgia Tech, 8-0, 1183
8. Ole Miss, 7-1, 1173
9. Miami (FL), 6-1, 1029
10. BYU, 8-0, 1023
11. Vanderbilt, 7-1, 1004
12. Notre Dame, 5-2, 849
13. Texas Tech, 7-1, 845
14. Tennessee, 6-2, 683
15. Virginia, 7-1, 658
16. Cincinnati, 7-1, 565
17. Louisville, 6-1, 544
18. Oklahoma, 6-2, 495
19. Texas, 6-2, 456
20. Missouri, 6-2, 423
21. Michigan, 6-2, 302
22. Houston, 7-1, 215
23. Navy, 7-0, 144
24. Utah, 6-2, 129
25. Memphis, 7-1, 105

Others Receiving Votes: Iowa 85, USC 77, Tulane 65, Washington 60, South Florida 24, LSU 19, James Madison 18, Pittsburgh 15, San Diego State 14, North Texas 11, TCU 7, UNLV 6, Nebraska 4, Arizona State 2, Wake Forest 1, Boise State 1.

AP Top 25

(Ranking, team, first-place votes, record, points received)
1. Ohio State, (54), 7-0, 1633
2. Indiana, (11), 8-0, 1589
3. Texas A&M, (1), 8-0, 1523
4. Alabama, 7-1, 1445
5. Georgia, 6-1, 1359
6. Oregon, 7-1, 1249
7. Ole Miss, 7-1, 1212
8. Georgia Tech, 8-0, 1172
9. Vanderbilt, 7-1, 1098
10. Miami (FL), 6-1, 1069
11. BYU, 8-0, 1069
12. Notre Dame, 5-2, 944
13. Texas Tech, 7-1, 876
14. Tennessee, 6-2, 684
15. Virginia, 7-1, 660
16. Louisville, 6-1, 647
17. Cincinnati, 7-1, 609
18. Oklahoma, 6-2, 485
19. Missouri, 6-2, 447
20. Texas, 6-2, 371
21. Michigan, 6-2, 264
22. Houston, 7-1, 256
23. USC, 5-2, 215
24. Utah, 6-2, 162
25. Memphis, 7-1, 130

Others receiving votes: Navy 86, Tulane 59, Washington 46, Iowa 27, South Florida 22, San Diego State 14, LSU 11, James Madison 9, North Texas 4, Illinois 3, Pittsburgh 1.