The 2025 Vanderbilt football season has been great. They went 10-2 with only losses against Alabama and Texas, and just flipped a five-star quarterback recruit. However, despite their 10-2 record, the Commodores are on the outside looking in for now, as the rest of the field is incredibly crowded this year, and many quality teams are on the outside looking in next to them. Still, the selection process has been confusing, and it caused Clark Lea to rip into it.
Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea was on Friday's episode of “Wake Up Barstool,” and he talked about the College Football Playoff and why Vanderbilt deserves a spot. He also ripped into the selection process, saying the goalposts keep getting moved and that the process is flawed overall.
Lea said, “It seems like every week the goal posts move and the process changes. Look, obviously, what we’re living through right now is the evolution of a flawed system. And we’re on the wrong side of that, and I’m frustrated by it, and I’m going to turn my attention to help change it and progress it as we go into the off-season. This was kind of my thought: in general, a 10–2 SEC team should be in the playoffs. And if you look at what we’ve done. We’re undefeated at home. Our two road losses come at Alabama and at Texas. Both games we were in in the fourth quarter were different. It’s also about a team that has evolved through the year.”
It is also worth noting that Lea harped on that aspect of growing as a team. He also brought up the opponents Vanderbilt has played and how, when comparing them, the arguments do not hold up as well.
Lea also said that he thinks that Diego Pavia and the rest of his team deserve a spot on the biggest stage in college football. He also slammed some other conference champions for potentially getting in due to the system instead of earning it on the field.
After an offseason full of boisterous claims, Pavia backed up everything he said. He passed for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 826 yards and nine touchdowns.
Vanderbilt tried to play an extra game to showcase their team one last time before the selection show, but it did not work out. Still, it seems like Pavia will at least get an invite to New York for the Heisman Trophy.
