Clark Lea Makes His Case: Why 10-2 Vanderbilt Belongs in the College Football Playoff
Clark Lea isn’t just coaching a football team-he’s leading a movement in Nashville. And now, after a 10-2 season and a 6-2 mark in the SEC, the Vanderbilt head coach is stepping to the podium with one clear message: the Commodores belong in the College Football Playoff.
On Monday night, Lea laid out his case, and it wasn’t just about wins and losses-it was about the grind of the SEC, the gauntlet his team has endured, and the quality of opponents they’ve taken down. Yes, Vanderbilt has two losses.
One came against No. 10 Alabama, 30-14.
The other was a tight 34-31 battle with No. 16 Texas.
Clark Lea made a really good CFP argument for Vanderbilt today.
— zach ragan (@zachTNT) December 2, 2025
I’m not a big fan of the CFP debate, because many of the arguments make sense while contradicting other arguments that make sense.
But I think Vandy is a CFP team (idk what that means for the rest of the field). pic.twitter.com/Zxywa5Hq8H
But in Lea’s eyes, the bigger picture tells the real story.
“I don’t think that we were respected at the level we should have been respected. Like the quality of the team that we are,” Lea said, making his case in front of the college football world.
He pointed to the SEC’s brutal landscape as Exhibit A. According to Lea, teams like LSU, Missouri, and Tennessee all share a common thread: they handled business against unranked teams but struggled against ranked competition.
LSU, for instance, went 0-5 against top-tier teams-those losses came to Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Ole Miss. Missouri dropped games to Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Alabama.
Tennessee’s four losses? Vanderbilt, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Alabama.
These aren’t just stats-they’re a window into the week-in, week-out grind of SEC football. And Lea didn’t mince words.
“This is about a league that is the playoffs,” he said. “When you play in the SEC, every week you’re in the playoffs...
We have a 10-2 SEC football team. At the end of the day, in my mind, that should be enough.”
It’s hard to argue with the logic. The SEC is a meat grinder, and Vanderbilt didn’t just survive it-they thrived.
But for now, the Commodores find themselves on the outside looking in. With only 12 spots in the expanded playoff format and five of those locked in for the highest-ranked conference champions, the seven at-large bids are fiercely contested.
Vanderbilt is in that mix, but their fate rests in the hands of the selection committee.
And yet, the fact that Vanderbilt is even in this conversation is a testament to the job Lea has done. When he took over the program on December 14, 2020, the Commodores were in a deep hole.
His first season ended with a 2-10 record. The next two years weren’t much better-5-7 in 2022, followed by another 2-10 campaign in 2023.
That’s a combined 9-27 overall and just 2-22 in SEC play through his first three seasons.
But in 2024, things started to shift. With Diego Pavia taking the reins at quarterback, Vanderbilt found its swagger.
They finished 7-6 and pulled off a program-defining upset over then-No. 1 Alabama-a win that turned heads and signaled that the Commodores were no longer a pushover.
This season, they’ve taken another step forward. Ten wins.
Six in the SEC. And a team that believes it belongs in the playoff conversation-not just because of numbers, but because of what they’ve shown on the field.
Lea’s not asking for a handout. He’s asking for recognition.
For a team that’s clawed its way out of the basement and into the national spotlight. For a program that’s gone from SEC afterthought to legitimate contender.
And if the committee is truly looking for the 12 best teams in college football, it’s hard to ignore what’s happening in Nashville.