A year ago, Vanderbilt—riding a three-game winning streak including their program-shifting win against Alabama—took Texas down to the wire, ultimately falling 27–24. That Longhorns team went on to the College Football Playoff semifinal. The Commodores would finish 7–6, marking significant progress for Clark Lea’s program.
Fast forward one year, and Vanderbilt is turning into the hunted, rather than the hunter. The Commodores dropped their game to Alabama this time around, but rebounded immediately, knocking off LSU and winning a slugfest against Missouri to move to 7–1 and right in the heart of the SEC’s wide-open playoff conversation.
