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The Vanderbilt football team will not play for a national championship after going 10-2 in the 2025 campaign. They will, however, suit up in the postseason.
Head coach Clark Lea sent a strong message on accountability while presenting his seniors with one last opportunity to compete before closing out their careers. It offered a stark contrast to what’s been seen in South Bend.
The Commodores were one of college football’s best stories during the regular season. The team, led by Heisman trophy frontrunner Diego Pavia, was in the hunt for an SEC title up through November. The 10 wins set a new program record.
National championship hopes remained on the table after a three-touchdown victory over rival Tennessee. They were dashed on Selection Sunday.
Vanderbilt did not make the College Football Playoff field. They fell behind other multi-loss at-large teams in Miami, Alabama, and Oklahoma.
Notre Dame suffered the same fate. They were the first school left out of the field coming in at No. 11 in the final rankings.
The two programs are taking very different approaches to the postseason.
The Vanderbilt football team will play a bowl game.
They have accepted an invite to the ReliaQuest Bowl. The Commodores will face Big Ten foe Iowa in Tampa on New Year’s Eve.
Clark Lea spoke on the importance of finishing strong. He also refused to blame the committee for his team’s College Football Playoff omission.
Clark Lea did not blame anyone besides themselves with CFP. Says they had chances at Alabama and Texas
“That’s no one’s fault except our own. We had our opportunities and we didn’t do enough. We are not victims in this process. Our ownership is in coming up short…” @chrislee70 pic.twitter.com/8255zkSEWU
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) December 8, 2025
“That’s no one’s fault except our own,” the Vanderbilt football coach said. “We had our opportunities, and we didn’t do enough. We are not victims in this process. Our ownership is in coming up short…
“We’re going to celebrate the h— out of going and playing in Tampa.”
Notre Dame took its ball and went home.
Lea’s message was a strong one. At season’s start, most believed 10 wins in the SEC would be enough to make the CFP. It wasn’t.
He took ownership in coming up short. Notre Dame did not.
The Fighting Irish had the rug pulled out from under them in the selection process. They had been ranked ahead of Miami in each of the previous polls.
Despite neither team playing a game on championship weekend, the Hurricanes jumped the Irish in the final release.
As a result, Notre Dame refused to play in a bowl game. They will look to stick it to the network that’s campaigned against them over the last few weeks.
Players did have input in the decision. Still, it strips seniors of a postseason experience and a final game against a formidable foe.
The Fighting Irish placed direct blame on the College Football Playoff committee for the snub. Their issue is not taken with the Miami vs. Notre Dame argument, but in the members’ decision to flip their rankings with no games to impact resumes.
The committee provided false hope. Notre Dame felt scorned. It will boycott bowl season as retaliation against ESPN.
Regardless of being right or wrong, the optics of the decision aren’t great. Vanderbilt took a different approach. The Commodores will be applauded for taking accountability in not winning enough games.