Diego Pavia’s Heroics Against Tennessee Cement Him As A Heisman Contender And Vanderbilt Legend

There might not be a more important player in college football for his team than Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, as he proved on Saturday night against Tennessee. Now, he could find himself at the Heisman Trophy ceremony, along with the CFP. 

Against the odds of past games inside Neyland Stadium, this Vanderbilt football team proved once again it should be in the playoff conversation when the second to last rankings are released on Tuesday night. 

What else do you need to see? 

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Sure, Diego Pavia found himself on the wrong end of two errant passes in the first half, but overcame adversity to put his team over the top late in the fourth quarter to secure one of the biggest wins in school history, 45-24 over the Vols. 

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This was the greatest season in Vanderbilt football history. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. 

Yes, beating Alabama at home last season was massive. But going on the road and beating your hated rival with a potential postseason spot on the line was the reason Clark Lea received a new contract this past week. 

Obviously, the playoff committee will take a very hard look at the Texas win over Texas A&M on Friday night, with the potential to move a 9-3 Longhorns squad ahead of the Commodores because of the head-to-head win. 

But, Vanderbilt went on the road and embarrassed Tennessee, and also ended the Vols' six-game win streak in the series. 

Did you expect anything different from this Vanderbilt team? This is the same football team that has continued to hang around, losing close games at both Alabama and Texas this season. 

Send Diego Pavia To New York City

After racking up more than 400 yards of total offense, Diego Pavia should have earned his invitation to the Heisman Trophy ceremony from this performance in Knoxville. You can say what you want about Tennessee's offense, but the Commodores holding them to under 100 yards rushing is a testament to how much this team has bought into the Clark Lea mantra. 

Say what you want about the swagger of Diego Pavia, but you cannot deny this man is a threat to opposing teams, which Tennessee found out the hard way on Saturday night. Don't forget, everything was on the line for Vanderbilt. A shot at the postseason, with an enormous amount of pressure to finish the job inside a hostile environment. 

What else do you need to see? Vandy obviously didn't get much help from LSU, which lost in a close game to Oklahoma and needed the Sooners to get out of the way to open a CFP spot. But, if Auburn were to beat Alabama or Notre Dame lost to Stanford, maybe Vandy would sneak in. 

But one thing is certain after a monster night in Knoxville. Diego Pavia deserves an invitation to New York City next month for the Heisman ceremony. 

I don't know what else he could've done on Saturday night to further convince you.