Vanderbilt Is The Real Victim Of The College Football Playoff Debacle
Did Vandy get robbed or what?
The stage is set for the College Football Playoff, though the selection process wasn't without its fair share of controversy.
As we discussed earlier, there was the conundrum of whether to put Miami or Notre Dame in the field. and whether either of them really deserved it.
Then there was the ever-popular topic of conversation regarding Alabama and whether their inclusion was a classic case of "SEC Bias."
One SEC team that isn't feeling the love, though, is Vanderbilt, as the Commodores have been left on the outside looking in with a similar record to all the teams mentioned above.
Vandy had, by all accounts, a historic season, finishing the year at 10-2 and sporting the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at quarterback.
Unfortunately, the ‘Dores won’t have much to show for it, as the committee shunned them in favor of bigger logos like Bama and Miami.
It has a lot of people asking the question on X: if the Vanderbilt Commodores had the same resume as they do today but a different logo on their helmet, say, Michigan or USC, would they be sitting pretty in the field of 12 this afternoon?
Let's take a look at the Commodores' case for inclusion, shall we?
Vandy was 4-2 against AP top-25 ranked teams and possess a higher strength of schedule and strength of record than either the Fighting Irish or the Hurricanes.
Miami has a similar number of wins against top-25 teams (four), while their FPI is slightly higher.
Read: Miami Hurricanes STILL Haven't Won An ACC Championship
Notre Dame, on the other hand, lacks the overall top-25 wins (2-2 against ranked opponents).
You could certainly make a case that a team like Vanderbilt deserved to be included in the CFP, but, as I said earlier today, when you get past the top eight teams, you are splitting hairs to see who you let in.
Suffice it to say, under the current parameters, Vandy got robbed.
It would have been pretty cool to see a team like the Commodores get a crack at the national title, and they certainly earned a shot, but it wasn't in the cards this time around, and it's a shame.
Cheer up, 'Dores fans. Baseball season will be here before you know it.