Despite having the best season in the program’s history, going 10-2, the No. 14-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores are now officially kicked out of the playoffs. According to the CFP committee boss, they simply didn’t have enough quality wins, and the one they had is no longer relevant.

On December 2, college football insider Alaina Morris hopped onto X and shared Hunter Yurachek’s justification for leaving Vanderbilt out of playoff contention:

“Hunter Yurachek on Vanderbilt: “Now that Tennessee is no longer ranked, they just don’t have a signature win.”

She followed up by questioning his logic. “So because Vanderbilt beat Tennessee so bad that it fell out of the rankings, it’s essentially a punishment?”

The irony is the Vols were ranked No. 19 before going toe to toe with Vanderbilt. The Commodores humiliated the pound for pound top 4 best offense in the country in 45-24. This (21+) has to be Vols’ biggest margin loss since last season against Ohio State in the first round of the playoff. Yet according to Yurachek, that Tennessee win carries no weight in Vanderbilt’s playoff case because the Vols are no longer ranked. Make it make sense.

That wasn’t the only way Vandy got snubbed. Even their wins against ranked teams like LSU and South Carolina no longer “count” in the final evaluation  because those opponents fell out of the top 25 by season’s end. It felt like the committee focused more on who they beat last week rather than how good Vandy was all year long.

Clark Lea and star QB Diego Pavia did actively and publicly lobby for their team’s inclusion. They argued that there was a bias against the program’s brand and history. The duo felt their strength of record and high-scoring offense (nearly 40 points a game and ranking 8th in the nation in scoring) should have been enough.

To make the bias even clearer, the committee ranked other 10-2 teams with “better” perceived wins, like Miami and Notre Dame, ahead of Vanderbilt. In simple terms, teams with bigger brand power got the nod. However, it’s not all dark and grim for the Commodores.

Vanderbilt bags the No.1 QB from the class of 2026

Jared Curtis, the top quarterback in the 2026 high school class, has officially committed to play for Vanderbilt. He had originally pledged to Georgia back in May, but after weeks of speculation, he decided to switch schools. Curtis made his announcement on social media just before the start of the early signing period. This surprised lot of folks around the country.

Curtis is unquestionably one of the best recruits in all of America. ESPN ranks him as the No. 1 quarterback and the No. 5 player overall in his class. Rivals also lists him as the No. 1 quarterback and the second-best player overall. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 3 quarterback nationally. He’s 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, and can both throw and run the ball effectively, making him a true dual-threat in modern football.

In high school, Curtis had an incredible season. He threw for 40 touchdowns with just three interceptions and completed over 70% of his passes. On top of that, he ran for more than 600 yards and helped lead Nashville Christian to a state championship. He’s even the reigning Gatorade state player of the year.

Curtis could even start as a true freshman at Vanderbilt in 2026, taking over from Heisman Trophy candidate Diego Pavia. Currently, Vanderbilt has a few quarterbacks on the roster, but none at Curtis’ level. Rumors of his switch started after he visited a Vanderbilt practice in October with his high school coach (Vandy alum). This visit likely played a big role in his decision to flip from Georgia.