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Vanderbilt answered Nick Saban’s college football question loudly

ByJasper

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Vanderbilt answered Nick Saban’s college football question loudly

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  • Nick Saban repeatedly asked last year, “Is this what we want college football to be?” It certainly looked pretty good on Saturday.
  • ZERO, transfers brought more competitive equality to a sport that wasn’t used to it.
  • With the turmoil in the SEC, the fines are also piling up.

Nick Saban repeatedly asked one of his favorite rhetorical questions during his final season as coach at Alabama.

“Is this what we want college football to be?” Saban said when discussing the pay-for-play revolution.

It’s not what Saban wanted, and I respect that he retired last winter rather than continue coaching while exhausted by the direction of college football.

College football is in an ever-changing environment of realignments and litigation, and the player compensation structure remains unsettled. It’s all a bit chaotic.

And yet, in this great, beautiful mess, the whole NIL trading and free transfer movement has helped create more level playing field than was the case before. In this situation, it is more difficult for Alabama and other bluebloods to accommodate All-Stars in their third division.

When a fall Saturday comes, all the problems you think threaten the health of college football just seem to melt away.

The product is as entertaining as ever and Saturday was one of the most memorable days of college football that many of us can remember.

In less than 12 hours, the teams ranked No. 2, 4, 9, 10 and 15 in the US LBM Coaches’ Poll all declined, and No. 8 Miami needed a furious comeback to avoid an upset in California after Saturday had merged into Sunday in three time zones in the country.

The most shocking moment of the day occurred in a most unlikely place. Alabama fans at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville witnessed the Tide’s first loss to Vanderbilt in 40 years.

Transfers contributed to Vanderbilt’s 40-35 score.

A school’s NIL coffers are not subject to public disclosure, but it’s safe to say that Vanderbilt isn’t at the top of the list of the most lucrative SEC football spending collectives. Money can’t buy ball security, however, and the Commodores used a plus-two turnover differential and 42 minutes of possession to calm the tide.

Vanderbilt largely sat on the sidelines in the transfer draws ahead of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but with Clark Lea’s program rooted in the basement of the SEC, he marched waist-deep into the portal waters ahead of this crucial season, picking up 22 transfers.

Among them was a 6-foot quarterback full of moxie. Diego Pavia, a graduate transfer, is playing for his third college but is no stranger to defeating SEC teams.

As New Mexico State’s quarterback, he humbled Auburn last season. Now he and his fellow Commodore members are responsible for handing Alabama one of its worst defeats in program history.

“This is the dream,” said Lea, a Vanderbilt graduate. “That’s why I came here. That’s what I came here for.”

Having done it, Vanderbilt needs a new set of posts. Those yellow poles at FirstBank Stadium fell to Alabama as victims of that wild night.

Commodores fans – yes, they even have fans after finding the pulse – marched the goalposts past the honky tonks on Broadway Street and threw them into the Cumberland River.

“We look forward to having more of these nights,” Lea said.

Yes, we’ll say it, because Saturday was indeed what we want for college football.

Ups and downs: Alabama’s upset results in wins and losses in Week 6

TOTAL CHAOS: The Day of Surprises turns conference races on their head

Here’s what else catches my eye in this “top rope” view of college football:

You get fined, and you get fined!

Arkansas defended its home game against then-No. 4 Tennessee until the clock hit zero in a 19-14 win. Then the lawn became a party venue for Razorbacks fans.

Notify the SEC office. Another check awaits you for a field storm fine.

“I think the AD will be crazy. Or maybe he won’t be, I don’t know,” Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said with a smile, looking at his boss Hunter Yuracheck. “Right now I don’t care. Go pigs. Come on, pigs, baby.”

Arkansas can pay the penalty with the money saved by not firing Pittman and inflating his buyout. Pittman was in such a red-hot seat before the season that he acknowledged the elephant in the room at SEC media days in July.

“I am HOT,” Pittman said at the time. “I think the start of the (hot seat) list.”

At 4-2 this season, he is not HOT more. The temperature is cooling in Fayetteville.

How losses affect college football playoff chances

Here is my ranking of the five top 15 teams that lost on Saturday in terms of playoff chances, from best to least chance of making the playoffs.

Alabama (4-1), lost 40-35 at Vanderbilt: The Crimson Tide can lose at least one more time and secure an overall offer. As unsightly as that loss was, Alabama’s resume is bolstered by the win against Georgia. The difficulty will be getting to 10-2. The schedule includes away games at Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma.

Tennessee (4-1), lost 16-14 at Arkansas: Josh Heupel’s offense doesn’t look as impressive given the departure of Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt to the NFL. Arkansas destroyed the Vols’ offensive line. There are fewer landmines on Tennessee’s schedule than some SEC rivals. However, to qualify for the playoffs you would have to beat either Alabama or Goergia.

Southern California (3-2), lost 24-17 at Minnesota: Things aren’t looking good for Lincoln Riley and his Trojans. They have to win to get into the playoffs. They are 0-2 in away games after previously losing to Michigan. The advantage is that there are only two ranked opponents left, Penn State and Notre Dame. Both are home games. The downside is that the Trojans have seven total games left and could lose any of them, except perhaps a home game against hapless UCLA.

Missouri (4-1), lost 41-10 at Texas A&M: The Tigers were exposed as playoff contenders in an away loss. The game was over at halftime. The Tigers have the easiest schedule of any team on this list, but that also means Missouri would remain on the vulnerable side of the bubble with a record of 10-2. And to get to 11-1, you would have to win at Alabama.

Michigan (4-2), lost 27-17 at Washington: The Wolverines are toast. It turns out that the ability to complete a forward pass is useful for a playoff quest. Michigan would need to top the standings to qualify for the playoffs and has four ranked opponents remaining.

Three and out

1. As the top seeds lose, No. 5 Penn State (5-0) continues to win, and I’m debating whether to move the Nittany Lions from my playoff contender list to the more exclusive national championship contender. I’ll hold off for now, but Penn State bears similarities to the 2023 Michigan team that went undefeated. The Nittany Lions have scattered NFL defenders, a stingy defense that has scored a total of 18 points in the last three games. So why do I hesitate? Penn State has had a long history in the second half of the season after the schedule tightened. Games against USC and Ohio State will be telling.

2. The biggest winner on Saturday? That could be No. 8 Mississippi (5-1). The Rebels bounced back from last week’s home loss to Kentucky to win 27-3 at South Carolina. Thanks to Alabama and Vanderbilt, Ole Miss’ loss doesn’t look so terrible anymore. With so many teams suffering losses, the Rebels would likely be positioned for playoff qualification if they go 10-2. Watch Saturday’s game at No. 10 LSU (4-1). There will likely be room for one in the playoffs, not both.

3. The latest Top Rope playoff predictions for 12 teams: Texas (SEC), Ohio State (Big Ten), Kansas State (Big 12), Miami (ACC), Boise State (Group of Five) and overall pick Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Penn State, Oregon, Clemson and Notre Dame. Next up: Texas A&M, Tennessee, Iowa State, LSU, Brigham Young.

Blake Toppmeyer is the national college football columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

The “Topp Rope” is his soccer column published throughout the USA TODAY Networkk.

Subscribe to read all his columns.

By Jasper

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