Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vanderbilt coach calls out ‘bias’ from CFP committee

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Dec 1, 2025 6:57 PM ET

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea has started lobbying for his team to make the College Football Playoff, and he is doing so by suggesting that there is a bias against his team in the selection process.

Lea said Monday that there was an anti-Vanderbilt bias in the process, and that his team was “ignored” early in the season. As a result, it took longer for them to climb up the rankings, even as the good results piled up.

“I don’t know a world that exists where this team doesn’t belong in that field,” Lea said. “I’m learning right now about all the flaws in how we determine who’s in and who’s out. I think there’s a bias against Vanderbilt. I think we have been ignored early in the season. We were not given a chance. It took us winning our way into the conversation, and all we’ve done is line them up and knock them down.”

"I don't know a world that exists where this team doesn't belong in that field. … We deserve a chance to win a national championship."

Clark Lea says @VandyFootball should be in the College Football Playoff. pic.twitter.com/KdrgOoM0gV
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 1, 2025

Vanderbilt did start the season unranked coming off a 7-6 season, then eventually entered the top 25 after a 5-0 start. They lost to Alabama and Texas, but notched wins over the likes of Missouri and Tennessee to finish the season 10-2.

The Commodores’ strong finish should benefit them, but there are plenty of other teams with similar resumes trying to lobby their way into the Playoff, and perhaps to Lea’s point, some of them are more storied programs than Vanderbilt is. Someone is going to come away disappointed.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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