NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On the strength of its first 3-0 start since the 2017 season, the Vanderbilt football program made its initial appearance in this fall’s national rankings on Sunday.
Coming off a 31-7 victory at South Carolina, which was among the top 12 nationally according to both the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association coming into the contest, the Commodores entered the AP rankings at No. 20 while also coming in at No. 23 in the coaches’ poll. When Vandy hosts Georgia State Saturday—kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU at FirstBank Stadium—it will mark the first time that the Dores will play as an AP ranked team in September since 1956.
It’s the second year in a row that reigning SEC Coach of the Year Clark Lea has led the Commodores to a national ranking after accomplishing the feat twice during the 2024 campaign.
Through three games Vandy stands among the top 20 in the country in rushing, total and scoring defense with the unit allowing just 82 yards on the ground, 237 yards overall and 10 points per contest. The unit is sixth nationally with seven takeaways, helping the Dores rank in the top 20 with a plus-1.33 turnover margin as well.
On the other side of the ball, Vanderbilt’s offense has been an efficient unit ranking among the national leaders with a 71.6 percent completion percentage and 179.65 pass efficiency rating while converting third downs at a 60.7 percent clip.
Commodore fans can still purchase tickets for the matchup with the Panthers on Saturday, with prices currently starting as low as $15. For more information, contact the Vanderbilt ticket office at 615.322.4653 (ext. 1) or ticket.office@vanderbilt.edu.
