Clark Lea believes lobbying College Football Playoff committee can impact field

Clark Lea isn’t too prideful to lobby the College Football Playoff selection committee. With his team on the cusp of earning a CFP bid, Lea explained why he doesn’t shy away from attempting to persuade the selection committee.

“I know there’s human elements to this, and I know there’s a room of people that are going to discuss the merits and are going to look at all the resumes, and it’s important that I fight for my team,” Lea said. “We’re a team that’s intact. We’re a team that our coaching staff believes in. This group, our players, we believe in each other. I mean, they are so mission-focused.

“So much elite football comes down to how consistent can you be? How committed are you to winning? This group is as committed as any group that I’ve been around, and so I would love to see that taken into that playoff stage because I think we could do some damage there. I hope the human element of this is paying attention to what I believe is a compelling argument for a really good football team.”

Vanderbilt is 10-2 and ranked No. 14 in the country. In the latest CFP rankings, the Commodores landed at No. 14 as well, trailing behind other bubble teams such as Utah, Miami and BYU.

Like two of the other three teams mentioned, Vanderbilt is 10-2. Alas, as an SEC team, Vanderbilt’s wins are undeniably impressive. The Commodores have four ranked wins this season.

Their two regular-season losses were against Alabama and Texas. To pile on, Vanderbilt has a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender running its offense in quarterback Diego Pavia. Clark Lea is simply asking the selection committee for a chance.

“This team deserves the brightest lights on the biggest stages. They’ve earned that right. Look, I don’t care how we have to get there. They can tell me whatever they want to tell me,” Lea said. “If they want my team to play four more games, we’ll play four.

“If there are teams we need to play against to play into it, tell me when and tell me where. We’ll put the ball down in the parking lot and play. This group is competitive, they’re tough. It’s a blood and guts team. They’ve poured their hearts into this, and they deserve the right to have a chance to win it all.”

On Tuesday evening, the selection committee will reveal its updated CFP rankings. On Dec. 7, the committee will release the official bracket.