While the Notre Dame football team is fighting for its playoff life, one of its former defensive coordinators is front and center in the best game of next week. Clark Lea will take his Vanderbilt Commodores into uncharted territory against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.
Lea's squad, which has improved mightily on last season's surprises, will be featured on Saturday morning as ESPN College GameDay is headed to Nashville for a game that will have more meaning in the SEC race than anyone could have ever predicted.
Why Notre Dame football fans should root hard for Clark Lea this weekend
The most interesting part of this story is that the former Notre Dame defensive coordinator's new team is the undefeated one. Lea has Vanderbilt sitting at 5-0 and looking to beat Alabama for the second straight year. Should they pull off that win over the suddenly resurgent Crimson Tide, the 'Dores would likely have to be considered legitimate College Football Playoff Contenders.
Of course, no one in South Bend is all that surprised that Lea is having this kind of success at Vanderbilt. He was a popular defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020 before he took the head job with the Commodores.
Notre Dame football fans can also root on Clark Lea and his new team because if they can keep winning and mowing down opponents like Alabama, it makes it that much more likely the Fighting Irish will be able to sneak into the college football playoffs. Alabama already has one bad loss on its resume. A second defeat to Vandy would be bad news.