When it comes to Notre Dame and the College Football Playoffs, some teams have an argument that they should be ranked higher than the Fighting Irish. And then there's Vanderbilt.
While Miami fans' incessant complaining about being ranked No. 18 while Marcus Freeman's squad was ranked No. 10 was over the top, they had an argument. The Hurricanes had beaten ND head-to-head. Until a couple of bad losses, they looked like National Title contenders. They at least had an argument, no matter how immature the fans looked, complaining about seeding every other day; they weren't totally wrong.
However, now that Vanderbilt fans have jumped into the College Football Playoffs conversation, their arguments why the Commodores should be ranked ahead of Notre Dame don't carry the same weight. The cries of "Brand Bias" show a group of fans who want Vandy to be better than it is.
I will raise the bar.
— #16 Vanderbilt Football 8-2 (4-2) (@VandyTracker) November 10, 2025
Any 10-2 P4 team should make the CFP over a 10-2 Notre Dame. Join a conference. pic.twitter.com/lLz0MrNtyp
All of these metrics make the case why the Notre Dame football team should be ranked ahead of Vanderbilt
Here are the facts. The Irish have proven time and time again that they are the better team than the historic SEC also ran. And that's not using the eye test, as the phrase has gained popularity:
- The Irish have 1 ranked win, Vandy has none
- Both schools have two losses to ranked teams
- Both schools have five wins against Power 4 opponents
- Notre Dame has the 9th ranked scoring offense in the country, Vanderbilt is No. 10
- The Irish are No. 18 in scoring defense, and the Commodores are No. 50
- ND's offensive SP+ is 39.9 compared to 38.7
However, there's more to it than that. Almost every single ranking system that should be taken seriously see the Irish as the better team.
- BCF Toys FEI Ratings: ND - 6 / VU - 11
- Sagarin Ratings: ND - 6 / VU - 15
- Massey: ND - 8 / VU - 17
- FPI: ND - 5 / VU - 16
Both teams have some ugly wins. Vandy needed to pull it out late to beat an Auburn team with no real head coach, 45-38. Even uglier considering the Tigers had scored more than 20 points just once against SEC opponents all season until last weekend.
Notre Dame had its less-than-impressive win over Boston College, though the Irish still only allowed 10 points.
And then there were the ugly losses. Marcus Freeman's squad has none. They have a 3-point loss to Miami and a 1-point loss to Texas A&M, thanks to a missed extra point. Vandy has a 3-point loss to Texas and a 16-point loss to Alabama.
No one is saying the Commodores shouldn't be in the College Football Playoffs conversation. But when that conversation turns to being ranked higher than the Notre Dame football team, it gets more than a little ridiculous.