SEC Power Rankings following Week 13 of 2019: Did red-hot Vols move up?
Previous: . Commodores . 12. team. 887. . 3-8 (1-6)
Yes, on paper, the Vanderbilt Commodores should be below the Missouri Tigers. This is a disastrous team that now has nothing to be excited about since they will be keeping Derek Mason after this year. But even at 3-8, they have won two games during this Mizzou five-game losing streak. And one of them was against Mizzou.
Combine that with the fact that they actually won this past weekend, even if it was a 38-0 victory over the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, and it’s clear that for now they belong ahead of Mizzou in our SEC Power Rankings. If we’re going to factor in head to head and recency, there’s no denying this truth, no matter how bad this team is.
By the way, they are bad. We don’t care that they beat the ETSU Bucs. That’s an FCS team that went 3-9 on the year. Vandy has become a complete disaster with the departure of Kyle Shurmur, and there’s no way we can give them any sort of love at this moment. If not for that Missouri win, we’d have them last in the league.
However, there is a way to salvage the season. Mason’s team has won three straight against the Tennessee Vols, and they always play Rocky Top close. If they go into Knoxville and pull off another upset against their arch-enemies, they can at least have some pride for a year.