Clark Lea confirms Vanderbilt never considered opting out of bowl game: 'We love playing football here'

Programs like Notre Dame chose not to play in the postseason following College Football Playoff disappointment, but Vanderbilt never wavered. Head coach Clark Lea made that perfectly clear. 

He stated the Commodores weren’t interested in cutting their season short. Not after delivering the first 10-win campaign in school history and earning a spot in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

“No. I can’t speak to their process, but we love playing football here,” Lea said, regarding whether Vanderbilt thought about a tactic similar to the Fighting Irish’s. “To realize that we get a chance to close out a special season with a special group of players on a great bowl stage in a great city against a really, really tough opponent? 

“As a football fan, as a football coach, as a football person — it’s hard not to get excited about that. There was no way that we were going to end this story early.”

Moreover, Lea emphasized how meaningful the extended time with his roster will be. He noted he gets “23 days or so” to continue developing and celebrating a group that carried Vanderbilt to unprecedented success. “We’re going to soak up every one of those days,” he added.

Lea: ‘We are not victims in this process’

Even after missing the 12-team Playoff, a debate that included Vanderbilt given its résumé and 10-2 finish, Lea refused to frame the Commodores as being wronged. Instead, he directed accountability inward when asked how he reconciles CFP criteria with being left out.

“The committee has a really challenging job,” Lea said. “We happened to be on the wrong side of that in this moment, but look, that’s no one’s fault except our own. Had our opportunities and we didn’t do enough. We are not victims in this process. Our ownership is in coming up short.”

Alas, Vanderbilt’s two losses were formidable. They came against Alabama and Texas. However, several of its ranked wins lost value as those opponents faltered later in the season. Still, Lea stressed that their focus has shifted entirely to finishing strong rather than lamenting what could have been.

That approach stands in contrast to Notre Dame. The Irish notably declined a bowl invitation after its CFP snub and was expected to face BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, according to On3’s Brett McMurphy.

The Commodores, meanwhile, are embracing their postseason stage. Vanderbilt will take on Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Eve at 11 a.m. ET. It’s an opportunity Lea insists they’re thrilled to pursue, not one they’d ever consider bypassing.

— On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this article.