The Vanderbilt Commodores and Oklahoma Sooners, two teams that beat the Auburn Tigers this season, could create a fascinating narrative down the stretch of the 2025 season. As USA Today's Matt Hayes notes, the two teams have a stunningly similar resume.
Hayes sees the Texas Longhorns joining the Commodores and Sooners in the College Football Playoff race, but sees the two teams making for a stunning question for the selection committee if both can win out.
"Texas, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt will be vying for what could be two playoff spots. Texas has the most difficult road, but the story is Oklahoma and Vanderbilt," Hayes prefaced before saying, "They have seven common SEC opponents, a rarity in any season, in any conference.
"Texas has the head-to-head win over Vanderbilt, and the Commodores likely need the Longhorns to lose two games. But the resume comparison with Oklahoma is where it gets interesting.
"This, as much as anything, will show the committee’s ability to look past name and television property value, and reward resume."
Oklahoma defeated Auburn 24-17 in a controversial game in Norman that saw one of the officials from that game face disciplinary action. Vanderbilt outdueled AU 45-38 in an overtime thriller from Nashville.
When it comes to brand value, it's the Sooners that hold the advantage over the Commodores. For now. Vanderbilt University could unleash a spending spree that makes it a force in the sport, crushing any narrative about the team being the red-headed step child of the conference.
It takes time to build that brand value, though. Oklahoma has done that over the years, albeit in the Big 12.
On a granular level, if it comes to it and both teams win out, this is going to come down to the Sooners defeating the Michigan Wolverines and the Commodores defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies earlier in the season. Clear advantage: OU.
What a conversation to be having with several weeks left in the season, though.
It makes one wonder how Auburn's brand value would be weighed relative to these two teams had this season gone a different way.