Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia Asks President Trump to Expand College Playoff

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia wants to see the Commodores get a shot at the College Football Playoff (CFP) — and he’s willing to take his request all the way to the top.

Pavia, 24, made a plea to President Donald Trump to expand the CFP after the playoff selection committee revealed its rankings on Tuesday, December 2. The Commodores were ranked 14th, two spots shy of the 12-team field.

“MAKE THE EXECUTIVE ORDER PLEASE,” the athlete wrote via X, quoting a post from college football reporter Brooks Austin, who suggested a 16-team playoff that includes four automatic bids from Vanderbilt’s Southeastern Conference.

Vanderbilt failed to move up in the rankings despite defeating No. 19 Tennessee, 45-24, in their most recent game. Ironically, the win may have hurt the Commodores’ post-season chances because it meant the Volunteers dropped out of the rankings, making Vanderbilt’s win appear less impressive.

At least, that was the justification committee chair Hunter Yurachek, who is also the University of Arkansas athletic director, gave to college football insider Alaina Morris.

“Hunter Yurachek on Vanderbilt: ‘Now that Tennessee is no longer ranked, they just don’t have a signature win,’” Morris relayed via X. “So because Vanderbilt beat Tennessee so bad that it fell out of the rankings, it’s essentially a punishment?”

Trump, 79, has not responded to Pavia’s request as of Wednesday afternoon, but the President has been unafraid to share his football opinions in the past. In a November appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, he railed against the NFL’s new kickoff rules, designed to make the game safer.

“I do have to say, I’ll probably get myself in a little trouble for this. I hate the new kickoff in football,” he said. “I think it’s so terrible, I think it’s so demeaning, and I think it hurts the game. It hurts the pageantry. I told that to [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell.”

Trump added, “I don’t think it’s any safer. You still have guys crashing into each other. It’s the opposite of what the game stands for. The ball is in the air, and nobody’s moving. It’s supposed to be when the ball is in the air, when the ball is played, you’re supposed to be moving.”

With a 6-2 conference record, Vanderbilt did not qualify for the SEC championship game, meaning its regular season is complete and the team has no more chances to move into the field with a big win.

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea made his case for the Commodores’ inclusion after the Tennessee game, calling his team’s 10-2 season a “great story in college football.”

“To do anything other than allow these guys to compete for it all would be an injustice to the work they’ve done,” he told the media.

Despite likely falling short of bringing his team to the CFP, Pavia has put together a season for the ages in Nashville. The Heisman candidate has thrown for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns this season and shattered his school’s single game record with 484 passing yards in his team’s win over Kentucky on November 22.

“You look at the numbers, you look at what we have here and obviously we did something that’s never been done,” Pavia told SEC Network after beating the Wildcats. “It’s just a blessing being on this stage, something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid.”