Oklahoma let the SEC down in their college football bowl matchup against Navy on Friday. The Sooners lost 21-20 to the Midshipmen in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. The loss had fans asking if Oklahoma really belongs in the SEC or if the conference deserved the fourth spot in the CFP.
Fortunately for the SEC, a conference program won the Birmingham Bowl over an opponent from the ACC on Friday. The ACC was the arch-nemesis of the SEC on selection day, as the CFP committee chose to give SMU the final at-large bid over Alabama, Ole Miss, or South Carolina.
Vanderbilt football defeated Georgia Tech football on Friday
Vanderbilt got the best of Georgia Tech in their matchup in front of 33,840 fans at Protective Stadium. Both teams were giant slayers in the regular season. Vanderbilt upset then-No. 1 Alabama 40-35 on Oct. 5. Georgia Tech defeated two teams that were ranked in the Top 10 and nearly upset Georgia in a game that took eight overtime periods before the Bulldogs pulled off a 44-42 win at their home at Sanford Stadium.
Vanderbilt scored the first points of the game and took a 14-10 lead into halftime. The Commodores would extend their second-half lead to 35-13 with 9:59 to go in the fourth quarter before the Yellow Jackets would score two late touchdowns to make the final 35-27 closer than the game actually was.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility, was the star of the show Friday. He threw for 160 yards and three touchdowns and added another 84 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
With Georgia Tech’s loss, the ACC fell to 0-4 in the postseason, with Pittsburgh losing to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Thursday. SMU and Clemson lost their respective games in the first round of the CFP on Saturday.
Following Vanderbilt’s win, the SEC is now 2-3 in the postseason. However, the SEC is 2-0 against the ACC in the postseason, as Texas knocked off Clemson 38-24 in the first round of the CFP.
College football fans mock the ACC for another loss to the SEC
Fans on social media reacted to the ACC blowing another opponent against an SEC team.
“By losing to other ACC teams? Alabama loses to Oklahoma (who lost to Navy today), and it’s proof of how strong th SEC is. Miami loses to Syracuse and it means the ACC sucks. Can’t have it both ways,” posted a fan.
“If Vandy was in ACC they’d be a playoff team,” suggested on poster.
“Watching this game has proven to me that if Vanderbilt was in the ACC they would be ACC champions,” wrote another.
“The ACC continues to struggle with G5 opponents and Vanderbilt,” posted a fan.
For More Football News:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and NFL news, click here!
Our Partners
