Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea and his 14th-ranked Commodores went through five stages of postseason grief – denial, anger, bargaining, acceptance and excitement – in the days leading up to Sunday’s announcement of which teams would be selected for the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Despite achieving the first 10-win season in school history behind record-setting graduate quarterback Diego Pavia, Vandy would not be given the opportunity to play for a national championship, the brass ring of college football.

But the consolation prize is sweet – a holiday trip to Florida and the opportunity to play New Year’s Eve in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. The 10-2 Commodores will face No. 23 Iowa (8-4) at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff is at 11 a.m., on ESPN.

“I felt like a politician last week. I

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