Another crazy Saturday, but nobody could imagine that Alabama would play so poorly and lose to Vanderbilt. Yeah, the same Vanderbilt that everyone pretty much disregards as a pushover game. Well, I mean, come on, it is Alabama, “Saban’s team” does not lose such games and is surely not going to finish the season ranked 1st, correct? Well, things ain’t exactly how they used to be down in Tuscaloosa. A 40-35 loss has the new “Kalen DeBoer team” receive a brutal realization that there are no easy days in the SEC.

Now, picture yourself browsing through your Instagram page, and suddenly, Kirk Herbstreit – ESPN’s golden boy, is here with his Week 6 rankings. You’d have thought Ohio State would be lounging pretty comfortably atop the rankings after blowing their slate, but nope, Vanderbilt is here. According to Herbstreit, Vanderbilt was a better team than the Buckeyes.

Take that in for a second first. The same team that everybody assumed would not be able to muster much, did nothing else than humiliate the number one team. College football couldn’t be so good with upsets happening like it’s the new norm in this new collegiate football planet.

Herbstreit’s Instagram post quickly became popular when he ranked Vanderbilt as one of his top six teams for Week 6. “These are my WEEK 6 high-flying teams & coaches,” he posted dropping names of teams like Arkansas, Minnesota, and Texas A&M. And Alabama fans were expecting them to be ranked somewhere in at least the top 7, only to be disappointed. Well, this loss is definitely a setback for Bama, but Vanderbilt at number 1 is the real shocker for fans.

The head of the Commodores, Clark Lea also has ranked in the top coach of the week list. Herbstreit’s list demonstrated how much progress had the Vandy team made. Of course, most teams didn’t expect to beat Alabama, but they did it—and now they’re getting a lot of respect for it.

Kirk Herbstreit’s bold move puts Vandy on the map

Ohio State fans had to be scratching their heads over all of it. The Buckeyes had just manhandled Iowa as if Abby Wambach had just decided to play soccer all by herself, yet they were not being liked in the same manner. Your number one team with a 5-0 record and dominating the Big Ten usually sits at the top. But when you beat Alabama, especially a team which is directed by Kalen DeBoer coming from a victory against Georgia, the tables turn.

To put the victory into perspective, Vanderbilt was not supposed to win. They weren’t supposed to make Alabama look like an average team. But then, we are having discussions on how Herbstreit puts Vanderbilt in the same category as Ohio State. And you know what, when you see that game, you tend to understand why that is the case. Vandy’s QB, Diego Pavia, had a field day going on a rampage to throw 252 yards carrying the game as if it was the most natural thing to do. Still, the Tide’s star quarterback Jalen Milroe had 310 yards of passing but could not buoy the team.

The Commodores are hot now, and this just took down one of the largest giants in college football. Whether they keep this momentum going is anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for sure: this season threatens to turn out to be topsy-turvy. Vanderbilt showed that it remains unpredictable and capable of achieving something on any Saturday. If you were not aware of this team before now, then it’s high time that you started taking notice. And as for Ohio State, they might still be barreling along in the cozy cushion of a ‘winning season,’ but Vandy’s win is a rude wake-up call: nobody is invincible. So, better buckle up!