Opinion: Nick Saban asked important college football question, and Vanderbilt offers a loud answer

• Nick Saban repeatedly asked last year: "Is this what we want college football to become?" Sure looked pretty great on Saturday.
• NIL, transfers brought more parity of competition to a sport not accustomed to that.
• As upsets pile up in the SEC, so do the fines.

Nick Saban repeatedly asked one of his favorite rhetorical questions throughout his final season coaching Alabama.

“Is this what we want college football to become?” Saban said, when discussing the pay-for-play revolution.

It’s not what Saban wanted it to become, and I respect that he retired last winter rather than continue coaching while growing exhausted with college football’s direction.

College football operates within an ever-shifting space of realignment and court cases, and the player compensation structure remains unsettled. It’s all a little messy.

And yet, within this great beautiful mess, all the NIL wheeling and dealing and free transfer movement helped instill more parity of competition than previously existed. In this landscape, it's more difficult for Alabama and other blue bloods to stash all-stars on their third string.

When a fall Saturday arrives, any problems you think threaten college football's health just seem to melt away.

The product is as entertaining as ever, and Saturday supplied one of the most memorable days of college football many of us can recall.

Throughout a span of less than 12 hours, the teams ranked Nos. 2, 4, 9, 10 and 15 in the US LBM Coaches Poll all went down, and No. 8 Miami needed a furious comeback to escape an upset at California after Saturday had melted into Sunday in three of the nation’s time zones.

The day’s most shocking moment occurred at a most unlikely venue. Alabama fans at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville gave witness to the Tide suffering its first loss to Vanderbilt in 40 years.

Transfers helped deliver the 40-35 scoreline for Vanderbilt.

A school’s NIL coffers aren’t subject to public disclosure, but it’s safe to say Vanderbilt does not rank atop the list for most-lucrative SEC collectives for football spending. Money won’t buy ball security, though, and the Commodores used a plus-two turnover differential and 42 minutes of time of possession to calm the Tide.

Vanderbilt mostly sat on the sidelines in the transfer sweepstakes before the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but with Clark Lea’s program rooted in the SEC’s cellar, he marched waist-deep into the portal’s waters before this pivotal season and fetched 22 transfers.

Among them, was a 6-foot-tall quarterback full of moxie. Diego Pavia, a graduate transfer, is playing for his third college, but he’s no stranger to slaying SEC teams.

As New Mexico State’s quarterback, he humbled Auburn last season. Now, he and his fellow Commodores are responsible for handing Alabama one of their most stunning losses in program history.

“That is the dream,” said Lea, a Vanderbilt alumnus. “That’s why I came here. It’s what I came here to do.”

Now that he’s done it, Vanderbilt will require a new set of uprights. Those yellow poles at FirstBank Stadium joined Alabama as casualty of this wild night.

Commodores fans – yes, they even have fans now that they’ve located a pulse – marched the goal posts past the honky tonks on Broadway Street and pitched them into the Cumberland River.

“Here’s to having more of these nights,” Lea said.

Yes, here's to that, because Saturday was, indeed, what we want college football to be.

HIGHS AND LOWS: Alabama's upset leads Week 6 winners and loss

TOTAL CHAOS: Day of upsets turns conference races upside down

Here's what else I'm eyeing in this "Topp Rope" view of college football:

You get a fine, and you get a fine!

Arkansas protected its home turf against then-No. 4 Tennessee until the clock struck zero on a 19-14 victory. Then, the turf became a party pad for Razorbacks fans.

Alert the SEC office. Another check is coming your way for a field-storming fine.

“I think the AD’s gonna be mad. Or, maybe he won’t be, I don’t know,” Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said through a smile, regarding his boss, Hunter Yuracheck. “Right now, I don’t care. Go Hogs. Go Hogs, baby.”

Arkansas can pay the fine with money saved from not firing Pittman and forking over his buyout. Pittman sat on such a scalding-hot seat before the season that he acknowledged the elephant in the room in July at SEC media days.

“I’m HOT,” Pittman said then. “I’m like, the start of the (hot-seat) list.”

At 4-2 this season, he’s not that HOT anymore. The temperature cools in Fayetteville.

How losses impact College Football Playoff chances

Here’s how I rank the five top-15 teams that lost Saturday in terms of playoff chances, from best chance to make the playoff, to least.

Alabama (4-1), lost 40-35 at Vanderbilt: The Crimson Tide can lose at least once more and snag an at-large bid. Unsightly as this loss was, Alabama’s resume will be propped up by its win against Georgia. The difficulty will be getting to 10-2. The schedule includes road games at Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma.

Tennessee (4-1), lost 16-14 at Arkansas: Josh Heupel’s offense doesn’t look so impressive this side of Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt leaving for the NFL. Arkansas mauled the Vols’ offensive line. Tennessee’s schedule features fewer land mines than some SEC peers. Playoff qualification, though, would require beating either Alabama or Goergia.

Southern California (3-2), lost 24-17 at Minnesota: Not looking good for Lincoln Riley or his Trojans. They’ll need to win out to make the playoff. They’re 0-2 in road games after previously losing to Michigan. The upside is, only two ranked opponents remain, Penn State and Notre Dame. Both are home games. Downside is, the Trojans have seven games left total, and they could lose any of them except for perhaps a home game against hapless UCLA.

Missouri (4-1), lost 41-10 at Texas A&M: The Tigers were revealed as playoff pretenders in a road rout. The game was over by halftime. The Tigers enjoy the easiest schedule of any team on this list, but that also means a 10-2 record would leave Missouri on the vulnerable side of the bubble. And achieving 11-1 would require winning at Alabama.

Michigan (4-2), lost 27-17 at Washington: The Wolverines are toast. Turns out, the ability to complete a forward pass is useful to a playoff quest. Michigan would need to run the table to qualify for the playoff, and four ranked opponents remain.

Three and out

1. As front-runners lose, No. 5 Penn State (5-0) keeps winning, and I’m debating whether I should elevate the Nittany Lions from my playoff-contender list to the more exclusive national championship contender club. I’m holding off for now, but Penn State embodies similarities to the 2023 Michigan team that went undefeated. The Nittany Lions have NFL defenders sprinkled throughout a stingy defense that’s allowed a total of 18 points in the past three games. So, why my hesitation? Penn State has a history of fizzling in the second half of the season, after the schedule stiffens. Games against USC and Ohio State will be revealing.

2. The biggest winner Saturday? That might be No. 8 Mississippi (5-1). The Rebels got off the mat after last week’s home loss to Kentucky and won 27-3 at South Carolina. Thanks to Alabama and Vanderbilt, Ole Miss’ loss no longer looks so ghastly. With so many teams absorbing defeats, the Rebels probably would be positioned for playoff qualification if they reach 10-2. Monitor Saturday’s game at No. 10 LSU (4-1). The playoff probably retains room for one, not both.

3. The latest "Topp Rope" 12-team playoff projections: Texas (SEC), Ohio State (Big Ten), Kansas State (Big 12), Miami (ACC), Boise State (Group of Five), plus at-large selections Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Penn State, Oregon, Clemson and Notre Dame. Next up: Texas A&M, Tennessee, Iowa State, LSU, Brigham Young.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

The "Topp Rope" is his football column published throughout the USA TODAY Network.

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