NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea lobbied all week and offered to add a 13th game to the schedule, “in the parking lot” if they had to, for one more shot at impressing the College Football Playoff selection committee.

He said Sunday the idea was no joke. His school’s chancellor and athletic director already were working behind the scenes trying to schedule a last-ditch effort for Vanderbilt’s most successful football team in school history.

“There were too many hurdles to clear to actually have it happen,” Lea said after the 12-team bracket reveal, which had the Commodores on the outside looking in at No. 14. “I think it would have been one of the great stories in the history of our sport to be able to do something like that.”

Vanderbilt (10-2) was one of multiple schools skipped over because of the CFP’s conference champion qualifier rule.

Lea said he felt like a politician over the past week, campaigning and making the case for Vanderbilt to have a chance to keep playing for a national championship.

Vanderbilt’s two losses came on the road to ranked opponents at Alabama, which is in the playoff, and Texas. Vanderbilt couldn’t overcome two early turnovers inside the Alabama 20 and just missed recovering an onside kick late at Texas in a three-point loss.

“I would have loved the chance to play a 13th game just because it’s another opportunity to get on the field with these guys and go compete. That’s what we love to do,” Lea said. “As it is, the 13th opportunity will come in on New Year’s Eve in Tampa, and we’re going to celebrate that.”

The Commodores will play Iowa (8-4, No. 23 CFP) on Dec. 31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa to try and add an 11th win for a program that had never won 10 games in a season.

“We are excited about the opportunity to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl,” said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. “This allows our players one last chance to play together in a city and Bowl that is a Hawkeye favorite for its hospitality and game day experience. We look forward to heading south and competing hard to finish the 2025 season.”

The Hawkeyes will be making their 38th bowl game appearance and their seventh ReliaQuest Bowl appearance, formerly known as the Outback Bowl.

The Hawkeyes are 3-3 all-time in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Iowa beat Mississippi State, 27-22, in the 2019 Outback Bowl, its last appearance in Tampa. Other Hawkeye wins occurred in 2004 (37-17 over Florida) and 2009 (31-10 over South Carolina). Iowa fell to Florida in 2006 (31-24) and 2017 (30-3), and LSU in 2014 (21-14).

The Hawkeyes have won four of their last seven bowl games. Iowa is 18-18-1 all-time in bowl contests.