Vanderbilt football among coaches, AP poll for first time in more than a decade

Vanderbilt football returns to the rankings for the first time in more than a decade.

The Commodores (5-2, 2-1 SEC) were ranked 25th in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Poll released Sunday. Vanderbilt was ranked last in the final poll of the 2013 season after winning the Compass Bowl in January 2014, which resulted in a ranking of No. 24 in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the Coaches' Poll. It is the first season ranking for the Commodores since 2008, although they were ranked at the end of both the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

The rankings drought was the second-longest among power conference teams behind Rutgers, which hasn't been ranked since 2012.

The Commodores received some votes early in the season after wins against Virginia Tech and Alcorn State, but were eliminated after losses to Georgia State and Missouri. Vanderbilt beat Alabama 40-35 in its first win over a top-five team in program history and then won at Kentucky 20-13. A 24-14 win over Ball State allowed the Commodores to climb into the rankings.