When Alabama football lost to Vanderbilt last season in Nashville, the result was shocking. The No. 1 Crimson Tide was coming off a thrilling win over Georgia, and hadn’t lost to the Commodores since 1984.

Seemingly the only people surprised by the victory were Clark Lea’s Commodores. Behind the scenes, VU had been rebuilding, and the Alabama win was the first glimpse for the rest of the world of what was possible.

“We don’t expect anyone to see the goodness in what we’re doing, outside of the people that are in this room day-to-day,” Lea told reporters in Nashville on Tuesday. “And any level of success is a lag effect of investment. You guys have been around and you know where we’ve come from, and it hasn’t been overnight. I mean, God almighty, you know I can’t grow hair, but if I c

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