Nashville, TENN--The people have taken notice.

For the first time since 2013, Vanderbilt was included in the AP top 25 on Sunday. With its inclusion comes a declaration from the outside that it's a group worth paying attention to, that it's more than just the team who beat Alabama.

More than that, it's validation of Vanderbilt's process. It's a feather in Clark Lea's cap that indicates his vision has become more than that.

It's come to life.

As it's currently constructed, Vanderbilt is no longer the team that lost to each SEC opponent by 15 points or more last season. It's now a group that's earned its place among college football's best.

That's not a fluke, either. Lea's group now sits at 5-2 with a 2-1 record in SEC play and a three-game winning streak.

Vanderbilt is a good team, not a cinderella. It is also one of college football's best stories.

Lea has engineered one of college football's best turnarounds in recent memory. This time a year ago he seemed to possess a divided group that couldn't hang against other SEC opponents.

In the fallout of that team's 2-10 season, Lea built a group of winners that believe. They believe in his process. They believe in each other. They believe they can win in a way that this program hasn't often in recent memory.

As a result, they have.

Vanderbilt has stacked wins and it has done in in different ways. Some nights it's via a shootout, some it's via complete domination, some it's a result of playing keep away and some it's a result of its defense.

The commonality in all of Vanderbilt's wins is that it's played to its recently-formed identity nearly flawlessly. Its losses saw flashes of that identity show up, as well.

After all, Vanderbilt is just eight points away from a 7-0 record and one of America's best rèsumès.

Vanderbilt doesn't have that, but it has something that may be better for it long term. Lea's team has confidence, flair and a knack for knowing how to win.

It also has a number beside its name now, one that is bigger than just that. It's an indicator of its rise as well as its status.

Lea's team has established itself as a team worth noting. Not just for its underdog story, but also for what it can do on a week-in-week-out basis.

For the first time in years that's something worth touting. On Sunday, Vanderbilt got the credit that it deserved.