Nashville, TENN--It's not the same old Vanderbilt.

Instead, Vanderbilt is America's favorite underdog and is becoming less of one each week. Clark Lea's team has learned how to win and has moved forward with the expectation that it will.

Lea's program hasn't settled for moral victories, as a result it's pushing for AP top 25 rankings and bowl games instead of them.

A win like Vanderbilt got against Kentucky in front of a near sold-out crowd was evidence of that.

Lea's team wasn't at its best that night and was in a hangover spot after the biggest win in its program history. That didn't matter, though.

Vanderbilt did what good teams do. It found a way to win.

That's no longer uncharacteristic for this group. It's a group with edge, confidence and it's also a good team.

Straight up.

Vanderbilt possesses the country's best win through seven weeks, it's eight points away from being 6-0 and having the country's best resume, it will likely be ranked next week and it's a team that doesn't seem to be stopping soon.

It's no longer a cinderella. It's a team that's not just built on wrecking others' aspirations, it has some of its own.

"If we want to get to the top and compete for a national championship, we got to win out from here," Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia said.

"The team is hungry for more," Lea said. "They want to be great each Saturday."

Vanderbilt may not be a true title contender, but on a week-to-week basis who's to bet against a fundamentally sound group that's full of confidence?

Lea's team more than just that. It's captivating.

It also doesn't seem to be the Vanderbilt that your parents and grandparents have gotten to know. This is something new that is on its way to being something special.