Until this past Saturday night in Nashville, it was generally assumed that this week's Tennessee-Vanderbilt game at Vandy would be all about the Volunteers and their bid for their first 10-win season since 2007.
And should Tennessee win to improve to 9-3 heading into a bowl game, that might still be the storyline.
But at the risk of figuratively burning the turkey, couldn't the Commodores become just as big a story if they win?
Given the struggles of the past two seasons under third-year coach Derek Mason, if VU beats UT to become bowl eligible, might that not trump the Vols, who were expected to reach the SEC title game but will wind up watching Florida represent the East for the second straight season against Alabama?
After all, it's not like bowl memories are as prevalent as aspiring country music stars on the West End. Even in an era when 80 schools go bowling, Vanderbilt has played in just seven bowls total in its history, and none since James Franklin left for Penn State following the 2013 season.
But the Commodores' 38-17 win over Ole Miss not only has them standing 5-6 but also has them suddenly looking like a team capable of beating the Vols and being a most worthy bowl participant, whatever bowl chooses them.
"That's what we're going to focus on," Mason said following the Ole Miss win. "We're going to do well and prepare and try to win one more game. We'll take it one day at a time. We still have one game left to play. These guys played some of their best football tonight."
The Commodores played awful football in Mason's first season following the tough-to-follow Franklin. They were shocked at home by Temple, lost all eight of their SEC contests and finished 3-9. Mason couldn't have gotten off to a worst start with Vanderbilt fans if he'd made "Rocky Top" his ringtone.
But he dug in from there. He went back to focusing his attention on the defense, which had been his calling card as Stanford's defensive coordinator before he got the Vandy job. The 'Dores weren't outrageously better last year, but they did win two SEC games and improved to 4-8 overall.
With the Ole Miss outcome they've won two SEC games again, but also all four of their nonconference games. More importantly, their league losses have been far more competitive, their five SEC losses coming by a combined 33 points, and none by more than nine. They lost to South Carolina on a last-second field goal and had a potential game-tying touchdown pass slip off a receiver's fingertips in the final seconds at Kentucky. And they won at Georgia.
We repeat, the Commodores won at Georgia.
So there are factual reasons to believe an upset of Tennessee is possible.
There is also this quote from Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze after he watched Vandy run off 31 straight points against the Rebels.
Said Freeze: "(We were) outcoached tonight and outplayed. They wanted it more every facet of the game. Coach Mason, I have great respect for him. He had his kids ready to go tonight, and we didn't."
If UT coach Butch Jones hasn't alway had his team ready to go at opening kick this season - the Vols falling behind early in nine of their 11 games - he's had them outplayed throughout against a team of similar or lesser talent only once, at South Carolina.
That night saw an unsung home team dressed in black stun a Big Orange bunch surprisingly flat and unfocused. Saturday night will see a similar looking team come after UT. Heck, the Commodores even sound a little like the Vols in the preparation department.
Or don't the words of VU quarterback Kyle Shurmur following the Ole Miss win sound at least vaguely familiar?
"We talk all the time about being 1-0, taking it one step at a time," he said. "(A bowl game) is a goal in mind at the end of the year, but at this point today, this week we were just focused on being 1-0 and beating Ole Miss. When we wake up tomorrow, we are going to watch film and we are going to get ready to be 1-0 next week and beat Tennessee. We are just trying to take it one step at a time."
Finally, thankfully, there is just one game left to be played in the regular season.
Talk of going 1-0 no longer seems a tired cliche. But even if Vanderbilt should lose, they still conceivably conceive receive a bowl bid, thanks to an area in which the Commodores always succeed: academics.
Because the Commodores have the nation's fifth best Academic Progress Rate, they would be among the first five-win teams asked to fill bowl spots if less than the required 80 teams have the six wins normally needed for bowl eligibility.
But let them knock off the Vols and they're bowl eligible by any criteria. And quite possibly the biggest unexpected success story in the SEC for 2016.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.