U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell also told the NCAA that the organization cannot take any action against Vanderbilt or any other university that Pavia plays a fifth season for next year.
The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off this weekend with the first round of games taking place on college campuses. On Saturday, eleventh-seed SMU travels north to sixth-seed Penn State.
The two teams suing NASCAR over an antitrust complaint were granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday that will allow them to compete as chartered teams in 2025.