Vandy Has One Hell of a Tough Row to Hoe

I've made no secret of the fact that we, the collective SEC FanHouse blogger contingent I admire Vanderbilt. Despite being a small, privately-funded university with a heavy emphasis on academics, they field a football team which plays in the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference. Vandy might not win a lot of games, but they're competitive against some of the nation's best teams in more than their fair share.

Frankly, they've got no business even making a game of it most of the time. Vanderbilt gets the leftover scraps when it comes to D-IA talent. Yet they routinely take powerhouse schools like Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee to the wire, and beyond.

Bobby Johnson is a superb coach who gets little recognition for his accomplishments. As much as I admire and respect this coach, I have to wonder if he'll ever get his team to a bowl game.

In 2005, the 'Dores had Jay Cutler, a first round NFL draft pick and consensus All-SEC quarterback. The Commodores came maddeningly close to postseason viability, but fell short -- losing, unbelievably, to Middle Tennessee just one month prior to taking the Gators to overtime in the Swamp.

In 2006, Chris Nickson showed a lot of promise, leading Vanderbilt to a "nominal" 4-win season which included an upset of No. 16 Georgia.

More heartbreak in 2007: 5 victories, just one win away from bowl eligibility, coming damn close with a 25-24 nailbiter against Tennessee. The Commodores lost to Kentucky and Georgia by a touchdown and field goal, respectively. Nickson's play suffered thanks to injury and inconsistency, and he lost the job to Mackenzi Adams midway through the season.

It could have been a banner year for Johnson and his kids. If Vandy could have pulled out just one of those close contests, they'd have been bowl eligible for the first time in over a quarter-century. They were so close. Again.

In 2008, the prediction for Vanderbilt fans, regrettably, is pain. Gone are WR Earl Everett, tailback Cassen Jackson-Garrison (594 yards, 5 TDs) and, oh, almost the entire offensive line. A 4-win season seems optimistic at best; bowl eligibility, a pipe dream.

If Johnson couldn't get it done last year, with a loaded -- relatively speaking -- team, how will he do it this year, or next, or any year? It's not an indictment of Johnson's coaching chops; just the brutal, cold, unforgiving nature of the Southeastern Conference.