Vanderbilt Football

Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson was never one to say, "I told you so."

He didn't make headlines for recruiting violations or scandals. He made them for banning his players from swearing.

He didn't promise the moon. He promised that he and his staff would work hard, and the results for the Commodores would follow.

Perhaps what was so remarkable about Bobby Johnson was that, given what he accomplished, he still carried himself with such a humble demeanor, right up until he retired Wednesday after eight seasons with the Commodores.

There was no self-adulation. There were high-fives and hugs after the latest upset victory for the players and coaches that he cared about and mentored.

There were no ego trips or extended dalliances with other schools seeking his services. There was a vow that Vanderbilt would be the last place he'd ever coach.

He just went about his business, day-by-day, working to achieve the goals he laid out for Vanderbilt when he arrived in 2002. With the help of hundreds of hard-working players whom he thanked emotionally in his retirement press conference on Wednesday, he did just that.

Before Johnson arrived, the Commodores hadn't had a winning season or beaten in-state rival Tennessee since 1982. They hadn't won a bowl game since 1955. And the idea of ESPN's College GameDay ever hosting its show on campus was laughable.

Johsnon set out to win, facing the toughest opposition in the country, while respecting the university's high standards for academics and personal conduct, and remembering the importance of fostering every student-athlete's development.

He did all that and more. He won where others lost in the rough-and-tumble Southeastern Conference. A 29-66 record at Vanderbilt may belie that fact, but look closer.

The 2008 SEC Co-Coach of the Year and third-longest tenured coach in school history wasn't just a top-notch football man, but also an outstanding leader of young men.

He made Vanderbilt respectable again, and he helped people re-examine how to define winning in college athletics.

Johnson didn't limit his definition of victories to the scoreboard. His teams didn't lead the nation in scoring, but they did in graduation rates and grade point average. The 2008 team that won the Music City Bowl didn't have a flashy offense, but they played superbly on defense and special teams, and more importantly, they played smart.

Sure, some under Johnson's tutelage like Jay Cutler and Chris Williams have gone on to professional football careers. The man could develop talent. But even more important were the hundreds who stayed in the classroom and out of trouble, and who made Vanderbilt fans proud to support a team defined by character and integrity.

Johnson leaves now on his terms. He recognized that there are far more things out there to experience than college football. And to his immense credit, he made it clear that no one should take on the immense responsibilities of being a head coach unless one is fully invested in the job.

In a sporting world where all too often personal ego supersedes what's best for everyone involved, Johnson put others first, in this case not only his team but his wife Catherine. Johnson took a look in the mirror and saw a 59-year-old who had spent more than half of his life coaching, and he and Catherine decided it was time for other things.

After eight years of fantastic service to this team and university, no one should begrudge that decision.

Some questioned the timing of his retirement, but as Johnson pointed out, there is no good time for a college football coach to retire. With last year's recruiting class locked in and the rest of the coaching staff intact, this was a comparatively normal coaching change compared to some of the craziness we've seen around the conference in recent years.

So this is a sad time and a happy time. We can lament the fact that Vanderbilt is losing a class act of a man who led the program out of the doldrums, but we can also celebrate that he changed the culture of Vanderbilt football.

Bobby Johnson was never flashy, but he was always classy, right to the end of his tenure.

He was the one leading the applause for his replacement, former assistant Robbie Caldwell, on Wednesday.

"College football is losing a great man today," Caldwell said.

The crowd of reporters and onlookers in the room agreed. Johnson probably didn't want applause for himself, but it rose up in the room after he finished fielding questions.

There was little else for him to say or that needed to be said. A man who put others first let the last eight years speak for themselves.

Looks like Commodore cornerback Myron Lewis paid attention to last year's NFL Combine.

After watching fellow corner D.J. Moore's draft value free-fall last season following a mediocre performance in front of NFL scouts and coaches, Lewis went to Indianapolis with something to prove.

Lewis (6'2", 205 pounds) ran a 4.52 40-yard dash, had the seventh best broad jump of all corners at 10'6", and also did 10 repetitions of 225 pounds at the bench press. Still projected by many to be a fourth- to sixth-round pick, the performance still did wonders for his draft stock going forward.

Gifted with great hands, Lewis was still prone to giving up the occasional big play during his career at Vanderbilt.

However, he was also prone to making the occasional big play—his interceptions against Auburn and Boston College in the Music City Bowl in 2008 sealed both victories with under two minutes remaining.

Moore, on the other hand, was Vanderbilt's lone representative in last year's NFL Draft, and his spectacular final season in Nashville inspired hopes that he would be the third Commodore taken in the first round in four years after Jay Cutler in 2006 and Chris Williams in 2008.

Not only was he a shut-down corner who had five interceptions (and 13 for his career), but the electric athlete also caught two touchdown passes as a wide receiver, was one of the conference's best punt returners, and also could be used to run the ball.

Perhaps no one on the roster was more responsible for getting Vanderbilt to that long-awaited bowl than the fabulous Mr. Moore.

A great teammate, to be sure, but Moore did little to help himself at the Combine.

He turned in a 4.54 40 and looked sluggish in workouts, lacking, according to Scout.com's Chris Steuber, "fluidity in his hips" and exhibiting a poor backpedal.

Prognostications originally pegged him as a late first-round or second-round draft pick.

His performance at the Combine was so underwhelming that he fell all the way to the 19th pick of the fourth round, where he joined Cutler and Williams on the Chicago Bears.

Fairly or unfairly, his body of work at Vanderbilt was ignored and the Bears got a steal by snatching him that late in the Draft.

Lewis, on the other hand, entered the 2009 season as Vanderbilt's No. 1 corner and had a solid, if not outstanding, campaign. He led the team with four interceptions and 12 defensed passes, but he's never been known to have the same athleticism as Moore.

Rather, Lewis' value lies in his size. Only Chris Cook of Virginia was taller among cornerbacks invited to the Combine, and Lewis still had the longest arm length at 34 inches, according to the Tennessean.

The dismal 2-10 season that the Commodores underwent in 2009 didn't do great things for Lewis' stock, but he took matters into his own big hands when important people were watching.

Rajaan Bennett will never make a cut on Vanderbilt Stadium's grass. He'll never score a touchdown, rumble for a first down, or catch a screen pass for the Commodores.

Even so, the positive impact he had on his family, friends, and football teams will live on. Wherever he was and whatever he did, Bennett touched people's lives.

Bennett was killed at his home in Powder Springs, Ga., early Thursday morning in an apparent murder-suicide involving the ex-boyfriend of his mother.

A four-star running back according to Rivals.com, Bennett had signed his Letter of Intent to play football for the Commodores on Feb. 3.

"We're going to miss him," said Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. "The little bit of time that we've known Rajaan, he just seemed to be the ideal young man for Vanderbilt and for college football to tell you the truth."

Details will continue to pour out over how and why this happened, but the undeniable tragedy is that Bennett's time was cut short right when he was entering the prime of his life.

When most kids his age are concentrating on college applications, friends, and graduation, Bennett had different responsibilities after his father Charles was murdered when Rajaan was in the sixth grade. In addition to the commitment to becoming one of the best running backs in Georgia and maintaining strong grades, Bennett helped look after his single mother and his younger siblings.

"Rajaan was the man of the house, there's no doubt about it," Johnson said. "They all looked up to him. That's what he was trying to do in the end. You hate to see guys have to have that role that early in their lives, but he handled it as good as anybody possibly could have."

He played football that well too.

Bennett tore up opposing defenses his senior year at McEachern High School, rushing for 1,857 yards and 28 touchdowns. His bruising running style drew favorable comparisons to NFL stars Knowshon Moreno and Ricky Williams.

When made Bennett even more special, however, was his personality, a "humble and hard-working kid" according to high school coach Kyle Hockman, a guy who included his young siblings in everything he did and took especially good care of his special needs younger brother who also attended McEachern.

Bennett was a perfect fit for Vanderbilt, a school he chose because he wanted to compete but also get a first-rate education.

He was eager to take the next step in life and be a college football star. Johnson got a chance to visit him at his home earlier in the recruiting process.

It was there that Bennett told him he wanted to play for the Commodores over numerous other programs that had expressed interest.

"I felt great, because in my opinion it was the best place for him," Johnson said. "It was going to change his life."

The McEachern community is still reeling from the news. For Vanderbilt, it's an all-too familiar feeling.

This tragedy comes just over five years after another young Commodore, Kwane Doster, was shot and killed in his hometown of Tampa in December of 2004.

It doesn't get any easier coping with that kind of loss.

"The questions just go through your mind right away; how could this happen, why did it happen, why did it have to happen to a good guy like Kwane or Rajaan?" Johnson said. "Unfortunately we don't have the answers to those."

No one does. All we can do is grieve Rajaan, pray for his family, and try to emulate not only who he was, but who he was striving to become.

Rest in peace, Rajaan. You'll always be a Commodore to us.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this article.

A standout running back in high school, and a new Vanderbilt University commit, Rajaan Bennett was found shot dead this morning in an apparent murder-suicide.

Bennett, of McEachern High School, signed earlier this month to play at Vanderbilt in this upcoming year.

He never got a chance to step foot on the field.

Police suspect that Bennett's mother's former boyfriend, Clifton O'Neal Steager, was the culprit of the crime. He too was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

A third person was also injured in the shooting.

When asked about the suspect, not much information could be given. A cousin of Steager said that he worked as a carpenter and he was from Detroit.

Police arrived this morning around 2:30 a.m. when they heard the voice of a 911 caller ask in a whisper for help.

As officers approached the door about four minutes later, they reported a burst of four or five gunshots.

Two survivors ran from the house, Narjaketha Bennett, 37, and her brother, Taiwan Hunter, 32. Hunter was injured by the gunman.

Bennett had a promising future.

He was ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com.

During his senior year, the running back and captain of McEachern's 2009 football team, rushed for 1,857 yards and 28 touchdowns on 236 carries.

McEachern's Football Coach, Kyle Hockman stated, "Rajaan is both humble and hard working. He's a guy that is very respected by his teammates and the McEachern community. I think the world of this young man."

Vanderbilt may be coming off of a horrible 2-10 season, but that didn't sway junior college transfer Jordan Rodgers from attending one of the most prestigious schools in the Southeast.

If Rodgers has anywhere close to the talent that his older brother, and Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers has, then the Commodores have an excellent shot at another bowl berth in the upcoming season.

Jordan Rodgers has a great frame for a quarterback as he stands at 6'2" and weighs 210 pounds. He was given a three-star rating by Rivals.com, which isn't bad at all for a program with such strict academic standards.

This is a huge signing in more ways than one, but the primary reason is because the rest of the SEC also had great signing days and Vanderbilt has to at least partially keep pace.

Current starting quarterback Larry Smith should definitely be prepared to fight for his starting position because Rodgers brings an impressive resume with him from Butte Community College in California.

Rodgers broke single-season records at Butte Community College, which is very impressive considering Aaron Rodgers also attended Butte Community College before attending the University of California. He also has the reputation of being a pro-style quarterback, which is something Vandy has needed since Jay Cutler left in 2006.

Now you may be wary of a guy who is transferring from a junior college, but let me remind you of why he chose this path. He wasn't arrogant at all when he left high school despite obviously coming from a great gene pool. Instead, he realized that his body and his skills still had a lot of improving to do before he was ready to play for an FBS school.

I'm sure Vandy was a lot happier to take the much improved product over the one that needed a ton of work.

This guy seems like he has the right head on his shoulders. He said that one reason he chose Vanderbilt was getting an opportunity to play in the SEC, which offers the best competition to an offensive player.

He also cited the great academic standards for why he chose Vanderbilt. That tells me he's got his head in the right place.

It also didn't hurt that Jay Cutler put in a good word for his alma mater to Rodgers.

There were other offers on the table for Rodgers with the biggest one being from Kansas, and yet he was turned down after the coaching change. Hopefully it'll be their loss and Vandy's gain.

This recruiting class definitely shows that Vanderbilt is growing into a school that shouldn't just be respected for its academics, but also for its athletic programs as well.

How's that for strange?

Lose eight games in a row, don't beat a single quality opponent, be surrounded by many more talented teams, and still ink your best class ever.

Being in the Southeastern Conference can be a blessing and curse like that for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Bobby Johnson announced the signing of 24 players, a host of whom were three-star recruits, that especially addressed the defensive line (notably 6-foot-3-inch, 250-pound tackle Kyle Woestmann) and secondary.

Johnson continues to elevate the talent level in Nashville, as evidenced by the signings of Rivals.com four-star running back Rajaan Bennett, ace kicker Carey Spear (the sixth-best kicker in the nation according to ESPN.com) and the transfer of JUCO quarterback (and younger brother of Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers) Jordan Rodgers, who will compete for the starting job right away with Larry Smith.

Bennett's signing is especially exciting for Commodore fans. With Warren Norman and Zac Stacy also making big contributions at tailback, Vanderbilt will have its deepest set of running backs in recent memory.

So while Vandy benefits from playing with the big boys, the Commodores still have to actually, you know, compete with the big boys. Lord knows they didn't last season as they lost a lot of the good will they generated for the program with a breakout 7-6 year and subsequent Music City Bowl victory in 2008.

It never gets easier, though, as Vandy saw last season when injuries, a broken passing game, and a brutal schedule without a single bye week culminated in a disastrous end.

And a few people bailed.

Notable were the departures of three-star tight end Davis Dudchock, who bolted for Stanford, and wide receiver/defensive back Bradley Roby, ranked by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as the 12-best player in the talent-rich state of Georgia, who pulled a Gordon Gee and went to Rose Bowl champion Ohio State.

While Vanderbilt may have pulled its best recruiting class in its history, it still has to contend with the rest of the talent-rich SEC.

To give you an idea, according to Rivals.com, Georgia signed the 16th-best recruiting class in the entire country, and that wasn't even close to best in the increasingly ridiculous SEC.

It was sixth-best, actually. Florida (2), Auburn (4), Alabama (5), LSU (6), Tennessee (9) all came in front of the Bulldogs in the Rivals.com rankings. It doesn't hurt that four of those teams have won BCS national championships.

The barriers that have always held Vanderbilt back, like its small size and strong academics compared to other SEC schools, have become more helpful recently as recruiting lures.

The question now is whether Johnson's staff can coach these increasingly talented rosters to more than two victories a season. They've done it before, but they've also lost 16 of their past 20 games dating to October of 2008.

Time will tell. A great recruiting class is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't mean anything until there are results on the scoreboard.

Coward. Liar. Scumbag. 

Those are some of the more polite words used in the past 24 hours to describe Lane Kiffin, who stunned the world yesterday with the news that he was resigning his head coaching job at Tennessee to take the same position at Southern California, and that he was taking the men who make him look good—defensive mastermind Monte Kiffin and recruiting guru Ed Orgeron—with him.

The Volunteers were sucker-punched by a con artist at the worst possible time, just weeks before National Signing Day. And that made me think about why recruits thinking about Tennessee might want to instead think about Vanderbilt.

Tennessee fans, who embraced the well-documented, childish antics of Lane Kiffin when he came on board just 14 months ago, are steaming now and rightfully so. They reaped what they sowed to a certain extent, but it never feels good to get dumped. 

It was a grim day for Tennessee, a once-proud program that had been relegated to just another rung on the ladder of a 34-year old boy who's 12-21 as a head coach.

Humiliating only begins to describe it.

What's this have to with our program here in Nashville, one might wonder?

Well, in a way, everything.

You think things like integrity and respect mean a little more to recruits now?

It should mean a lot more. Tennessee players who, in a way, banked their futures on Lane Kiffin's system in Knoxville, are now in a terrible state of flux.

Who will lead them now? What will be their role under the new coaching staff?

Kiffin sure doesn't care. His one-minute press conference and hasty team meeting informing the Vols of his decision spoke volumes. It said, quite loudly, "I don't really care about you. I care about Lane Kiffin. Got to go, my plane's leaving. Nice knowing you."

When head coach Bobby Johnson tells a recruit that Vanderbilt's the place to be, the player knows he's going to a place where the staff will actually care. He's getting continuity. He's getting a place where wins are earned through hard work. In the toughest place to compete in SEC football, Vanderbilt's reached respectability without cutting corners.

Tennessee hired a guy with a 5-15 career record as a head coach to take them to almost as many recruiting violations (6) as wins (7), capped off with a 37-14 thumping in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl by Virginia Tech.

The Vols are searching for their third coach in less than 15 months, while Johnson has the distinction of being the second-longest tenured coach in the volatile SEC as he enters his ninth season.

When conversation arose that Johnson might want the job at Clemson, his alma mater, after Tommy Bowden resigned midway through 2008, no one in Nashville seriously thought Johnson would bail for the more glamorous program. He likes the situation he's in, and amazingly, he actually feels a little loyalty to the school that gave him a big opportunity in 2002.

How about that? Johnson actually pays attention to scruples. He likes what he's building here in Nashville.

Has it been perfect? Of course not.

Johnson's gone 29-66, 12-52 in conference play. It was a long climb to bowl eligibility and a winning season in 2008, and last season's 2-10 record testified to numerous issues the team still has on offense and in playcalling in general.

Some might argue Johnson's a bit too loyal to his staff, and as stated, there have been far more losses than victories.

And I'm still proud, as well as other Vanderbilt fans, to support the Commodores under Johnson.

I've had the pleasure of speaking to him many times.  He has a hilariously dry sense of humor, but he also has a no-nonsense methodology that has enabled Vanderbilt to begin its escape from the basement of the SEC (last season notwithstanding).

Most importantly, he has the immense respect of his players, who know that he cares deeply about them and their futures. The growing number of Commodores to head to the NFL during his tenure speaks to his ability to nurture talent. And Vanderbilt won over that talent by selling them on a school that places as much emphasis on success on the field as it does on integrity and academic prowess.

Juxtapose that to what Kiffin did, which was to give Tennessee fans and players a giant middle finger last night. Recruits came to play in Knoxville for Kiffin. He sold them on his system, on his NFL connections and on his resume as an offensive mastermind.

And yesterday, he told those players they came in second place to USC.

Ouch.

Comparing Vanderbilt to Tennessee in football is usually like comparing apples to oranges. The Vols have beaten the Commodores 26 of the last 27 seasons. Tennessee hasn't missed bowls in back-to-back years since 1977-1978, whereas Vanderbilt has made one since 1982. They have a long tradition of excellence, whereas we went ape over a Music City Bowl win.

But when it comes to such the aspects of the game like respect and integrity, it's also no contest. But that one goes to Vanderbilt.

Recruits might want to take notice.

There are two proud programs in Tennessee in the SEC, and the one in Nashville has a staff that you can believe.

I think it started out with a random comment I read over at Vanderbilt Sports Line .

After they posted about the firing of Mike Leach, one reader responded with an impassioned "HIRE THAT MAN!"

For some reason that thought has stuck with me, and now I am totally convinced that Vanderbilt should replace Bobby Johnson with Mike Leach.

I know your first reaction is "you're crazy," but give me a chance to persuade you.

Here are four quick reasons why Vanderbilt should hire Mike Leach.

1) Leach will uphold the academic standards of the university

Let Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post explain:

"(Leach is) a serious, demanding educator whose team has a graduation rate of 79 percent, eighth best in the country and first in the Big 12 Conference. He trails only Notre Dame (94 percent), Stanford (93), Boston College (92), Duke (92), Northwestern (92), Vanderbilt  (91) and Wake Forest (83) in turning out grads, while he also has made nine bowl appearances in nine years." (full article )

One of the big things that Vanderbilt brings to the SEC is its high academic standards.

The league has to love the fact that the university bumps up the averages of other schools. Leach understands the importance of education.

Sometimes graduation rate is based on luck and the attitude of students, but at least we know that Leach should be able to push the kids to be better student-athletes.

2) The chance to turn Vanderbilt into a winning program

I think this goes without saying.

Leach was an offensive guru at Kentucky and at Oklahoma.

At Texas Tech Leach replaced Spike Dykes, who coached the Red Raiders from 1987-1999.

Dykes had a solid program going, but only won more than seven games in four of his 13 full seasons.

Leach took Texas Tech to the next level, winning seven or more games in all of his 10 seasons in Lubbock. That includes five wins in 10 consecutive bowl appearances.

My hypotheses is that Bobby Johnson is the Spike Dykes of Vanderbilt.

Johnson has built a nice base in his eight seasons in Nashville, but has only a 29-66 record to show for it.

You cannot continue to settle for two or four-win seasons.

With Leach's track record, he should have the ability to help Vanderbilt take the next step. No, Vanderbilt may never consistently beat Florida and Tennessee (like Leach couldn't consistently beat Oklahoma and Texas), but I feel like he could breath life into the program.

3) Excite the fan base

I was in high school when Hal Mumme took over the Kentucky program.

We had some family outing the day of his coaching debut against Louisville. So when we finally heard the score of the game, we were completely in shock.

Led by future NFL great Tim Couch, the Wildcats beat the Cardinals by a final score of 68-34.

Leach gave UK a shot every week, and the fans loved it.

I remember my grandfather giving up his season tickets the year before Bill Curry left. He was kicking himself for a number of years.

The installation of that high-powered offense did a lot to rejuvenate the excitement of the fan base.

The same could happen at Vanderbilt.

Ask yourself this question: If you heard that Vandy hired Mike Leach, would you purchase season tickets for next year?

If you like the team at all, you would have to say yes.

Even if you hate Leach and what he did to get fired from Tech, from a pure X's and O's standpoint, you'd be excited.

You have to look long and hard to find Vanderbilt alums in the NFL. That is, unless you're looking at the Chicago Bears' roster.

The Bears currently have five players on their roster that suited up for Vanderbilt once upon a time. Unless you're a die-hard Vandy fan, the only one you probably know is Jay Cutler. The others are Earl Bennett, Hunter Hillenmeyer, D.J. Moore, and Chris Williams.

Now, I understand that the big programs in the country like Florida put five players on every team in the NFL, but we're talking about Vanderbilt here. It just amazing to me that one NFL team would pick out that many Commodores.

Last night, ESPN's Monday Night Football offered another meaningless game to the standings. With that said, the Bears came out like they were playing for a playoff spot. Much of that can be contributed to Cutler, Bennett, and Hillenmeyer.

It's been a very rough year for Cutler, but last night he reminded everyone of the kind of talent he has. He out-dueled Brett Favre's Vikings, and Favre congratulated Cutler afterwards. Classy move for Favre to do that.

Former Vandy wide receiver Earl Bennett also had a great game. He had three catches for 35 yards, including a big touchdown reception.

And then there's the defensive side of the ball. Hunter Hillenmeyer might be the best-kept secret at the linebacker position in all of football. He showed that last night, making 15 tackles and a forced fumble in overtime on Adrian Peterson.

Now, I understand that Hillenmeyer had part of the facemask on that tackle, but it looked like it was incidental contact. It's part of the game, and the officials missed the call. It was still a great play to punch the ball out during that crucial point in the game.

Hillenmeyer has gotten his chance to showcase his capabilities of as a starter since Brian Urlacher went down for the season. He's third on the team in total tackles, behind Lance Briggs and Danieal Manning. He's also become a master at forcing fumbles, with four this season.

For a program that produces very few NFL stars, the Bears are showing other NFL scouts to start looking at Vanderbilt players a little bit harder.

In the past two weeks, Hofstra University and Northeastern University both decided to discontinue their football programs.

Hofstra, which had fielded a team since 1937, has produced a number of NFL players. The school president said that the cost of the team far exceeded the possible return of an FCS program.

According to the school's official press release : "The net cost of the football program is approximately $4.5 million, including scholarships, and the savings generated will be redirected to fund new faculty lines, academic programs and need-based scholarships."

The school cited poor attendance and the economic downturn as reasons why the decision was made now.

As small universities are hemorrhaging money via college football, our beloved Vanderbilt Commodores are in a much better situation. As part of the SEC juggernaut, Vandy receives a LOT of dinero.

My goal is to take a look at the amount of money Vanderbilt receives from its football team by being a part of the Southeastern Conference. Specifically, the amount of money that the university receives from bowl payouts that other member schools have earned. On the surface, it doesn't appear that Vandy is holding up its share.

*As a disclaimer, I'll try to be as accurate as possible with the figures. Please feel free to correct me (or call me stupid ) if I make a mistake.

Let me stop for a second and give a quick explanation of the money that has been brought in by the SEC. As part of the SEC's revenue sharing plan, the conference basically piles all of the money into a pot and divides it into 13 shares—12 member schools and the conference itself.

In June, the SEC announced that the amount to be shared for the 2008-2009 fiscal year would be $132.5 MILLION . That's roughly $10 million that Vanderbilt pockets just for being in the conference. That number includes revenue from TV deals, basketball/football championships, bowl games, etc.

Now lets get specific to the money brought in by football. The largest chunk is from the monster TV deals that the SEC has. The TV contract alone was worth $52 million.

On top of that was the $24 million for bowl games. Each conference team that plays in a bowl game gets to keep a good portion of that money for themselves. However, the rest is pooled and distributed between all 12 schools. Regardless if a team went to a bowl, they still receive $2 million from the conference at seasons end.

Vanderbilt held up its own weight last season. The Music City Bowl appearance fed the pot and helped the other schools out. That hasn't happened this year. As Vandy sits at home during this bowl season, they can still count on a $2 million+ check for doing nothing.

As the only private school in the conference, we all know that Vandy has a lot working against it. In particular, the academic standards really hamper the coaches ability to consistently bring in top-level talent. Because of this, and a long list of other reasons, Vanderbilt has been to only three bowl games in the last 35 years. In that same time period, our friends in Knoxville have went to an amazing 28 bowls.

You gotta wonder what other member schools think about Vanderbilt football.

Are the 'Dores simply riding the coattails of the traditional football powerhouses?

Does the SEC benefit from having the Vanderbilt football team in the conference?

I think the Commodores more than hold up their end in basketball. As much as I love watching the football team, I can't help but think that the SEC is simply subsidising our team most years. I'm not suggesting that the SEC kick Vandy out, but I don't think they should reward bad teams with bowl money.

Let's say Vandy doesn't win a game for the next ten years. Based on the current model, the school will still get $40 million from the TV football contract and about $20 million from bowl payouts. That's a pretty sweet deal. If the revenue sharing was based somewhat on performance, it would force schools to not settle for mediocrity.

Regardless of how you feel about the SEC's revenue sharing, you gotta admit that Vandy is in a sweet spot.

Check out my blog at http://www.doreposts.com/