AL.com writer suggests Vandy has no business in the SEC

[cc11316]

Why do people get upset every time this topic comes up? It's very easy to see why Vandy is such an easy target for such criticism as they don't fit the profile of an SEC school. They aren't a large public college who puts a ton of emphasis on the football program (compared to the other schools). Don't get mad, own it, embrace it and improve upon it.

Does Alabama really want to bring say a Clemson in place of Vanderbilt to the conference? LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma are challenging (or soon will challenge) their status as the alpha in the league so just be happy you still have Vandy on your schedule from time to time.

[MrMemorial]

I've probably attended 150 games since the fall of 1983, when I was a freshman, and I"ve probably heard 5 HUNDRED fellow Vanderbilt alumni or fans express THE EXACT SAME OPINION as this guy.

. . . . . . . . .

And why does an opinion stated by generations of Vanderbilt fans offend Vanderbilt fans when it comes from someone other than Vanderbilt fans?

I have no doubt that they exist elsewhere, but the only Vanderbilt fans whom I know or with whom I am at all familiar who have expressed a desire for, or an interest in, Vanderbilt's leaving the SEC are posters on this message board.

Big Ten has wanted VU to put on other side opposite Northwestern a long time.

And then there was THIS guy's opinion...
https://247sports.com/college/vanderbil ... 104710566/

[FayetteDore]

I've probably attended 150 games since the fall of 1983, when I was a freshman, and I"ve probably heard 5 HUNDRED fellow Vanderbilt alumni or fans express THE EXACT SAME OPINION as this guy.

. . . . . . . . .

And why does an opinion stated by generations of Vanderbilt fans offend Vanderbilt fans when it comes from someone other than Vanderbilt fans?

I have no doubt that they exist elsewhere, but the only Vanderbilt fans whom I know or with whom I am at all familiar who have expressed a desire for, or an interest in, Vanderbilt's leaving the SEC are posters on this message board.

Big Ten has wanted VU to put on other side opposite Northwestern a long time.

And then there was THIS guy's opinion...
https://247sports.com/college/vanderbil ... 104710566/

Hmmm, THAT guy wrote this in that 2010 link: "When a school like Kentucky hires a basketball coach who has already put two schools on probation or a school like Alabama hires a shady Nick Saban, you know what the priority is: win at all costs! In a nutshell the SEC members want to win so much that some don't mind getting frequent flyer miles for being on probation. By contrast, the Big Ten schools, while not perfect, run cleaner programs and understand that the first priority of a university is academics. Northwestern, in particular, would give Vanderbilt a sister university in the conference that it hasn't had in the SEC since Tulane got smart and left the conference in the mid 1960s."

Nick Saban shady?
SEC schools don't mind probation?
It was smart of Tulane to leave?

Also, I didn't know that the B1G has asked VU to join.

[DonYates]

As much as Alabama has been caught red-handed cheating only to get wins "vacated" maybe they are the ones that need to be booted from the SEC. If they were caught so many times cheating, how many other times have they gotten away with it?

[alathIN]

Some Vanderbilt fans express this sentiment when they are discouraged. Opportunities for which have been abundant.

Alabama doesn't belong in the SEC. They belong in the NFL.

[Dickeys Nightmare]

From Michael Casagrande, Alabama beat writer from AL.com...

Perhaps no collection of college football teams has an outlier as far removed from the crowd as the SEC and Vanderbilt. The Commodores will bring a 21-game league losing streak to Tuscaloosa for a 6:30 p.m. Saturday meeting with No. 2 Alabama. In 89 SEC seasons, Vanderbilt’s .247 winning percentage in league games is nearly eight points behind next-to-worst Kentucky...

And considering Vanderbilt has one winning record in the last 40 SEC seasons, it’s hard not to question why this continues.

Or more humanely, what’s the realistic objective of this SEC charter member hanging in there long after similar-sized private schools like Sewanee and Tulane ducked out?

Casagrande interviews Jordan Rodgers and Chris Young for their perspectives, and does acknowledge Vandy's recent commitment to facilities under Diermeier and Lee. Still... why not use these pull quotes as bulletin board material?

More:
AL.com: The reality facing VU football in climb from SEC basement
(by Michael Casagrande)

Go Dores!

[FayetteDore]

Mea culpa.

I usually read the linked articles before I comment on them. I didn't read this article until just now.

It's NOT lazy journalism; it's actually a pretty good, well-researched piece. The interviews with Jordan Rodgers and Chris Young provided some insight into what it was like to come to VU. And although he does ask the oft-asked question, Why does VU persist in the SEC?, unlike the Orlando hack, he doesn't say that Vanderbilt should leave NOR does he bring up the answer many on HERE give: the money stupid! In fact, he doesn't mention the SEC payout at all.

He also talks about CCL's work and the improvements that have been made. Actually, a pretty accurate look at realty, as painful as it might be.

I DO stand by the part of my earlier post though: Vanderbilt has little in common with Sewanee and Tulane, who left the conference decades ago. A more accurate comparison might have been Georgia Tech.

[Dickeys Nightmare]

Mea culpa.

I usually read the linked articles before I comment on them. I didn't read this article until just now.

It's NOT lazy journalism; it's actually a pretty good, well-researched piece. The interviews with Jordan Rodgers and Chris Young provided some insight into what it was like to come to VU. And although he does ask the oft-asked question, "Why does VU stay in the SEC?," unlike the Orlando hack, the AL.com writer doesn't say that Vanderbilt should leave. He also talks about CCL's work and the improvements that have been made. Actually, a pretty accurate look at realty, as painful as it might be.

I DO stand by the part of my earlier post though: Vanderbilt has little in common with Sewanee and Tulane, who left the conference decades ago. A more accurate comparison might have been Georgia Tech.

Go Dores!

[FayetteDore]

The TOPIC is the headline: The reality facing Vanderbilt football in climb from SEC basement and that's a hard truth.

As we see every day, the hard truth is difficulty for many to accept.

[Seadog73]

I wish the writer had more clearly noted that for the first time in perhaps ever, VU has a Chancellor, a Board, and and AD committed to raising the bar for VU football specifically and VU athletics generally, and have put actions to words. I also wish than when he compared VU and CCl to what Mark Stoops has done at Kentucky, he had noted how long it took Stoops to get where Kentucky is today, and the baby steps along the way, instead of simply saying that VU and CCl are no longer a peer with Stoops and UK after 10 years of development.

Last but not least, he ignores VU's excellence in other athletic programs over the same time period. Until the SEC eliminates the other sports and goes with football only, it is a bit of a fallacious discussion.

[OldDude]

Why do people get upset every time this topic comes up? It's very easy to see why Vandy is such an easy target for such criticism as they don't fit the profile of an SEC school. They aren't a large public college who puts a ton of emphasis on the football program (compared to the other schools). Don't get mad, own it, embrace it and improve upon it.

Does Alabama really want to bring say a Clemson in place of Vanderbilt to the conference? LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma are challenging (or soon will challenge) their status as the alpha in the league so just be happy you still have Vandy on your schedule from time to time.

Amen ! If we really want to see other schools push to remove VU, all we have to do is start beating them regularly.

[historybill]

Bill, my family and I are the only ones who get to call our baby ugly

Wow. Truth!