Chris Low, who really should know better, is on the Vanderbilt bandwagon. In fact, he sounds like someone who’s bought the bandwagon factory when he writes that
… The next question becomes: How many games can this team win? I’m setting the over/under at eight right now.
Eight? Eight?
Check out Vandy’s statistical rankings. The Commodores rank 110th nationally in total offense and 72nd in total defense. They play in the SEC East. They’re last in the conference in total offense, total defense, passing offense and passing defense.
That’s not a resume that adds up to anywhere near eight wins. It’s crazy talk. Heck, six is gonna be a fairly tight squeeze for the ‘Dores.
And it’s not like they haven’t been here before, either.
Get The Picture 
Reading some of what he writes from time to time makes me wonder why he is the one the WWL chose to do the SEC blog.
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Hey, I love the underdog, so I gotta love the ‘Dores (except when they beat the Dawgs). But they have benefited from a lot of balls bouncing their way this season. If luck stays on their side, eight wins MIGHT be possible. But it would take a LOT of luck.
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I’ll give Vandy Duke & Miss St. but they’re gonna have to shake their money maker if they want me to fork over Kentucky & Tennessee. Good luck to Vandy, I usually cheer for them when they ain’t playing UGA, but 8 wins is a bit much for Bobby Johnson.
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Remember, Low went to UT.
Imagine you’re a UT fan right now. You’re 1-2, and 3 of your next 5 games are @ Auburn, @ Georgia, and vs. Alabama. And now your kid brother is 4-0 and ranked for the first time since Madonna was sexy.
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Hobnail, I *think* Low is actually a South Carolina guy.
Vandy could be this year’s Miss. St. Somehow pulling 8 wins out of their butt when the stats say they suck.
But still, no way they win 8, IMO.
Roll Tide!
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They *should* beat MSU and Duke, which gets you the 6. And UT/UK are conceivable victories.
But yeah, seen it in 2005 when they took a 4-0 start into a gimme game against MTSU. Oops.
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Vandy could be this year’s Miss. St. Somehow pulling 8 wins out of their butt when the stats say they suck.
The difference is that, while MSU sucked on offense last year, the Bulldogs were damned good on defense, finishing 21st in the country.
I don’t see how you can be bad on both sides of the ball and win eight games in the SEC. There’s no way without some truly freakish occurrences.
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Senator,
Have you heard about Larry Munson stepping down from the booth today?
It’s a sad day for the Dawg Nation…
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I think Vandy wins eight. I dont give a damn about statistics.
But Chris Lowe is a joke.
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Vandy’s also fifth in the nation in turnover margin, which helps explain away the 4-0 start. It’s a “bend-but-don’t-break” defense. Personally not the defense I’d like, but if it gets Vandy to a bowl game, they could trot out a bunch of sixth-graders on defense for all I care.
I’m counting no gimmes the rest of the way, but I think five games are winnable: Miss. St., Duke, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wake (Wake is about where Vandy would be if they played in the ACC.) Trouble is that three of those are on the road, and Tennessee may play itself out of the “winnable” category.
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Vandy leads the nation in interceptions, the field-goal kicker is 7-for-7, and the Dores are first in the SEC in red-zone efficiency. Also check out the great punt-return statistics. The fact is that, with outstanding punt/kick returns and a bushel of interceptions setting up numerous short fields, total offensive yards is a ridiculously misleading stat. They haven’t thrown much, but Nickson has tossed 3 TDs without a pick this season. Defensively, take into account a potent Rice offense and a meaningless 70-yard drive at the end of the Miami game…other SEC teams have padded their stats against far weaker competition while Vandy has already played (and won) two games within the undisputed strongest conference in America.
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