Not Like the Others

One of the more interesting college football teams is one of the least successful. I've long admired the fight in the Vanderbilt University Commodores as they battle their way through the Southeastern Conference. It was nice to see Sports Illustrated give them some love recently. Seeing the optimistic enthusiasm of new coach James Franklin is refreshing and reassuring. Since 1987, Vanderbilt is the only SEC school not to be found guilty of a major NCAA violation in football. Every year Vanderbilt does it right in a league that regularly does it wrong.

I'd always assumed that shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt played some role in the origins of the school. He did provide the initial endowment. I never would have guessed that they would pluck his nickname of Commodore as well. The benefactor passed with no knowledge that his school would use his name. Vanderbilt, the school, had some football success in the first half of the 20th century. In December 1932, Vanderbilt had finished it's 18th straight winning season. That same month, the Southern Conference split, and roughly half of it ended up in the SEC. Vanderbilt has been a member ever since. They remained competitive into the 1950s, but have faced athletic challenges ever since. They did win a recent NCAA Championship in Women's Bowling. In football, they have not had a winning conference mark since 1982. Vanderbilt reluctantly accepts athletic shortcomings in the shadow of academic excellence. The school is 17th in US News and World Reports recent college rankings. Coach Franklin has his challenges in improving attitudes and talent. His recruiting has been outstanding by Vanderbilt standards. The Commodores have the 35th best 2012 class. There is a lot of Division I talent overlooked by the majority of the colleges. They often exceed the production of the supposed 5-star recruits. Some of the overlooked might jump at the chance to play in the SEC. Show the Alabamas, the Floridas, the LSUs what they missed. If Vanderbilt can get enough players like Corey Chavous, Jay Cutler and Earl Bennett at the same time they can do more than just compete. Vanderbilt is not a lost cause in the college football world. If coach Franklin can sustain a winning attitude, the talent level will rise. Vanderbilt can show that the right way can still win in the NCAA.