2008 Vanderbilt Commodores College Football Predictions Courtesy of Alex Smart, An Expert College Football Handicapper featured on Touthouse.com. If you are betting college football this year, be sure to buy Alex’s college football picks each week and guarantee a win!!

Vanderbilt Commodores (5-7, 2-6 in 2007, 6th place in SEC East)
The 2007 Commodores came incredibly close to reaching a bowl game for the first time since 1982. After opening up 5-3, Vandy lost close games to Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wake Forest to keep them home for the winter. The Tennessee game was especially disturbing, as the Commodores held a 24-9 lead through three quarters, only to see the Vols roll off 16 unanswered in the 4th quarter. It will likely be a difficult season in Nashville this year, as the Commodores only return nine starters from 2008.

Offensive Outlook: Vandy ranked near the bottom of all of the offensive categories in the SEC last year, and things don’t look any better for 2008. The quarterbacking duo of Chris Nickson and Mackenzi Adams are back, but neither had any success last year. WR Earl Bennett set all sorts of SEC records in his four years at Vanderbilt, but he has now moved on to the NFL. George Smith and Sean Walker will need to replace his production. The offensive line could be in shambles, as the Commodores will feature five new starters.

Defensive Outlook: If Vanderbilt has any chance of competing in the SEC this year, it will be because of their defense. The unit held teams to 22.6 PPG in 2007, and returns six starters from that bunch. CB DJ Moore is the only legitimate NFL prospect on the unit, but there is plenty of talent with him in the secondary. Reshard Langford could make a big difference at safety. Patrick Benoist is the only returning linebacker, but a promising recruiting class from two years ago could make the difference for the ‘Dores.

2008 Outlook: There aren’t many winnable games in conference for the Commodores, but their non-conference schedule is manageable. If the team has any hope of going to their fourth bowl game in program history, they must win their games against Miami (OH), Rice, and Duke. Even then, their prospects are grim.

2008 will be a success if… flashes of talent can be seen from the youngsters. 2008 is probably a lost season for Vanderbilt, so if some of the younger guys can step in and show some promise, at least there will be a glimmer of hope for the Commodores in the future.

There’s no way Vandy is competing against a very stacked SEC East, and it’s entirely possible that they go the entire season without winning a game.

Prediction: 1-11, 6th place in SEC East