Why Vanderbilt's being picked for the upset

Not worried about today's game against Murray State and don't care if everybody, including the President of the United States, is picking Vandy to lose.

Doesn't matter.

If this was a regular season game, Vandy would be a heavy favorite and everybody would be shocked if the game was even close.

But it's March Madness, when people make 64 predictions at once, with the goal being to nail the one or two big first-round upsets that everybody knows is going to happen, thereby dazzling everybody in the office pool.

So Barack Obama and Jay Bilas and all those other experts really think Vandy has the best chance of any of the other four seeds to lose, not that they think Murray State is a better basketball team. It's just that the poster guy for our team is a big white guy who can't catch the ball in traffic.

Vanderbilt is a better basketball team, with more size and firepower. The Racers don't have anybody in the same league with Beal, Taylor or even Mr. Ogilvy. Let's get it done today so everybody can start talking about how we'll lose to lower-seeded Butler or UNLV.

President Obama turns to important business and picks Murray State to upset Vanderbilt in NCAA tourney

Apparently Doug Gottlieb and Jay Bilas are on Barack Obama's basketball cabinet because the president picked the Racers to pull the upset.

Here's how Kevin Stallings responded when asked about it: "Well, I don't know. We actually kinda feel like the underdog, because you have all of the experts saying that we're going to lose, so out of respect for the position of the president of the United States, I won't comment on his predictions."

Here's how Billy Kennedy, the Racers' coach, responded: "I told our assistant coaches we probably had more guys vote for him, I don't know, I'll leave that alone. He's a basketball fan, he knows what's going on, you know, we're thankful, but I've watched a lot of tape and I see Vanderbilt in a different perspective and they're difficult and they're good but it's always nice when somebody like that in a great position like he is and being a true basketball fan, it's a nice thing and I'll leave it at that, that's about all."

In other words, $1 and getting your team's name penciled in on the president's bracket will get you your choice of items from McDonald's dollar menu. Actually, you'll need some change to pay the tax.

It was a fairly interesting press conference today with Stallings and Kennedy and some of their players.

Stallings made these points:

• Vandy's been getting to the free throw line less often lately because "I think as we near tournament time I think the game is called differently, I think more things are allowed to happen and I think that's consistent with other years as we get near tournament time."

• Murray State's strengths: "They shoot the ball well. They drive it well. They use ball screens well. They offensive rebound well."

• On the two weeks since Murray's last game: When you have that amount of time, you can mess around and do some things, and I know when I was in the Missouri Valley, I found that to be one of the advantages of having that have gone that length of time before you play in the NCAA Tournament, and whether Billy (Kennedy, head coach) has done that remains to be seen, and I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

• He doesn't think Festus, who didn't play high school basketball, will reach his basketball potential until he's 26 or 27 years old.

Vanderbilt starts spring practice today ... but who are these guys in the starting lineup?

Here's the starting lineup going into spring practice:

QB: Larry Smith (R-JR)
RB: Warren Norman (SO)
WR: John Cole (R-SO)
WR: Udom Umoh (R-JR)
WR: Brady Brown (SO) or Turner Wimberly (R-SR)
TE: Brandon Barden (R-JR) or Austin Monahan (R-JR)
C: Joey Bailey (R-SR)
RG: Jabo Burrow (R-SO) (pictured above)
RT: James Williams (R-JR)
LG: Wesley Johnson (R-FR)
LT: Ryan Seymour (R-SO)

DT: Adam Smotherman (R-SR)
DT: T.J. Greenstone (R-JR)
DE: Tim Fugger (R-JR)
DE: Teriall Brannon (R-JR) or Theron Kadri (SR)
LB: Chris Marve (R-JR)
LB: John Stokes (SR)
LB: Dexter Daniels (R-SO) or DeAndre Jones (R-SO)
CB: Casey Hayward (JR)
CB: Jamie Graham (R-JR)
S: Sean Richardson (JR)
S: Jay Fullam (R-FR)

The official Vandy site has the complete roster.

Here are some observations going into today's practice:

INJURY REPORT
• Key guys who'll miss spring drills with injury: Tight end Austin Monahan, tackle James Williams, linebacker Tristan Strong and running back Wesley Tate. All should be good to go for the start of the season.

QUARTERBACKS
• Larry Smith is the only quarterback on the roster who's thrown a pass in a college game.
• Jared Funk is listed as the second-teamer, followed by junior college transfer Jordan "Have you heard his brother is Aaron Rodgers" Rodgers and redshirt freshman Charlie Goro. Bobby Johnson's talking about how all four quarterbacks will get their chance, which is the exact same thing he said this time last year. It's Larry's job to lose, and Rodgers will get every chance to replace him if he stumbles. Meanwhile, Funk's had his shot and Goro will be treated with the same kid gloves that Larry got his redshirt freshman year.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
• Two of the projected starting linemen have never played in a college game: Redshirt freshman Wesley Johnson and redshirt sophomore Jabo Burrow, who didn't play last season as a backup defensive lineman but has added 30 pounds since coming to Nashville.
• Johnson has added 15 pounds during his redshirt season, which means he weighs 265 pounds and would be by far the lightest starting offensive lineman in the SEC.
• Why is redshirt junior Kyle Fischer not a starter? He's SEC big and he's been starting off and on since he was a redshirt freshman and made the league's all-freshman team. The staff has got to be sending him a signal by listing Jabo Burrow, who's 30 pounds lighter and has never played in a college game, as the starter at right guard.

WIDE RECEIVERS
• John Cole is being touted as an all-star candidate. That's a real stretch.
• The third wide receiver is listed as senior Turner Wimberly, whose two starts last season were a sign of how terrible we were at receiver, or Brady Brown, who was highly touted and played as a true freshman but has yet to catch a pass in black and gold.

TIGHT ENDS
• Austin Monahan and Brandon Barden are listed as co-starters at tight end for the third straight season. Monahan will sit out the spring with an injury, which will give redshirt freshman Mason Johnston the chance to show what he can do.

RUNNING BACKS
• With Tate injured, and with rumors of a possible switch or at least experiment at receiver, redshirt senior Kennard Reeves will get plenty of changes in the spring to stay on the coaches' radar. He's a tough runner who gained 5.5 yards a carry, and with Warren Norman and Zac Stacy likely to be shifted all over the field like chess pieces, expect Reeves to find a home as a durable short yardage back.

• Ryan van Rensburg's name occasionally pops up in discussions about short-yardage situations, but he got a chance to tote the rock last spring and didn't exactly wow anyone, and he's been serviceable as backup tight end and H-back and effective as a special teams guy. He's not listed as a running back on the depth chart.

DEFENSIVE LINE
• Redshirt junior Teriall Brannon and senior Theron Kadri are listed as co-starters opposite junior Tim Fugger.
• Defensive tackle T.J. Greenstone, a redshirt junior, is listed as an all-star candidate over Adam Smotherman, a senior DT and returning starter.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
• Jamie Graham is listed on the defensive side of the ball, as a starting cornerback, leaving a bunch of 2009 recruits battling for playing time at nickel or backup corner: sophomores Eddie Foster, Trey Wilson and Eric Samuels and redshirt freshman Javon Marshall.
• Redshirt freshman Jay Fullam is listed as a starter at safety alongside Sean Richardson. His backup? True freshman Kenny Ladler, an early enrollee. But don't be surprised to see some of the corners, including Graham, Wilson and Samuels, step in at safety.

LINEBACKERS
• Speaking of safeties, Micah Powell has added 15 pounds and has moved from the secondary to linebacker.
• Four redshirt sophomores continue to compete for playing time at linebacker. Archie Barnes is listed as a backup to John Stokes at strongside backer, Tristan Strong backs up Chris Marve in the middle, and DeAndre Jones and Dexter Daniels are duking it out at weakside backer. Expect at least one of them to emerge as a force when the season starts.

A.J. Ogilvy's apology for performance against Mississippi State was noble but not necessary

You should check out A.J. Ogilvy's Twitter page. In between posts about getting spray tans and watching Harry Potter movies and eating at McDonald's, he writes stuff like this, which showed up Saturday evening:

"Dear Vanderbilt players and fans, i apologize for my performance, or lack thereof today. I let you all down, i won't let you down again."

No apology needed, A.J. To your fellow players, maybe, but to me, no. Especially not after I saw Varnardo shut down DeMarcus Cousins for most of the SEC championship game.

I've always liked A.J. Sure, it's maddening how he can't catch the ball in traffic. But Vandy fans have expected him to get exponentially better each year when it's apparent that he came to school a mature, polished international player who was ready to compete on the college level, and not a raw talent like Festus.

He's not an exceptional athlete and he can't create shots against guys his own size. But he's a solid college player and Vanderbilt needs him on the floor. I'm glad he's on our team, and I don't mistake his trouble against more athletic players as a lack of interest or motivation. Sure, he eats fast food and watches movies and highlights his hair and occasionally grows a cheesy mustache. That doesn't mean he's a slacker. He can't practice catching the ball 24 hours a day.

In fact, I'm more troubled when Jeff Taylor comes up missing in the box score.

I expect A.J. to come up big on Thursday against Murray State, which has only two players taller than 6-foot-7 — Tony Easley, who's 6-9 and averages 10 points and 6 boards, and Georges Fotso, who's 6-8 but averages less than a point and a rebound per game.

Offensive linemen and quarterbacks among top battles in Vanderbilt spring practice, which starts March 17

The gridiron Commodores are on spring break right now, and are set to begin spring practice on March 17, the Wednesday after they return. And for some reason, the annual Black & Gold Scrimmage on April 10 has still not been picked up by ESPN.

Here are some key battles you'll see in spring practice on the offensive side of the ball:

1. OFFENSIVE LINE: Joey Bailey vs. Wesley Johnson vs. Caleb Welchans vs. Mylon Brown
Looks like we've got our starting tackles — James Williams on the right and Ryan Seymour on the left — as well as Kyle Fischer at one of the guards. The remaining two starters will probably come from fifth-year senior Joey Bailey, last year's backup center; redshirt freshman Wesley Johnson, a talented guy who can play anywhere on the line but still needs to add bulk; redshirt sophomore Caleb Welchans, who saw meaningful action last year; and hulking redshirt freshman Mylon Brown. Other contenders include junior Chris Aaron, converted defensive end Jabo Burrow, redshirt freshman Justin Cabbagestalk, sophomore Richard Cagle and junior Rob Ashabranner.

2. QUARTERBACK: Larry Smith vs. Jordan Rodgers
Most people think Rodgers will either push Larry to get better or take his job altogether. If he's an accurate passer and can run the spread, we could have another full-fledged battle that isn't decided until the last minute. Meanwhile, expect Charlie Goro, the redshirt freshman with nothing to lose, to increase his stock.

3. THIRD WIDE RECEIVER: Brady Brown vs. Akeem Dunham
John Cole and Udom Umoh were far and away our best receivers last year, which wasn't saying much, but both should remain starters next season. While most people think the third receiver position will be filled by one of the true freshmen (Jonathan Krause, Chris Boyd and Jordan Matthews), don't count out Brady Brown, who played as a highly touted true freshman but still hasn't caught a pass, and Akeem Dunham, a tall, athletic guy who's still learning the position. Both will get competition from fifth-year senior Turner Wimberly, who started one game last year, and Tray Herndon, a junior who appears to have peaked as a freshman at Minnesota. This is certain: If any of these guys want to get meaningful playing time, they'd better make a splash before the young guys graduate from high school and arrive on campus.

4. BACKUP RUNNING BACK: Wesley Tate vs. Kennard Reeves
Warren Norman and Zac Stacy have established themselves as legitimate SEC running backs, and Wesley Tate has the skills to join them. But don't count out Reeves, a tough grinder and special teams veteran who's starting his fifth season with the Dores.

Don't hold Bobby Johnson and the Vanderbilt football team to the same standards as Kevin Stallings' squad

Another gutsy win for the Hoopodores Tuesday night. Some people wonder why we don't post more about basketball and that's because we're a blog about Vandy football/angst and we're more than happy to leave coverage and analysis of the Hoopodores in the capable hands of people like VSL and Anchor of Gold and even "Loblaw" at Anything But Gatorade when he's in the doghouse and needs to write something nice about Vandy (you know, because his wife was a cheerleader there).

Believe me, I'm watching and enjoying this basketball season as much as any other Vandy fan. Just don't say that we should study the basketball team's success and apply the same lessons to the football team. It doesn't work. Here are some obvious reasons:

• A winning basketball program is much easier to build at an academic school than a winning football program. Sure, Northwestern and Stanford occasionally have good seasons on the gridiron, but they never challenge for the national championship. Duke's football team stinks. Its basketball team does not.

• Vanderbilt's Memorial Gymnasium isn't Rupp Arena, but it's not noticeably smaller than other NCAA facilities, and it's unique, and it's a tough place for opposing teams to play, even when we're having an off year. I still remember my freshman year when we had an NIT team but beat eventual national champion Indiana in Memorial. I can't even fathom beating football national champion Florida in Nashville and neither could the Gators fathom losing there. Commodore Stadium at Dudley Field or whatever it's called seats a good 15-20,000 fewer fans than the next smaller stadiums, at Ole Miss and Miss State.

• Our basketball team fills the gym... with our own fans.

• The basketball team can actually attract a five-star local recruit (John Jenkins) and plenty of four-star local talent nationally (Jermaine Beal, A.J. Ogilvy, Jeff Taylor, Brad Tinsley, Steve Tchiengang, Lance Goulbourne). We've had one four-star recruit (part-time starter John Stokes) on the football roster in the past four years. Meanwhile, four-star local guys like James Stone automatically pack their bags for Knoxville, where the stadium seats more people than the fifth-largest city in Tennessee — unless the head coach there is a jerk and then they wait for him to leave before packing their orange suitcases.

• Oh yeah, and it takes a heck of a lot more football players to play a game. So not only does Bobby Johnson have six fewer highly regarded recruits than Kevin Stallings does, he needs about five times as many players just to field a team.

I cringe when I hear people talk about giving Bobby Johnson one more year before we fire him. If Kevin Stallings goes winless in the conference and wins less than 20 percent of his games then, yes, he's on the hot seat if he's still around at all. His job's not easy, and I don't want to take away from the great job he's doing, but Stallings is more or less competing on an even playing field with the other basketball programs in the SEC. He doesn't have an advantage, but he's not handicapped. And if the other programs in the SEC have a disadvantage, it's because their administration puts way more time, energy and resources into its football program.

Johnson has put together a collection of increasingly solid recruiting classes, which is all the more remarkable when you consider that many of those kids chose Vanderbilt after visiting Nashville and sitting among 35,000 fans — many of whom were wearing opposing colors — and also visiting places like Athens and Knoxville and sitting among 100,000 fans, nearly every single one of them wearing the home colors and screaming their heads off.

Everybody has been praising this latest Vandy football recruiting class, for which Johnson and his staff had to scratch and claw and hold their collective breath at the last minute. But even with Rajaan Bennett, where did that class rank in the SEC? Last place. Or maybe if you're generous, in eleventh place ahead of Kentucky.

So why exactly should Johnson be fired if he doesn't return to a bowl?

Myron Lewis boosts his stock at NFL draft combine

Chris Low points out this morning that Myron Lewis ran a 4.45 40 in the combine. How important was that? Very. Remember what happened to D.J. Moore's stock last year when he clocked in at just under 4.6.

Up to that point, D.J.'s weakness was that he was just under 5-foot-9, and he was being projected as a late first-rounder. But then his speed became another weakness, and he fell to the middle of the fourth round.

Up to this point, Myron's strength was his size, at 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, and he was projected as a third or fourth rounder. Now his speed has become another strength, and you could start seeing him cracking into some first round projections.