Vandy Likely for Liberty Bowl

When the season began, my expectations were not very high:

I would expect wins against Rice and Duke, and possible victories against Miami(OH) and maybe Ole Miss. After that things get more dicey with Mississippi State (who went to a bowl last season) and perhaps Kentucky or Wake Forest. I'll be happy with a four win season or a signature upset win, such as against Auburn (we haven't beaten them since 1955) or Florida (last win 1988) or Tennessee (how sweet that victory would be).

Who would have predicted a 5-0 start, another victory over South Carolina, a first win over Auburn in over half a century, and a visit to College Gameday to Vanderbilt campus. There was the inevitable tailspin of four straight losses including the weaker teams of Mississippi State and Duke. There were also the disappointing losses against Tennessee and Wake Forest. However, the glory of victory against Kentucky clinched our first bowl eligible season in a quarter-century.

Here are my prediction on bowl games if Bama wins the SEC Championship:

• National - Alabama
• Sugar - Florida
• Capital One - Ole Miss
• Cotton - LSU
• Outback - Georgia
• Chick-Fil-A - South Carolina
• Liberty - Vandy

If Florida wins the SEC Championship, I'm afraid there is a good chance they won't play for the national title thanks to the BCS B.S. In this case, I see the bowls shaking out this way:

• Sugar - Florida
• Capital One - Alabama
• Cotton - Ole Miss
• Outback - Georgia
• Chick-Fil-A - LSU
• Liberty - Vandy
• Music City - South Carolina

In either case, it looks like the Liberty Bowl will go for Vanderbilt. The Chick-Fil-A bowl people said they would only consider the 'Dores if they could beat both Tennessee and Wake Forest, which obviously did not happen. Considering this, it is doubtful would get any better consideration with the higher ranked bowls.

While it would be convenient to play in the Music City bowl, there is a concern that not as many hotel rooms would be sold by selecting a local team. It may not be up them anyway since the Liberty Bowl selects first and there are a shortage of bowl eligible SEC teams this year.