2010 Vanderbilt Odds to Win BCS: Caldwell Takes Over as Coach

Just last year, many online sportsbooks and handicappers and fans thought that the Vanderbilt Commodores might become the Wake Forest or Northwestern of the Southeastern Conference and contend regularly for bowl games, an occasional conference title and maybe even in college football odds to win the BCS. Vanderbilt was coming off their first bowl season since 1982 as they won the Music City Bowl and had plenty of returning starters for 2009. Unfortunately the Commodores imploded with a 2-10 record and lost every SEC game on the schedule, and had plenty of graduation losses that had to be filled for 2010. It is no surprise that Bobby Johnson decided he did not want a ninth season of slamming his head against a brick wall. What is surprising was that he retired from coaching just as camp is about to begin.

“People retire,” said Johnson. “Believe me, there’s not a great time for a college football coach to retire.” Vanderbilt opened at online sportsbooks as a whopping +10000 longshot in odds to win the SEC conference. That price should increase with this latest development. Johnson never specified what led to this late decision but simply said he was not fully committed any more, while adding that you must have a full commitment to coach in major college football. Offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell, who was with Johnson for all 8 years at Vandy, was named interim head coach. It’s his first head coaching gig in a 30-year career. “I haven’t had time to think about it,” said Caldwell, “It all happened so fast.”

Many insiders believe Johnson knew he was retiring all along and waited to the end of summer to announce it in order to ensure that his staff would have jobs. “My first task is to make sure we keep our staff intact,” said Caldwell. Vanderbilt is an incredibly tough place to win at for any coach as it is a private and highly academic institution competing in a power conference full of football factories. Johnson finished with a college football betting mark of 29-66 including 12-52 in the SEC but his teams were known for no longer being push overs and for fighting hard and being pesky. While Caldwell does inherit the best recruiting class of the Johnson era it is a long shot that he can survive past 2010. Vandy’s online sportsbook numbers may inflate into making them something of a value, however, as few gamblers will want anything to do with them so oddsmakers will have to sweeten the pot to attract action.