Nothing revs you up for the 2010 season like a Vanderbilt vs Northwestern matchup, right?  Yes!  Football is back!  Regardless, the game actually offers an intriguing matchup despite its terrible brand name appeal.  These two academic institutions do have football programs and they will be meeting during week 1 of the 2010 season.  Here are five things you need to know (if you care) about this matchup:

1. Northwestern is better than you think: When you hear about Northwestern, you probably roll your eyes.  I know I did.  The reality is that they have a decent football team.  Let’s briefly look at the 2009 season.  Northwestern was 8-5 last year, but they finished strong, winning their last three regular season games (including wins over #4 Iowa and #16 Wisconsin).  Northwestern lost their bowl game in overtime against Auburn 38-35 (way to represent, Auburn).
2. Vanderbilt is worse than you think: Unfortunately, the opposite holds for the Vandy Commodores.  2009 was a forgettable season winning only 2 games all year (against Western Carolina and Rice).  Vanderbilt went without a win in SEC play.  Vandy had a decent recruiting class but it will take time for the young talent to gel and fit together.  2010 is likely to be just as forgettable as 2009.
3. Vanderbilt has a couple of bright spots: Warren Norman was a Freshman All-SEC player last year setting the record for 1,941 all purpose yards for a freshman in the SEC.  Maybe Norman’s kick returns will force Vandy fans to get their nose out of the book at look up at the game at least for a moment.


Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald

4. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald is a stud: At 35 years old, Pat Fitzgerald is one of the youngest coaches in college football.  Fitzgerald was a stud linebacker at Northwestern, leading the Wildcats to the ’97 Citrus Bowl (which I attended in person); Fitzgerald also won two Big Ten defensive player of the year awards.  He is definitely an up-and-coming coach and without the playing background for the team he now coaches, you might speculate that he would be on his way to bigger programs around the country (much like Jim Harbaugh’s name is now mentioned in every coaching conversation).  It will be interesting to see what degree of success Fitzgerald is able to bring to the Northwestern program and if he will be content in the future (he has many years ahead of him).
5. More important ranking: If you’re attending this game, you’re probably more likely to hear a debate between Northwestern fans and Vandy fans over their respective schools’ academic rankings.  USNews has Northwestern ranked 12th and Vandy ranked 17th in their 2011 rankings.  If you see this debate heating up between fans, be sure to step in and put it to a halt, passions run hot in such a conversation and we don’t want anything getting out of hand.