It is time for some self-evaluation, Vanderbilt fans.

We have been conducting a review of each of the SEC team’s strengths and weaknesses heading into the 2015 season.

Here is a breakdown of the Commodores:

Vanderbilt Commodores: 2015 Strengths and Weaknesses

PROJECTED OFFENSIVE STARTERS

Strength: TE Steven Scheu
The first player to come to mind for many would have been talented sophomore RB Ralph Webb, but the truth is that most SEC schools have a back that is on par with Webb’s skill set. If we’re looking for someone that is a strength relative to the rest of the conference, senior TE Steven Scheu is an easy choice. Scheu led the Commodores in receiving yards last season with 525 and trailed only Evan Engram (Ole Miss) for the conference lead among tight ends. As a leader of the offense, he brings the experience of playing on a team that won 18 games in two years to a young group that needs to be told that is not a distant memory.

Weakness: The quarterback position
The Commodores just can’t win for losing. After a cringe-worthy quarterback carousel that featured four different starters in the 2014 season, Derek Mason entered spring camp determined to resolve the long-term situation once and for all. Patton Robinette won that competition and was set to be the starter for the Commodores this fall, until he decided towards the end of the spring semester that he would instead like to attend medical school. So, now, the two guys that finished behind Robinette in that competition (sophomores Johnny McCrary and Wade Freebeck) have been battling it out for the job in fall camp. The winner of the fall competition will have plenty to prove this season.

PROJECTED DEFENSIVE STARTERS

Strength: OLB Stephen Weatherly
The Commodores defense had trouble getting pressure on the quarterback at times during the 2014 season, but on the occasion that they did, it was likely Weatherly that was causing the disturbance. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder came into his own as a sophomore after making the transition from a defensive end in the 4-3 scheme to an outside linebacker in Mason’s 3-4 scheme. Weatherly led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss last season and had four sacks in his last five games.

Weakness: NG Jay Woods
The Vanderbilt defense returns almost every contributor from the 2014 season, so this is not a knock on Woods as much as it is a question as to whether he is ready to replace Vince Taylor as the team’s primary nose guard in the 3-4 defense. Woods played last season as a tackle/end, but made the move to the middle of the line during spring ball. He will likely share snaps with former touted prospect Nifae Lealao.

POSITION UNITS

Strength: Linebacker
The Commodores are expecting to be much improved on the defensive side of the ball with a combination of the typical second-year bump for defenses in the 3-4 configuration, along with Derek Mason taking on the coordinator responsibilities. He will do so with a very athletic, talented group of linebackers to help make things better. Sophomore ILB Nigel Bowden was the team’s leading tackler last season and is already looked at as one of the team’s leaders. He will play alongside another talented sophomore in Zach Cunningham. On the outside, Stephen Weatherly offers the team its best pass rush and senior Darreon Herring brings both experience and versatility to the table.

Weakness: Wide receiver
This unit was absolutely dreadful in 2014. Last season’s primary starters (Letavius Rayford and C.J. Duncan) combined for just 791 receiving yards and five touchdowns. That’s like half of a season’s work for former Commodores standout and SEC record holder Jordan Matthews. Part of the blame can be placed on the instability at the quarterback position, so there is reason for cautious optimism for improvement in 2015 if that situation gets ironed out. Unfortunately, it have to come without Duncan, who was lost for the season in fall camp with a leg injury. Youngsters Trent Sherfield, Caleb Scott and Ronald Monroe must step up.

SCHEDULE

Strength: National attention in Week 2
Go big or go home, right? Well, after an 0-8 start to his head coaching career inside the SEC, Derek Mason has an opportunity to make his first conference win a memorable one. Georgia visits Vanderbilt Stadium on Sept. 12 for what will be the first SEC game of the 2015 season. It will be nationally televised on CBS. The Commodores will enter as severe underdogs, but they did beat Georgia the last time the series was played in Nashville (31-27 in 2013).

Weakness: Out-of-conference road games
The Commodores only play six homes games this season. Instead of a couple of much-needed “winnable” home games, Vanderbilt is instead traveling to Middle Tennessee and Houston for a couple of games that could prove difficult to win. The fans get cheated on their season tickets, and the team gets cheated on what should be an easier path to six wins. If you’re going to make a road trip for non-conference play, at least make it a game this a chance to be a signature win for the program.

FAN BASE

Strength: Loyalty
As we like to say in the South, “Bless their hearts.” Vanderbilt fans deserved the James Franklin era as return for their unwavering support of a program that spent decades at the bottom of the league. In fact, they probably deserved more of it than they got, with a fall to 3 wins in 2014 following three consecutive bowl appearances. Perhaps Derek Mason can turn things back in the winning direction soon, if only for the fans’ sake.

Weakness: Attendance
And who can blame them? Decades of losing has taken its toll on attendance at Vanderbilt Stadium. It is also a matter of numbers. Vanderbilt is the smallest university in the league and has an alumni base that is more national than regional.