Preview: Vanderbilt-Florida

Hope all is going well today. It's way too cold in Nashville, and I'm not looking forward to the early start time tomorrow against Florida. I always park for free near the Parthenon. Free is good, but walking to Memorial at 10:30 a.m. in about 10 degree weather....not so good.

To top it off, my beloved and tortured Bengals have a rare playoff appearance tomorrow. I would love to stay at home and soak in all the pregame commentary. So why in the world am I braving the elements to watch Vanderbilt play their league opener?

Simple.

Tomorrow is the single most important game that Vanderbilt will play all season.

Yesterday, I broke down where I thought Vanderbilt could easily win nine games in the SEC. A lot of that hinges on the Commodores being able to split the season series with the Gators. A loss to Wild Bill would kill the momentum gained from the 'Dores current five-game win streak.

There are two phenomenal previews of the game that you should read:

Anchor of Gold
Vanderbilt Sports Line

I promise I'll have in-depth analysis of the Vandy's other SEC opponents. For some reason I can't do it for this game. Every time I think about tomorrow's game, I see the following situation unfold:

Florida 11-2 run to start the game.

Vandy closes gap at halftime to 41-36.

Florida opens second half with 7-0 to make the score 48-36.

Vandy rallies, but too little, too late: 79-74.

I have this horrendous feeling about the game. I have felt this way two times before this season: The Maui Invitational opener against Cincinnati, and the road game against the Illini.

In both games, Vandy had a chance to make a statement to the nation. They had a really great opportunity to grab the attention of all the major media outlets. In each game, the 'Dores had the ability to add a showcase win to their NCAA resume. Both times they failed.

Let's hope the weather doesn't turn Memorial into a ghost town. The team needs all the help they can get.

Let's just say if Vandy and the Bengals lose, my post-game recap will be nasty.
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