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5 worst Power Five programs of BCS, College Football Playoff era

By Zach Bigalke

TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 01: Tim Williams #56 of the Alabama Crimson Tide strips the ball and forces a fumble by Stephen Johnson #15 of the Kentucky Wildcats at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 01: Tim Williams #56 of the Alabama Crimson Tide strips the ball and forces a fumble by Stephen Johnson #15 of the Kentucky Wildcats at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Oct 15, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Lorenzo Carter (7) chases Vanderbilt Commodores punter Sam Loy (19) after a fumble during the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Sanford Stadium. Vanderbilt defeated Georgia 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Lorenzo Carter (7) chases Vanderbilt Commodores punter Sam Loy (19) after a fumble during the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Sanford Stadium. Vanderbilt defeated Georgia 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

The last time Vanderbilt won a conference title, the SEC didn’t even exist. That championship came in the old Southern Conference back in 1923. That finished a three-year run when the Commodores went 20-2-3. Once the days of Dan McGugin and Red Sanders were over, though, Vanderbilt’s fortunes took a nosedive.

Since joining the SEC as a charter member in 1933, the Commodores have a .260 winning percentage in 563 conference games. But if anything the growth of college football has benefitted the team. Bobby Johnson, James Franklin, and Derek Mason have managed to take Vanderbilt bowling.

By the time 1998 rolled around, the Commodores had spent the past decade and a half in the SEC cellar. The BCS changed little about Vanderbilt’s existence, besides making their conference foes and other Power Five teams that much more nationally renowned. Before Franklin left for Penn State, the Commodores finished in the final AP Top 25 in back-to-back years, a big reason they are only fifth on this list.

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