Vanderbilt Sets SEC Network Takeover Schedule, Mostly Ignores Football

Ah yes, it’s that time of year, when the SEC Network has nothing to show on TV and thus gives each of its member schools a day to choose the programming (and they also let Missouri do it one day, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear.)

Anyway, Vanderbilt’s day for this in 2021 is Friday, July 16. We go last, because uh, alphabetical order or something. In the past, though, we’ve complained about the overemphasis on “the revenue sports” and I’m guessing the fact that all the stuff is from the last year or so is an SEC mandate... but in 2021, we’re basically ignoring the football team. (Because, really, what exactly from the 2020 season would we want to promote?)

So here is the schedule. It seems like something with the Anchor of Gold stamp of approval.

11:00 PM CT, July 15: #1 Vanderbilt vs. LSU (baseball)

Vanderbilt played LSU for three games April 1-3 and won all of them, so this game could frankly be any of the three.

2:00 AM CT: SEC Storied: By Grantland Rice

Yep, we stuck a one-hour SEC Storied about famous sportswriter and Vandy alum Grantland Rice in here. I am guessing that in 50 years, there will not be an SEC Storied about either Skip Bayless or Clay Travis.

3:00 AM CT: SEC Inside: Vanderbilt Basketball

I’m just gonna assume this is a half-hour promo about the basketball program, which seems like the kind of filler you stick in here at 3 AM.

3:30 AM CT: Homecoming with Willie Geist

I have no idea what this is, either, but I can tell you who Willie Geist is: he’s the host of Sunday Today with Willie Geist and the co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and also a former editor of the Hustler during his time at VU.

4:00 AM CT: Vandy Rolls

Yep, we put the special about the bowling program in here. Deal with it.

4:30 AM CT: Vanderbilt vs. Florida (women’s soccer)

I am guessing this is the double-overtime win from October 18, 2020.

6:30 AM CT: Vanderbilt vs. Texas A&M (men’s basketball)

The guide indicates that this is from the SEC Tournament, so this is gonna be Vanderbilt’s Wednesday night SEC Tournament game from this season. We are showing a Wednesday night game from the SEC Tournament.

8:30 AM CT: South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt (baseball)

Oh, this is the Jack Leiter no-hitter.

11:30 AM CT: Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas (women’s soccer)

The SEC championship game from last season!

1:30 PM CT: SEC Men’s Golf Championship

Yep. Of course.

4:30 PM CT: Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt (men’s basketball)

This was the game at Memorial Gym a week before the end of the regular season, and honestly, if you had to show a men’s basketball game from last season, this would be the one you’d want to show.

6:30 PM CT: #8 Mississippi State vs. #3 Vanderbilt (baseball)

Oh, we’re really doing this? Given the rankings, this is from the College World Series final and not the three-game series at the Hawk in April. As a standalone, this is a fine pick. You just have to pretend like you didn’t see what happened after this.

9:00 PM CT: Vanderbilt Black and Gold Spring Game

Sure, why not. You’ll notice that we’re not showing anything from women’s basketball because (a) seriously, if we’re assuming it’s all from the last year, why would you do that, but also (b) that program has a new coaching staff anyway, so it’s not like the athletic department has any interest in promoting Stephanie White’s basketball program. The same thing applies to the football program, but at least with them, you can show the spring game. I guess. I kind of just assume here that the SEC Network brass just told us “no, you can’t just not show any football on this.”