“I’ve decided to retire, not resign,” Johnson said. “It is a tough decision with which my wife Catherine and I struggle. This is a personal decision. It’s about what we want to do with our lives.”

Vandy is Vandy.  It’s never going to rival the Floridas or Alabamas on a yearly basis in the SEC.  When you are the head coach of the Commodores, you always have to curb your own enthusiasm when it comes to your own personal expectations for the season. 

In other words… maybe Johnson looked at the schedule… then looked at his roster… then looked at his schedule again… you get the idea.

To be completely honest- the more I read about it, the more I am of the opinion that Johnson just burned out.  To be the head man on a collegiate level, you have to have some ego- but Vanderbilt is one of those ego deflating jobs.  It’s not that they can’t be successful (Bobby Johnson did win a bowl game), but it is a struggle for an academic power to do so on a yearly basis in a conference like the SEC.

Now comes the next important question… who will Vanderbilt go after to replace Johnson?  Of course, there are rumors flying, and the name making the rounds?

It doesn’t seem very likely, but stranger things have happened.  Would Phil Fulmer be successful at a school like Vanderbilt where he has to recruit athletes with a high standards of academic achievement?  Would Vanderbilt be willing to pay his hefty salary?

Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was suspended Friday for the upcoming season by coach Chip Kelly after pleading guilty to second-degree burglary in the theft of a pair of laptops and a guitar from a campus fraternity.

Masoli, who had been mentioned as a potential Heisman candidate, will remain on scholarship with the Ducks.

“He does have a redshirt season available to him if he chooses to do that,” Kelly said.

Kelly announced the suspension just hours after Masoli appeared in Lane County Circuit Court to answer to the burglary charge.

This will likely drop Oregon from consideration for the national championship for the time being, and put their entire season in jeopardy.  According to ESPN’s Ted Miller, Oregon was the early favorite to win the PAC 10 before the news of the suspension, but it remains to be seen how well his backups will be able to fill his shoes.  The most likely replacement is Nate Costa.  Costa was originally the favorite to take over the Ducks’ offense when Dennis Dixon used up his eligibility after the 2007 season, but bad knees prevented him from reaching his potential and opened the door for Masoli to take the reigns.   The other candidate will be RS Sophomore Derron Thomas, who was impressive two years ago against Boise State before redshirting last season.

Oregon won’t have much trouble handling New Mexico in their opener, but their 2nd game of the 2010 season will be where they will need one of their quarterbacks to step up, as they travel to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Vols in Neyland Stadium.