GAME NOTES: College football fans will get their first look at the 14th-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Saturday as they welcome the Vanderbilt Commodores of the SEC to the Big House. Vanderbilt has not enjoyed a great deal of success on the gridiron in recent years, so the team's 4-0 start to the 2005 season made major headlines. The Commodores needed only two wins in their final seven regular season games to become bowl eligible, but the squad managed just a single triumph during that span. There is a decent amount of experience back on both sides of the ball, but Vandy is still considered part of the bottom half of SEC teams. Michigan certainly enters this contest with higher expectations, and the club's high national ranking is proof. As for Michigan, it endured a disappointing 7-5 season in 2005, finishing in a third-place tie in the Big Ten. Because of that finish, Lloyd Carr has gotten a great deal of criticism. Fortunately, there is a great deal of returning talent on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines are 105-18-3 in season openers, and they are 12-1 in their last 13 openers at home. Michigan holds a dominant 9-0-1 lead in the all-time series with Vanderbilt, but the teams haven't met since 1969.

The best quarterback in the SEC for the past couple seasons was Jay Cutler, and although the Vandy signal caller wasn't able to reach the postseason, he was rewarded for his strong play by being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Obviously, replacing the record-setting quarterback is the biggest challenge facing the Commodores as the season begins. Chris Nickson is an athletic sophomore and the heir apparent to the position, and coach Bobby Johnson feels that his young quarterback can throw as well as run effectively. Fortunately for Nickson, standout receiver Earl Bennett is back after a stellar freshman campaign that saw him record 79 catches for 876 yards and nine touchdowns. Expect Bennett to get plenty of attention from the Wolverine defensive backs. As for the ground attack, which will be helped by three returning offensive line starters, Cassen Jackson- Garrison figures to get plenty of carries on Saturday. He ran for 539 yards and eight touchdowns on only 97 carries a year ago.

Six starters return on defense for Vanderbilt, including two at each of the three defensive tiers. Chris Booker is a senior defensive end who recorded three sacks a year ago, and he is joined up front by junior returnee Theo Horrocks. At the linebacker position, junior Jonathan Goff and senior Kevin Joyce are proven commodities. The safety positions are set, but the team is still searching for the best options at corner. Expect Michigan to test sophomores Jared Fagan and Josh Allen, the new starters at the corners, early in this contest. Vandy finished 82nd in the nation in scoring defense last year, so expectations aren't high.

Offensively for Michigan, quarterback Chad Henne and tailback Mike Hart are back in place and poised for big numbers. Henne completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 2,526 yards a year ago, and he tossed 23 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. Just a junior, Henne has a couple of talented wide receivers in the fold. Steve Breaston will likely reach 100 career receptions in this opener, and his experience is invaluable. He and sophomore Mario Manningham combined for 53 catches, 724 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago, and those two players need to be much more involved in the offense. Another player to keep an eye on in the passing game is tight end Tyler Ecker, a 6-6 target considered one of the best at his position in the conference. Hart figures to get plenty of touches in this opener. He rushed for over 1,400 yards as a freshman but fell short of that mark a year largely because of injuries. Michigan averaged 385 yards per contest a year ago, and there is more than enough talent in place to improve on that figure.

The defense of the Wolverines certainly isn't short on talent. Michigan surrendered 20.3 ppg a year ago, and with players such as defensive end LaMarr Woodley and cornerback Leon Hall back in place, expect that figure to improve. Woodley is a phenomenal athlete who uses both quickness and strength to get off the ball and into the backfield. He had 16 TFLs in 2005, including seven sacks, and will attempt to make Chris Nickson's premiere under center a difficult one. Hall figures to draw Bennett in this tilt, and that will be a matchup to watch. Linebacker Prescott Burgess posted 81 tackles last season, and he will provide a wealth of leadership in addition to his skill. Defensive tackle Alan Branch is yet another defender expected to make a major impact.

Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson has high expectations for Nickson, but taking over the reins in Ann Arbor in front of over 100,000 fans isn't exactly the ideal situation. The Commodores will play hard as usual, but Michigan is simply too talented. Hart and Henne make the Wolverines the favorites in the Big Ten, and Carr needs a good season as desperately as any coach in the nation.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Michigan 40, Vanderbilt 10