1) Keep the sundresses, but get a new watch. It's all well and nice to dress up for a football game (except if you were an Ole Miss fan in the Confederate flag days… that could go a bit far), but if you're gonna get fancy, get there on time. There's nothing better than a football game in the Saturday sun… and at kickoff, we're not getting our asses handed to us by Georgia, yet.

A lot of students and alums bemoan three straight 2 win seasons; however, the credibility of a fan is lost when his or her dedication to the team is belied by late appearances. Dudley field may not be Camden Yards, but it's a great atmosphere when the student section is full. This year, you have the opportunity to see the greatest QB in Vandy history (and possibly one of the three best QBs in the nation), another in a line of great LB, and a spirited team that is trying to turn it around.

2) Discover the Hawk. We're well away from Spring and you all have plenty of drinking to do and things to forget. One thing to remember is to hit Hawkins Field in the Spring.

The Vanderbilt baseball team is coming off of two stellar seasons. Featuring the finest pitching staff in America and the SEC's newest and most scenic stadium, the Diamond Dores are Nashville's best bang for your buck. While you're at the field, be sure to check out some of the MLB superstar prospects of tomorrow. Foremost among them is LHP David Price, who is among the favorites to be the #1 overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft.

3) Try to learn the alma mater and fight song if you want to, but knowing UT Vol jokes is far more important. A beginner's joke follows:

The UT QB, RB and WR are in a car. Who is driving?

A Knoxville police officer.

But don't expect any to be original. UT fans know them all, as sure as they have their front tooth.

4) Try the intramural program, but only after educating oneself on the fact that Vandy's athletic department did not merge the football team with the Fraternity flag football league. The athletic center is state of the art, with plenty of soccer pitch-sized fields. The featured attraction might be the treadmills… go stand there for 10 minutes and you'll quickly learn why.

5) God save the Gee. You all met the school's head honcho at the Founder's walk this week. The Chancellor is both an academic titan and a sports guru. Back in the Media Dore's days, a certain Joe B. Wyatt was America's top fund-raiser, but he was seen by more alums than students. Wyatt did his job and now Gee's doing his.

Among the tasks Gee has adopted is a heralded and successful reorganization of the athletic department (see the misconception listed in #4 for how ill-informed UT and UF fans view this move… then go to the NY Times archives and get a real perspective). The plan brought greater access to funds for all varsity sports, greater integration of student-athletes into the campus population, and is about a decade ahead of every other athletic department in the country.

Gee also has a dedication to winning and a determination to be a man about campus. You'll see that bowtie at every football game (and not late… like some letter-wearing former brethren of mine) and all about campus. The Chancellor even takes a singular interest in many sports recruits, placing personal calls to hoopsters like Ross Netlner and meeting with recruits when they come to campus.

6) Be a Maniac. Vandy Basketball is on the verge of becoming an elite team in the SEC. After back-to-back 20-win seasons, Vandy is more talented and athletic than any Dore squad since the days of Billy McCaffrey.

The names you have to know come Winter include Super Sophs Shan Foster (starting SF), DeMarre Carroll (6th man), Red Gordon (backup PG), and Alan "Duke of Dore" Metcalfe (reserve big man). The freshmen are wiry big man Davis Nwankwo (reserve C/PF), leaper George Drake (backup SG) and 6'10" Kyle Madsen (reserve forward). The Juniors are the very athletic UVA transfer Derrick Byars (starting SG), Ted Skuchas (probable starting C), and sharpshooter Dan Cage (backup SG). But the biggest names of them all are Super Mario and JT. The two seniors are the team leaders and start at PG and PF. So bring your Nintendo signs and your gold shirts to Memorial Gym this fall and cheer on the Sweet Sixteen bound Dores.

And lets not forget the ladies. For all the recent success of the men, the women have been a true powerhouse for what seems like ages. They will be a top 15 team again this year as they battle the likes of Tennessee and LSU for SEC supremacy.

7) Look for Vandy's first National Championship… if you can find the lane. Last year, VU introduced a new scholarship sport: Women's Bowling. Well, the Dores were a bit ahead of the curve on this one. Although the team didn't really impress last year with a squad recruited at a table outside Rand, this year's team featured America's top freshmen class. These ladies can knock 'em down and get 'em up. Expect a top 5 finish and, potentially, a National Championship. The only problem is that I'm not sure anyone knows where you can go to cheer them on.

8) Get ready for the recruits. Now, you can't really do much here, because a whole lot of things constitute an NCAA violation. Throughout the school year, top recruits for every sport will be visiting campus. Among the ones to look for soon are Mufreesboro's Brandan Wright (the #5 hoops senior in the nation) and, potentially, the #2 football player in OL Andre Smith (who will be sneaking onto campus for an unofficial visit soon).

But remember, no signs welcoming them, no alcohol and nothing that appeared in the movie "He Got Game." But at the same time, if you run into one, let 'em know they're wanted.

9) Learn the chant. 8 years ago, Vandy adopted the cry "Who Ya Wit?" Students summarily answered with "V! U!" Now, the interesting thing is that this replaced the popular chant "S.A.T. Scores," a common resort when losing to an SEC team with a combined reading level of 8th grade (and that's combined, not average).

That said, being the only private school and academic powerhouse in the SEC has neither kept Vandy from winning(according to the National Founder's Cup, the athletic department has been among the nation's most successful in recent years), nor does it serve as an excuse for losing. So ditch the S.A.T. chant and remind our scholar-athletes that we're with 'em.

10) Support the non-revenue sports. Vandy's athletic program is not only successful, but it distributes that success quite well. With the exception of football, over the last decade, virtually every team sport has achieved great things. Teams to really look for in the coming year include Women's Lacrosse (a top ranked squad), both Tennis teams, and Vandy's Golf crew (featuring All-American Luke List).