Think of VDOT as a fitness level, not as a VO2Max measure.
VDOT is a handy way of figuring out paces for workouts, and is based on your current fitness level. I've always seen VDOT as an OVERALL measurement of your fitness level, not just a VO2Max measure, and a way to equate performances in races of differing lengths.
For example, say you run a 16:00 3 mile. VDOT=62. An equivalent performance might be a 10:27 2-mile. And, that VDOT # then lets me sort out paces for workouts (62 VDOT = 5:40 Tempo pace, :73/400m Repeat pace, and :79/400m Interval pace).
I don't care what your VO2MAX number is. What I care about is how fast your workouts should be run, based on recent performances, and that's how VDOT should be used.
Apologies to Dr. Jack if I'm doing it wrong, but it makes total sense to me. My HS kids aren't going to be strapped on to a VO2Max machine anyway, so I couldn't care less what their actual VO2MAX number is. I want to know how fast they are. If I were coaching college or pros, then the VO2MAX info might be useful, but at the high school level? I've got kids who can't afford shoes - I've never even thought about the luxury of a VO2MAX test. I'm just looking for useful info about workout pacing, and knowing every kid's VDOT does just that.
/has all VDOT info laid out in Excel spreadsheets for Easy, Tempo, Interval, Repeat, and Fast Reps workouts. Plug in a recent race effort, get a VDOT from it, and voila! Here's your workout pace.