BJ,
the more layered your desing is the longer the assignment will take, but the easier its maintennance will be.
The less layered -> the faster development (at least in a little project like
SCJD assignment with no changing requirements), but the harder to maintain.
What is best? in my opinion it depends on the future work made on the assignment, something we don't really know (and won't ever know), and the need of the company to have a program working asap, something we don't know either.
Make your assumptions and go on. The more time you hesitate the more time you waste for nothing.
Why I chose a more layered approach than maybe Sai? Well, I can only work on the assignment some weekends, and that way is difficult to keep the overall design in mind. I've been trying to keep the design close to what I'm doing in my real job, to help me remember. I won't write that in my decisions document, though. Hope there aren't Sun's spies round here.
Things like puting the TableModel in the Controller or in the View are not important. Follow your way, create your own style. If at the end of the project you don't like it, change it next time. But at least you'll have something working.