Bowl Season Slips Away, Replaced By Uncertainty Following Loss

It's not impossible, but last night's loss in Columbia all but ended Vanderbilt's hope of post season play.

One thing is certain about the current state of Vanderbilt football, it's uncertainty. 

In the fallout from Saturday night's 24-7 loss to South Carolina, the hopes of post season play for the Commodores now hangs by the slimest of threads, and that thread will likely finish unraveling next Saturday. 

Currently 2-6, the Commodores now must run the table in their final four contests, Florida and Tennessee on the road with Kentucky and ETSU at home to find a place in the post season.

That's not likely to happen.

Coming off a loss to their biggest rival, Florida will be angry and at home, meaning that hope exists for just another week.

Tennessee looks like the most improved team in the conference right now and Kentucky has been playing well of late considering their quarterback situation. Only East Tennessee State remains as a game where the Commodores will be favored. 

Ugly losses to Purdue and UNLV earlier in the season cost the Commodores dearly and placed them in this predicament. 

That leaves uncertainly. 

Rumors continue to swirl about the future of Derek Mason as head coach, which run the gamut from slightly possible to totally ridiculous.

One rumor floating about is that athletic director Malcolm Turner will allow Mason to remain while the administration gets the plans in place to upgrade the athletic facilities for football.

This one makes the most sense at this point. After all, what coach, either established or up and coming would want to step into a situation where your facilities are lacking, your quarterback situation is a total question mark and your loss the top three offensive weapons before you step on campus.

It's a recipe for failure from the jump, and Commodore football history is littered with similar moves.

Yes, I know that's what a rebuild is, but it's also part of the reason Vanderbilt has this history.  

I'm not advocating for the firing of Mason, that's not my job and not something I feel the need to do. He's a good man by reputation and from my very limited dealings with him and I'm of no mind to do more than cover what happens. I'm not about playing a role in making it happen.    

However, letting Mason stay and endure the ride does seem like a wise move.

I don't doubt Mason loves his players and his position and is working hard to make things work. Having him continue forward while the plans are finalized and the improvements are made so that the potential next coach is set up for sucess is not a bad plan.

It's not what fans want, most want a pound of flesh for this season that has gone downhill, but it might just be what's best for Vanderbilt football at this point. 

History does repeat itself, but in this case it doesn't have to.