Attendance isn’t a perfect measure of fan interest, particularly for a program like Vanderbilt, which has a lot of alumni who don’t live close to Nashville and mostly have to follow the team on the teevee and the interwebs.

But it’s a pretty decent measure, so long as you know what the numbers you’re looking at mean. Vanderbilt drew 30,304 fans for its home opener against South Carolina.

To put that number in context, the 2015 home opener against Western Kentucky -- a Conference USA team -- drew 30,307. The 2014 home opener against Temple drew 31,731. The 2013 home opener, like Thursday’s home opener a Southeastern Conference game (against Ole Miss), drew a capacity crowd of 40,350.

And not only was the crowd the smallest for a home opener since 2011 (when a Vanderbilt team coming off a 2-10 season hosted FCS foe Elon), but compared to the Temple and Western Kentucky games of the last two years, it was considerably heavier on opposing fans. The only thing that the White-Out that Vanderbilt planned for the home opener accomplished was making the number of South Carolina fans in the stadium even more obvious.

Granted, there were other, side factors. The Tennessee Titans had a preseason game on Thursday night, and the Vols were also playing. (Not that anybody who might be interested in going to a Vanderbilt football game should even be considering staying home so they can watch the Vols on television, and as a Memphis native I’d probably make a similar argument for the Titans, but I digress.) South Carolina fans probably weren’t too excited about their own team, either, which might have depressed their crowd.

But in any case, it’s hard to argue that the smaller crowds are a good sign for the Vanderbilt football program. It seems that the fan response to the current state of the football program isn’t anger, but apathy.

If you want an idea of what kind of offense Derek Mason and Andy Ludwig are going to run, here are some key numbers as Mason enters his third season as head coach.

Vanderbilt has eight scholarship wide receivers on the roster.  The Commodores also have six tight ends, and seven running backs (including fullbacks.)  And one of those "receivers" is Darrius Sims, who frequently lines up in the backfield.

In other words: Mason and company aren't planning to run a lot of three- and four-receiver sets.  Two-receiver sets with a tight end or two and/or a fullback are going to be the norm from here on out.

The Commodores ranked 108th in Passing S&P+ in 2015 and while much of that had to do with inconsistency at the quarterback position, the receivers weren't helping a lot, either.  C.J. Duncan missed the season after catching 28 balls for 441 yards as a sophomore.  Latevius Rayford began the season as a starter after being Vanderbilt's most-targeted receiver in 2014 with 61 targets; in 2015, he was only targeted 38 times and his catch rate dropped from 59.0% to 50.0%.  (Again, some of this might have to do with quarterback play -- but then it's not as though Vanderbilt's quarterback play in 2015 was worse than it was in 2014.)  Departed senior Kris Kentera began the year as essentially a co-starter, but dropped down the depth chart while posting a catch rate of 38.9%.

In short -- the receiving corps had issues in 2015.  But the Commodores did have a couple of guys emerge from the pack.

The Presumptive Starters

Trent Sherfield: Look, I don't like pulling the Austin Peay card again, either.  But Sherfield's numbers if you take out the AP game look pretty pedestrian: 35 catches for 419 yards.  Sherfield showed some promise as the number one wide receiver as a sophomore, but disappeared at times; in a four-game stretch starting with the Houston game, Sherfield caught just four passes.  (Yes, I'll grant the point that Vanderbilt's quarterbacks only completed 26 passes in that stretch.  The point is a #1 WR should never be that quiet.)  Sherfield did start every game, however, and he's the best hope Vanderbilt has for having a threat in the passing game in 2016.

Caleb Scott: While Sherfield was the guy from day one in 2015, Scott didn't work his way into the starting lineup until the Week 5 game at Middle Tennessee -- but from there, he started all of the remaining games.  While Sherfield led the team in raw receiving yards, Scott led the way both in catch rate and yards per catch -- indicating that he was making the most of fewer targets.

The Jack of All Trades

Darrius Sims: He's listed on the roster as a WR, but perhaps that's a misnomer; in fact, Sims didn't catch a single pass in the last five games of the season.  But he did get 21 carries as a runner.  Sims will return kicks and also line up as a running back or a wildcat QB.  Still, he hasn't "permanently" moved to RB and may still line up as a receiver from time to time, but using him as a full-time receiver isn't the best use of his talents.

Where Do These Guys Fit In?

Latevius Rayford: To say Rayford's junior season was a disappointment is the understatement of the year.  As mentioned above, Rayford was Vanderbilt's second-leading pass catcher in 2014, and he caught 7 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 against Georgia.  And then he caught 11 passes for 92 yards... for the rest of the season.  What happened?  Well, for one thing, Rayford got overtaken by Caleb Scott, but Rayford's 50 percent catch rate was also a problem.  He'll get some snaps on the rare occasions when Vanderbilt goes 3- or 4-wide, but he's probably not getting his starting job back.

C.J. Duncan: Duncan had the second-most receiving yards on the team in 2014, albeit with a 50.9% catch rate, before missing all of 2015 due to injury.  On paper, his return should help the receiving corps, but it's not clear where he fits in.  Both Trent Sherfield and Caleb Scott showed enough as starters in 2015 that you can't just pencil Duncan in as a starter at WR.  To be sure, he'll be a factor in the passing game, it's just not clear what his role will be.

He's Still Here?

Chandler Dorrell: After catching 10 passes for 118 yards as a redshirt freshman, Dorrell was targeted three times in 2015 when his father was not the team's offensive coordinator.

The New Guys

Donaven Tennyson: Of the three freshman wide receivers, Tennyson probably has the best chance of making an immediate impact.  He's a burner, albeit a bit undersized at 5'10"/164.  Tennyson could ultimately move into the Darrius Sims role down the road; for now, his speed gives him a chance at seeing the field in 3- and 4-receiver sets.

Jackson Winrow: Winrow was an underrecruited guy (Tulsa was his only other offer, if recruiting services are to be believed), which might be a function of playing high school ball in an underscouted area.  He's not a burner and only has decent size at 6'1"/182, but he has good hands on tape and could function well as a possession guy down the road.  But he'll probably redshirt in 2016.

Kalija Lipscomb: See what I just wrote about Winrow?  I could write a lot of the same things about Lipscomb.  On the other hand, Lipscomb does have a good ability to catch balls in traffic, which could make him useful down the road.  But he enters his true freshman season pretty far down the depth chart, and like Winrow, he's a redshirt candidate.

Former Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers is, apparently, the winning contestant on ABC's The Bachelorette, which I can't confirm for sure because I don't watch that crap but you just know fans of other SEC schools are about to start telling you that this is Vanderbilt's biggest win ever.

Except for the 2012 Music City Bowl win over NC State, and the 2012 win over Tennessee that mercifully euthanized Derek Dooley, I guess.  Both of which also involved Jordan Rodgers.

I'm also being told Jordan proposed to "JoJo" on national television, which, sure, why not, that's better than proposing on the jumbotron at Dudley Field I guess.

I can't do this.  No, I don't care about The Bachelorette and neither should you.  Here, just watch a damn highlight tape of him being Vanderbilt's quarterback so we can all remind ourselves why I am writing a post about the damn Bachelorette.

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Yeah, that's it. All right, teenage girls who actually watched this, have at it in the comments.

For the past two seasons, Vanderbilt's offense has stopped and started with Ralph Webb. Even if Kyle Shurmur reaches his potential this fall, the same will probably be true in 2016.

Webb has established himself as the program's best back since Zac Stacy -- and possibly better -- while gaining an average of 1,029 yards per season in his two years as a Commodore. He could gain even more if his Commodores move the needle gauging their quarterback play from "terrible" to merely "competent" this fall. In his two year career, Webb has been the victim of opportunistic defenses with no fear of Vandy's passing attack. Opponents stacked eight players near the line of scrimmage to make things difficult for the young back, but he still found a way to average more than four yards per carry despite matchups where defenders often outnumbered blockers by a wide margin.

While Webb was a bit anonymous on a national level in his first three years on campus, he won't be able to sneak up on opponents in 2016. He was named to the Doak Walker Award watchlist and earned preseason second-team All-SEC honors this summer. He'll be the face of the Vanderbilt offense as coordinator Andy Ludwig waits for a new star to emerge for the Commodores.

Vanderbilt needs their dynamic running back to find holes if it's going to win. In 2015, the team was 3-3 in games against FBS competition when he gained 99 rushing yards or more. It was 0-5 when he was held to 98 or fewer. Those rates will improve as Shurmur develops as a quarterback, but two years under Derek Mason suggest the running game will be the foundation laid for the Commodore offense this fall.

Here's who Ludwig will turn to in 2016.

The Starter

Ralph Webb, redshirt junior: In only his third season on the active roster, Webb will have an opportunity to rewrite Vanderbilt's record books. He's only 1,084 yards from becoming the team's all-time leading rusher, and a 1,194 yard season would make him the team's single-season record holder as well. Both are, at worst, even-odds bets as opening night looms.

Webb's strength as a runner is his field of vision; he finds holes where there shouldn't be and turns upfield with quickness to convert losses into gains. He's quick enough to prevent all but the fastest defensive backs from catching him from behind, and he's elusive at the line of scrimmage. He's struggled with making defenders miss at the second level, but told reporters earlier this year that juking safeties and turning six yard gains into 19 yard gains was one of his biggest areas of improvement in the offseason.

Webb's growth as a receiver is an important part of the versatility he'll bring to the backfield this fall. After catching 10 passes for 30 yards as a freshman, he bumped those numbers up to 24 and 188 last season. That development will help add an extra dimension to the Vandy offense -- he's more than just a screen pass outlet now -- and will be important for a young quarterback like Shurmur to utilize.

We didn't see what Webb has to offer in the spring game since he was held out due to injury. In the interim, he's gone ahead and promised an opening night victory over South Carolina. If there's anyone on this offense who can back that up, it's Webb.

The Change-of-Pace Backs

 

Dallas Rivers, junior: Rivers has yet to make good on the athletic promise that made him a four-star recruit out of Stone Mountain, GA, but his bulky frame and breakaway speed still make him a dangerous weapon for the 'Dores. He's never ripped off a run of more than 16 yards in his two years with the team (3.3 yards per carry), and his predisposition to dance around the line of scrimmage rather than blasting his big frame through it has hindered his impact. That's something that will improve as his offensive line does, and the 2016 debuts of guys like Andrew Jelks, Justin Skule, and true freshman center Sean Auwae-McMoore could be a major boon for him.

However, it's still too soon to trust Rivers to be locked in as 1b behind Webb. The athletic ability is there, but the pieces just haven't fit together. If he can't press the ball forward and give Vanderbilt the thunder it needs to complement Webb's lightning, it may be time to stop hoping for a breakout and start looking at him as a career backup.

Josh Crawford, sophomore: Crawford broke into this team's offense last fall as a true freshman, but a lack of effectiveness and concerns about ball protection helped limit him to just 18 carries. He failed to inspire confidence in this year's spring game, where he managed only 16 yards despite getting more touches (eight) than anyone else on the roster. He's still young, and has the quick feet and frame needed to be an effective NCAA back, However, he may not be different enough than Webb to be a true change-of-pace guy or good enough to carve out his own role in Ralph's wheelhouse.

The New Guys

Jaire George, redshirt freshman: What does Eddie George's son bring to the table? He was the team's most effective running back in the team's spring game, and his combination of field vision and straight line speed led to some solid gains the past year. He'll get his first real game experience this season, and we'll see if his strong practice showings can translate to the big leagues. Physical concerns could be an issue here; he's had his past two seasons cut short by injury.

Khari Blasingame, redshirt sophomore: Blasingame, at 6'1 and 235 pounds, will spend his first season in the backfield after spending his first two years on campus as a safety and linebacker. He'll give the Commodores another short yardage bulldozer, but questions remain about his straight line speed and escapability. He wasn't especially fast as a defensive back, but he moves well laterally, has fluid hips, and was a solid tailback at Buckhorn High School in Alabama.

He plowed into the end zone from a yard out and finished with 18 yards on four other carries in the Black and Gold Game, so there's a chance he works his way into the rotation if Rivers and Crawford disappoint. He'll be a powerful weapon out of the backfield for Vanderbilt, but he'll have to impress this August to work his way into the backfield in 2016.

Jamauri Wakefield, freshman: Wakefield was one of Vanderbilt's targets in 2016 after emerging as a bruising high school back. The 215-pound runner doesn't shy away from contact, but his ability to make defenders miss in the open field were what drew Derek Mason's attention last fall. He chops up his steps to make quick changes near the line of scrimmage, but once he hits the open field he's got a long, loping stride few high school defenders could catch up with. We'll see how that translates to the SEC, but possibly not until 2017. With five other running backs on the depth chart, a redshirt year could be in order.

The Fullback

Kyle Anderton, sophomore: Anderton, a former high school quarterback, can line up all over the field but will likely be deployed as an H-back in his biggest role this season. He had just one reception as a true freshman and he made it count, scoring a touchdown in a 21-17 win over Kentucky. He's not going to see many -- or any -- carries, but he'll add a competent set of hands and a solid blocking skillset to the Vanderbilt backfield.

A week ago, we were all clutching pearls about Vanderbilt's absence of any verbal commitments in the Class of 2017.  Now, the Commodores have gotten three verbal commitments in the last week as Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas OL Grant Miller dropped the anchor tonight:

Proud to announce that I am committing to Vanderbilt! #AnchorDown ⚓️⛓ pic.twitter.com/pmSsCqclzZ

— Grant Miller (@grantmiller55) June 23, 2016

Miller is the son of Fred Miller, who played thirteen seasons in the NFL for the Rams, Titans, and Bears.  According to his Rivals, 247, and Scout profiles, he's currently rated as a two-star recruit whose only other Power 5 offer was from Minnesota, but at 6'5" and 270 pounds and with NFL bloodlines, he certainly looks the part of an offensive tackle:

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It's worth pointing out, of course, that the offensive line might be the most difficult position on the field to project.  So while it might not feel like a spectacular take, you just can't really tell which 17-year-old linemen are going to develop into something special.  That might be particularly true of Miller, who according to this article was 5'11" and 185 pounds as a sophomore before growing five inches in the last year; and his doctors report that he might grow another inch or two from where he is now.  That would make sense given that his father is 6'7" and 320.

When June hit and Derek Mason had still failed to land (and keep) a recruit for his class of 2017, Vanderbilt fans began to worry. Well, worry no more.

The Alabama quarterback became the second class of '17 athlete to say yes to the Commodores and the first member on the books for next year's National Signing Day. Tailback Lamont Atkins decommitted from the team this spring. The three-star passer announced his decision through Twitter on Friday afternoon.

Blessed to say I've committed to Vanderbilt University! #AnchorDown⚓️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lON0XzFCKv

— Jacob Free (@jacob_free) June 17, 2016

Free chose Vandy over offers from Louisville, Memphis, and Temple, among others. He's a 6'5 drop back passer with a solid arm and good straight line speed. He's still got room to fill out, but he's an accurate passer with a soft touch and the ability to fit the ball into tight windows and make plays downfield.

Something's wrong over at Hudl, so we can't embed his highlights, but you can head over to his main page and see what he's capable of here.

Free will join a Vanderbilt depth chart that will features players like Kyle Shurmur, Wade Freebeck, Shawn Stankavage, Deuce Wallace, and John Webb.

It's the middle of June, and Vanderbilt doesn't have a single verbal commitment in his recruiting class of 2017. Should head coach Derek Mason be concerned?

The Commodore cupboard for '17 and beyond is bare as Mason preps his fourth class of high school standouts. Nashville hasn't been a hot summer destination for top recruits, but history shows valuable players can he added in May and June. James Franklin had the most success on that front, but Mason hasn't been a failure in his own right. However, as that recruit tracker remains stuck behind programs like Harvard, Idaho, Villanova, Gardner-Webb, and Indiana State, worries about this team's future grow.

The counterbalance to the concern is simple. It's not how you start. It's how you finish. With a handful of major camps coming up, more recruits will be in contact with the Vanderbilt coaching staff than ever before. July and August will provide this program with several opportunities to bend the ears of some of the nation's top players.

But hauling in early recruits can play a major role in reeling in players as National Signing Day approaches. Commits like Brian Kimbrow and Josh Grady did as much work as assistant coaches when it came to touting Vanderbilt's praises and talking to other high school standouts back in 2012 and 2011.

So where does Mason's empty class of '17 stack up against the program's recent recruiting efforts? Here's who the Commodores have been able to bring to campus before the dog days of summer could drain the sweat out of the south since 2008.

Recruits Committed Before 6/15
Year	Player	Position	247 Composite Rank	Contributor?	Starter?	All-SEC?
2008	Jay Fullam	DB	0.8155	No.	No.	No.
Bobby Johnson	Justin Cabbagestalk	OL	0.7882	No.	No.	No.
	Eric Samuels	ATH	0.8324	Yes.	No.	No.
2009	Thomas Ryan	DE	0.8463	No.	No.	No.
Bobby Johnson	Grant Ramsay	OL	0.8451	No.	No.	No.
	Chase White	OL	0.7935	Yes.	Yes.	No.
2010	James Lewis	OL	0.8328	No.	No.	No.
Bobby Johnson
2011	Jacob Sealand	LB	0.8739	Yes.	Yes.	No.
James Franklin	Barrett Gouger	OL	0.8586	Yes.	Yes.	No.
	Darreon Herring	LB	0.858	Yes.	Yes.	No.
	Stephen Weatherly	LB	0.8506	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
	Ladarius Banks	DL	0.8089	Yes.	Yes.	No.
2012	Johnny McCrary	QB	0.8839	Yes.	Yes.	No.
James Franklin	Jonathan Wynn	DE	0.8609	Yes.	Yes.	No.
	Taurean Ferguson	DB	0.8497	Yes.	Yes.	No.
	Nathan Marcus	TE	0.8464	Yes.	No.	No.
	Latevius Rayford	WR	0.8418	Yes.	Yes.	No.
	Gerald Perry	WR	0.8262	No.	No.	No.
	Carlos Burse	WR	0.8799	No.	No.	No.
2013	Dallas Rivers	RB	0.8672	Yes.	No.	No.
James Franklin	Emmanuel Smith	DB	0.8922	Yes.	No.	No.
	Bryce Lewis	DB	0.8535	No.	No.	No.
2014	Donovan Sheffield*	DB	0.8982	Yes.	Yes.	No.
Derek Mason	Josh Crawford	RB	0.8407	Yes.	No.	No.
	Kyle Shurmur	QB	0.8974	Yes.	Yes.	No.
2015	Deuce Wallace	QB	0.864	n/a	n/a	n/a
Derek Mason	Donaven Tennyson	WR	0.8403	n/a	n/a	n/a
	Devin Cochran	OL	0.859	n/a	n/a	n/a
2016
Derek Mason
	Averages:		0.8501821429	68.00%	48.00%	4.00%

Mason still has work to do to match his own standard. He's responsible for a 2014 class that brought in the two highest-rated summer recruits in program history -- though Donovan Sheffield was a holdover from the Franklin days. The argument against his Class of 2017 will grow louder the longer he waits; Vandy standouts like Nigel Bowden, Darrius Sims and Caleb Azubike pledged allegiance to the 'Dores in the June before their respective senior seasons. That's no indicator of future success, but it certainly wouldn't look good in comparison.That list includes two starting quarterbacks (and a possible third in Deuce Wallace), a Minnesota Viking (Stephen Weatherly), and a 2011 class that set the 'Dores up at linebacker for the next four seasons. It also included its fair share of washouts, including one offensive lineman best known for getting stabbed by a former teammate. On average, the team's summer recruits rate out as mid-three star prospects with a slightly less than 50/50 shot of developing into a starter for Vanderbilt.

So yes, there's some reason to be concerned about next year's recruiting class. Mason has secured commitments from some strong prospects the last two summers, but doesn't have anyone locked in for Signing Day 2017 just yet. Still, it's early, and the summer/fall will allow this team plenty of chances to correct this drought. It's not time to worry just yet, but that will change if Vanderbilt can't lock down any new players by August.

Vanderbilt offensive lineman Cole Hardin was in a traffic accident on Thursday afternoon, VandySports.com reports. The sophomore struck a vehicle while riding his moped near campus, according to witnesses who saw the accident.

Here's the scoop from Chris Lee.

Nashville native Trey Wallace, a witness at the scene who spoke to VandySports.com, said that Hardin, a sophomore center from Florence, Ala., was riding a moped when he struck another vehicle.

Hardin was conscious the entire time and speaking, the witness said, but did appear to sustain either a shoulder or arm injury and was carried to the hospital.

UPDATE as of 2:25 Central: We've since learned that Hardin sustained an injury to his right ankle, a gash on his shoulder and abrasions on his right arm.

Hardin was expected to compete for a starting role at center in head coach Derek Mason's offense this summer. There's no word yet on his condition or whether he'll miss a significant chunk of practice as the team gears up for its 2016 campaign.

According to his Twitter page, former Vanderbilt WR Ronald Monroe is playing quarterback at Cisco Junior College in Texas.

Monroe passed for over 3,000 yards as a senior at Fort Bend Bush High School in Houston, but moved to wide receiver after signing with Vanderbilt.  Monroe caught two passes for 37 yards in Vanderbilt's spring game, and also caught 5 passes for 17 yards as a redshirt freshman last season.  But some former quarterbacks just can't give up the position.  In fact, Monroe himself was a longtime Texas State commit in high school, primarily because Texas State wanted him as a quarterback while bigger-name schools (like Vanderbilt, to which he flipped his commitment shortly before Signing Day) wanted him to move to wide receiver.

So, ultimately, the pull of playing quarterback was just too much.  For Vanderbilt, which returns Trent Sherfield, Darrius Sims, C.J. Duncan, Latevius Rayford, and Caleb Scott at receiver, Monroe's decision hurts depth a bit, but the Commodores should still be fine at receiver in 2016.  We can only wish Monroe the best.

ESPN has announced its broadcast schedule for college football's opening weekend, and Vanderbilt will play in the first game of the season to be televised on the Mothership.

The kickoff time for the season opener against the South Carolina Gamecocks will be 7 PM CT.  The Commodores are coming off a 4-8 season, but that's better than the Gamecocks, who went 3-9 (and 1-7 in the Southeastern Conference) with a loss to The Citadel.  This will be the first game for new South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp.

While 2016 will mark the fifth consecutive Thursday night opener for the Commodores, this will be the first time since the launch of the SEC Network two years ago that the game will be carried on ESPN.  That's a salient fact in terms of national exposure, as relatively fewer households outside the Southeast have access to the SEC Network on their cable package.  Hopefully the Commodores can take advantage of the additional exposure by notching a win to open the season.

Derek Mason's first year at Vanderbilt produced a vast quantity of horrifying images (Stephen Rivers, anyone?) and some considerable improvements, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, still led to only a 4-8 record -- albeit one that included a pair of two-point losses and a coulda/shoulda/woulda game at South Carolina.  There were really only three games last season in which the Commodores were truly uncompetitive (granted, it's not a good sign that all three of those came late in the season.)

So what do the Commodores need to do to get to 6-6 next year?  It's not going to be easy, but it's doable.  Here is Vanderbilt's 2016 football schedule; projected S&P+ ratings are from this post.

Date	Opponent	S&P+
9/1	South Carolina	63
9/10	Middle Tennessee	90
9/17	at Georgia Tech	54
9/24	at Western Kentucky	45
10/1	Florida	19
10/8	at Kentucky	83
10/15	at Georgia	15
10/22	Tennessee State	NR
11/5	at Auburn	24
11/12	at Missouri	47
11/19	Ole Miss	7
11/26	Tennessee	9

So here are the key points:

• Beat Tennessee State. Duh.  Tennessee State was a 4-6 FCS team in 2015, so if Mason can't win that game, he has no business coaching in the SEC.
• Beat South Carolina and Middle Tennessee. While I hate to label games as "must-win," there is probably no realistic scenario in which Vanderbilt can lose either of these two games and get to 6-6.  Depending on how much Vanderbilt has improved going into next season, the Commodores might be able to win four or more of the remaining games on the schedule.  But since these also double as Vanderbilt's first two opponents, let's just go ahead and say that if Vandy can't win these two games, they're probably not "vastly improved" over last season (*unless either South Carolina or MTSU is far better than they were last year.)
• Win three of these six games: at Georgia Tech, at Western Kentucky, Florida, at Kentucky, at Missouri, Tennessee. I'm tempted to say that Kentucky is a "must-win," but (a) the game is in Lexington, and (b) while Kentucky is assumed to be worse than last year, who knows, they could be salty.  As for the rest, Georgia Tech is coming off an uncharacteristic 3-9 year, Western Kentucky loses their quarterback, Missouri has a new coach, and Florida and Tennessee come to Nashville.

If there's a negative to the 2016 schedule, it's that Vanderbilt really has only one "sure" win.  If the Commodores regress at all -- or even if they just get a lot of bad bounces -- then 2-10 is a very real possibility, and 2-10 means Mason is almost certainly done.

The positive is that there also aren't many truly unwinnable games on the schedule; I didn't include Georgia, Auburn, or Ole Miss on the list above, but Georgia has a new coach, Auburn is still reeling a bit from last year, and at least Ole Miss comes to Nashville.  So if Vanderbilt sees some improvement on the offensive side of the ball and maybe gets a few bounces to go their way, 6-6 (or better) is very realistic.  But the first part of that sentence is the open question, and whether it gets solved will go a long way in deciding whether Derek Mason will be in Nashville for a while -- or if he's going to be a defensive coordinator in 2017.

David Williams's favorite kind of fuel must be charcoal, because the Commodore Director of Athletics certainly enjoys a slow burn. More than three years after Vanderbilt and North Carolina State squared off in the 2012 Music City Bowl, Williams finally booked a rematch. The university announced on Tuesday Vandy and NC State would square off on the gridiron in 2026 and 2028.

Vandy is 2-0 all time against NC State. The 'Dores beat the Wolfpack 7-0 back in 1946 and 38-24 in the aforementioned Music City Bowl. The two teams have never met outside of Nashville.

The Wolfpack are the latest addition to Vanderbilt's list of non-conference Power 5 opponents. NC State joins other ACC foes Georgia Tech (2016) and Wake Forest (2022, 2023) on the Commodores' future schedules. AfterTuesday's announcement, the 'Dores have Power 5 teams lined up in each of the next 14 seasons except for 2018.

Williams also announced two more FCS opponents to make the trip to Nashville in the coming years. Vanderbilt will face Alabama A&M in 2017 before hosting a pair of games against East Tennessee State in 2019 and 2021. It will be the first time the Commodores play either team.

Here's how Vanderbilt's non-conference schedule looks from 2016 to 2029.

Year	Opponent
2016	Middle Tennessee
	Georgia Tech
	Western Kentucky
	Tennessee State
2017	Middle Tennessee
	Kansas State
	Western Kentucky
	Alabama A&M
2018	Middle Tennessee
	Tennessee State
2019	Purdue
	Northern Illinois
	East Tennessee State
2020	Kansas State
	Mercer
2021	Stanford
	Houston
	East Tennessee State
2022	Northern Illinois
	Wake Forest
2023	Wake Forest
2024	Stanford
	Georgia State
2025	Stanford
	Georgia State
2026	North Carolina State
2027	Stanford
2028	North Carolina State
2029	Purdue