Is Derek Mason on the hot seat? Our overlords at SB Nation don't seem to think so. The second-year Commodore coach escaped a mention in their examination of FBS heads that could be fired unless they make major gains in 2015.
But while Mason's chair won't ignite this fall, he'll still be under plenty of scrutiny. Expectations are low in Nashville. ESPN has made the Commodores their default #14 pick for nearly every SEC ranking they can come up with. If they fail to exceed the incredibly shallow standard set upon them, discussions about firing the Vanderbilt coach will pop up on talk radio across the state for minutes at a time before being shoved aside for tirades about how great Butch Jones's recruiting classes are and whether or not Bruce Pearl should come back to Knoxville.