As part of the SEC’s non-conference scheduling requirement for all conference members, each school’s football schedule must include at least one game against an opponent from another power conference. Vanderbilt could be working on setting something up to meet that requirement. Vanderbilt reportedly will buy its way out fo a 2018 game on the road against UMass.
Vanderbilt’s only other non-conference game currently scheduled and publicly known for the 2018 season at this point is a home game against Middle Tennessee State. Without UMass, that would leave three games to still be scheduled for the program in 2018, including one against a school from a power conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 or Notre Dame).
UMass and Vandy are no longer playing at Gillette in 2018. UMass will receive $650,000 instead
— Matt Vautour (@GazetteUMass) September 10, 2014
Vanderbilt’s only other non-conference game currently scheduled and publicly known for the 2018 season at this point is a home game against Middle Tennessee State. Without UMass, that would leave three games to still be scheduled for the program in 2018, including one against a school from a power conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 or Notre Dame).
UMass would not meet the SEC’s non-conference scheduling requirement unless the program somehow stumbles into a landing spot from the MAC to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 or Pac-12. That is obviously not going to happen. UMass and the MAC previously agreed to go their separate ways after this football season and the Minutemen are still working to figure out a long-term plan for the program.