Think there are any bitter tastes lingering at Vanderbilt because of James Franklin’s leaving for Penn State?

Well, that noise you hear is the gauntlet being thrown down from down south.

New @VandyFootball coach, Derek Mason’s message to Penn State “If James Franklin wants to play, we will play any time and place, anywhere.”

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 24, 2014

Let’s get to know Derek Mason a bit: He was most recently the defensive coordinator (technically the “Willie Shaw Director of Defense”) at Stanford from 2010-13. Prior to that, the Northern Arizona graduate coached defensive backs for the Minnesota Vikings from 2007-09, after coaching various positions at a handful of other schools.

Penn State hasn’t played an SEC opponent since Alabama at Beaver Stadium in 2011, but this seems a good a chance as any. And hey, we’re going to start playing Pitt again soon (lol), so we might as well try to add another rival.

We can even beat them with their former recruits!