Vanderbilt's first winless football season ends after Georgia game canceled because of COVID-19
Vanderbilt's historically frustrating 2020 football season — its first with a winless record — is over after Saturday's game at Georgia was canceled.
It was supposed to be Vanderbilt's season finale in Athens, Georgia. The game already had been postponed once because of COVID-19 on the Commodores' roster.
Instead, the game won't be played at all, once again because of COVID-19 in Vanderbilt's program. The Commodores had only 49 scholarship players available in last week's 42-17 loss to Tennessee.
According to a Vanderbilt news release, the football team lacked the squad size and position availability to meet the SEC's recommended minimums. The game was declared a no-contest.
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Now Vanderbilt turns its focus to the future under Clark Lea, who was hired as the new coach. He is a Nashville native, former Vanderbilt player and Notre Dame's defensive coordinator.
Vanderbilt finished with a 0-9 record, its first season in program history without a victory. However, it came under unique circumstances against only SEC opponents.
Coach Derek Mason was fired on Nov. 29 after seven seasons. Several players opted out of the season. And at least nine players entered the transfer portal since the end of spring practice.
On the positive side, quarterback Ken Seals broke Vanderbilt's freshman passing record, and Sarah Fuller snagged the national spotlight as the first woman to score in a Power Five college football game.
Now Lea will start assembling a staff and trying to solidify the recruiting class with the early signing period beginning Wednesday.
Report: SMU out of Frisco Bowl
SMU won't be able to play in the Frisco Bowl against Texas-San Antonio because of contact tracing issues related to COVID-19, according to 247 Sports.
The San Antonio Express-News reports that UTSA will instead accept an invitation to the First Responder Bowl against an opponent to be named.
That bowl is scheduled to be played Dec. 26 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, where SMU plays.