No one extends the time frame of something quite like the SEC. The media days event, which could easily be done in three days, goes four days this week because…well, because they want it to. Leaving lengthy gaps between coaches on stage means it just goes longer for the SEC. Here are some observations from Day One in Atlanta.
SEC Media Days: It Just Means Longer
Sankey Speaks
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey talked about the new rules and finances that come as a result of the House v. NCAA settlement. The revenue sharing and other elements began on July 1st.
“It doesn’t mean everything works perfectly in the first two weeks of settlement implementation,” Sankey said Monday. “There have been plenty of naysayers the last 14 days. But the settlement went into effect July 1st. And we are here July 14th while working through historic and transformational change.”
Sankey added that this kind of change tends to have moments where “It will get messy.”
Calling Lane Kiffin
It would not be hard for Sankey to find one of the naysayers. They were in the same room for part of the day. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin spent much of his time on stage talking about the rule-breaking going on under the new system, and the lack of likelihood that there will be enforcement. “It’s obvious people are not staying within the cap,” Kiffin said of the $20.3 million amount allowed for revenue sharing.” He later added, “If the system isn’t really solid enough to prevent it (the violation of rules), you don’t really have a system.”
Kiffin was also asked about the high number of new quarterbacks in the league. He answered that it shows which schools are paying big money.
Friendly Note From Lane
Seemingly, few people seem to enjoy the podium time less than Kiffin. For all of the liveliness he shows on social media, you can’t get him to crack a smile during the Q&A with the media at SEC Media Days. He did, however, answer a question about another SEC coach with a friendly note. “I like Hugh Freeze.”
If that seems obscure to you, do a search for Hugh Freeze golf game, and you will understand the ironic tone.
Timing Is Everything
Maybe these events are really longer than other conferences. Maybe they just feel longer. Greg Sankey’s opening “State of the Conference” speech, along with the media Q&A, was an hour long. That’s not to suggest that there isn’t plenty of news for Sankey to cover, but it’s not like he lacks media exposure either. LSU coach Brian Kelly gave an opening statement that lasted 10 minutes. South Carolina’s Shane Beamer’s was just shy of 15 minutes.
In retrospect, maybe the path of the late Mike Leach was underappreciated. He always skipped any opening statement and just went straight to the media questions.
Beamer Wants Enforcement Teeth
The South Carolina coach was in lock step with Sankey’s stand on the newness of the new structure in college sports. “Let’s give this thing time to work,” the Gamecocks coach said. But he also said he wants enforcement of the new rules to have some real strength behind it. “That what we say is going to be enforced,” he said, suggesting that he wants to see some rules with teeth.
Eight, Nine
The numbers are the topic now also, as in the number of games. Sankey indicated that he believes the issue of whether the SEC plays eight conference games or moves up to nine is not as easy as the media makes it out to be.
Sankey stood by the working theory that even with just eight conference games, the SEC has a tougher strength of schedule paradigm than do the other conferences. “I don’t believe there’s anyone looking to swap their conference schedule, and its opponents, with the opponents played by Southeastern Conference teams and our schedule, be it eight or nine.”
That having been said, Sankey said he is not opposed to looking at moving to nine games. He added that the key is in the timing of the decision, because it would require getting out of contracts with out-of-conference opponents.
12,14,16
Sankey also said, without naming names, that Big 10 Commissioner Tony Petitti is now the only one of the Power Four commissioners in favor of a 4-4-2-2-2-1 college football playoff format with four bids guaranteed to both the SEC and the Big 10. Sankey said he can see the virtue of the 5-11 format, with the conference champions being the only guaranteed spots.
To that, Sankey added that while he wants to see expansion for the sake of more schools being able to compete for a championship, he does have a preference for 14 teams or 16 teams, and could be satisfied with staying at the current 12-team format if an agreement is not reached soon.
Coach Speak of the Day
We have multiple winners on Monday.
Kelly gives us a “twofer,” two for the price of one. Of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, Kelly said, “He wants to be coached hard,” going straight to the first chapter of the coaching cliché book.
And in his prolonged opening statement, Kelly talked about the community culture surrounding the LSU sports programs. “I’m much more interested in the significance of what we do than the success.” It’s an admirable standpoint. And there are plenty of unemployed coaches whose success did not measure up to the significance.
And then there is Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, who hit us with, “Success is seldom linear.” Um, ok.
Day two on Tuesday will have Auburn, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee.
Main Image: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
