Don’t tell Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops that the SEC is special.  When discussing the gap between the Southeastern Conference and his own league, the Big XII, on Monday, the Sooners’ coach had this to say:

“Well, it depends on what gap you’re talking about.  What are the bottom six doing?

… So they’ve had the best team in college football.  They haven’t had the whole conference.  Because, again, half of ‘em haven’t done much at all.  I’m just asking you.  You tell me...

So you’re listening to a lot of propaganda that gets fed out to you.  You’re more than smart enough to figure it out.  Again, you can look at the top two, three, four, five, six teams, and you can look at the bottom six, seven, eight, whatever they are.  How well are they all doing?”

This is the new argument for folks outside the SEC.  “Well, it’s really just a few schools that are good.”  Unfortunately, that’s a hollow argument.  Here’s why:

Has everyone in the SEC won a championship during the BCS era?  No, but five teams have… which is more than double the number of title-winning teams any other league has produced in recent years.  That seems like a rather sizable gap.

Obviously, no league can have 14 schools all win in a given year.  League-mates beat up on one another.  But top to bottom — that’s top to bottom – the SEC dominates everyone else come bowl season, sending more teams to bowls and winning almost 60% of those games.

Traditionally speaking, the bottom programs of the SEC have been Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt.  Last season, Vandy beat the ACC’s North Carolina State in a bowl game.  The Commodores have won two bowls and been to three since 2008.

Last season, Ole Miss beat the Big East’s Pittsburgh in a bowl game.  The Rebels also won a pair of Cotton Bowls over Big XII teams Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Last season, Mississippi State fell to Northwestern (Big Ten) in its bowl, but the Bulldogs have won their other two bowls since 2009 beating Michigan (Big Ten) and Wake Forest (ACC).

Kentucky has fallen on hard times in recent years, but the Wildcats have been to five bowls since the 2006 season and won three of them (over Clemson, Florida State and East Carolina).

And speaking of the Wildcats, perhaps Mark Stoops can clue his brother in on the dangers of the SEC when he runs the league’s gauntlet for the first time this fall.  Though Brother Bob should already know all about the SEC.  He’s lost to both LSU and Florida in BCS Championship Games.

SEC/NCAA News

1. Auburn president Jay Gogue on allegations surrounding the program: ”When you get in and begin to do all your careful reviews and analyze everything said, we didn’t find anything.”

2. Remember those proposed new NCAA rules that would have allowed unlimited communication between coaches and recruits?  They’ve been suspended and academic standards won’t be raised in 2016.

3. Don’t expect the college football playoff committee to have its members anytime soon.  Executive director Bill Hancock: “We want to be deliberate.”

SEC Football

4. Possible motive in the bar fight involving LSU running back Jeremy Hill?  Attorney says Hill was heckled about past legal trouble.  Search continues for second suspect –  not believed to be LSU football player. Update: Second person arrested.

5. LSU-Wisconsin in Houston in 2014?  Not so fast.  ”Nothing has been finalized.”

6. Nick Saban on why he wants the SEC to adopt a nine-game conference schedule: “I personally feel like strength of schedule is going to be a real important thing in the future.”

7. Auburn president Jay Gogue also likes the nine-game idea. “I’d be one of those that would be supportive.”

8. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has already starting watching game tape on the Tigers first opponent, Washington State.

9. Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace has resumed throwing - coming of shoulder surgery in January.

10. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel picks up his Manning Award trophy. Archie Manning:  ”Thanks a hell of a lot, Johnny.” NFL general manager on Manziel – He’s “more like a Brett Favre.  He’s got some cowboy in him.”

11. Athlon asks the question – will the Missouri Tigers make a bowl game this season?

12. Florida coach Will Muschamp on running back Matt Jones: “He attacked the offseason. He’s up over 230 pounds. He looks great.”

13. Gators linebacker Ronald Powell cleared for a full return in August after undergoing two ACL surgeries on his knee in the past year.

14. What does Tennessee coach Butch Jones look at on a transcript? Tardiness and absences. “That tells me everything I need to know.”

15. Former Tennessee coach Johnny Majors on Jones: “His practices have great tempo, they’re organized to the hilt and there’s nobody standing around.”

SEC Network

16. Analyst on the distribution challenges awaiting the new network:  ”I think it all comes down to how you price it. But I would say it’s going to take them a long time to get off the ground.”

17. Mike Slive on having the network headquartered in North Carolina.   “I’m delighted to have a presence in North Carolina.” Care to elaborate? “No. I don’t need to.”

18. Tony Barnhart: “Slive cemented his legacy as one of the impactful commissioners in the history of college athletics with Thursday’s announcement.”

19. David Climer: “It’s good to be the king.”

20. Kentucky coach John Calipari on the impact the network will have on basketball.  “From teams seven to 14, those teams now have a chance to recruit, because they will get fully exposed.”

SEC Basketball

21. The mother of Alabama basketball player Devonta Pollard charged with kidnapping a six-year old girl.

22. Florida’s non-conference schedule includes Kansas, Memphis and Wisconsin.

23. Missouri will reportedly play in Las Vegas in November. 

24. Ole Miss still looking to fill one scholarship spot.

Extras

25. Columnist: “Big Ten football in its current state is a fraud.”

26. With Notre Dame playing Arizona State at Cowboys Stadium, the Fighting Irish have their eyes on Texas recruits.  Coach Brian Kelly: ”There’s no question that when you talk about playing here at Cowboys Stadium, that gets every recruit’s attention.”

27. Texas coach Mack Brown is handing out rings.

28. World War II veterans of the Normandy Invasion get to meet Kentucky Derby horse Normandy Invasion.

SEC Football

1. Baton Rouge police report: “Cell phone video shows LSU running back Jeremy Hill punching a man from behind and then celebrating with high fives when a second unidentified man knocked the victim out with another punch.”

2. Former Florida State quarterback Clint Trickett picks West Virginia.  Had considered transferring to Auburn.

3. Because his style of play is what the NFL craves, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel “must strike now,” according to Matt Hayes of The Sporting News.

4. Manziel and the Aggies offense will be the focus of many SEC coaches over the summer.

5. Meet DJ Double R, the man providing the soundtrack for Texas A&M football.

6. Georgia coach Mark Richt on offensive line play: I’d rather have five guys that are in sync…. than three of them that are superstars and two guys that can’t play.”

7. How Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen’s 2009 recruiting class fared – compared to Ole Miss.

8. What the NFL draft says about the Arkansas program.

9. Auburn defense end Dee Ford led the team in sacks in 2012 and defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson likes what he saw this spring: ”He is our best and, at this point, our only pass rusher that is giving us the kind of pass rush we’ve got to get to be successful.”

10. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron will be the honorary pace car driver at the Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.

11. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and former player Sterling Sharpe the best SEC golfers at the Chik-fil-A Bowl challenge.

SEC Basketball

12. Former Rutgers guard Eli Carter is transferring to Florida.  Averaged 14.9 points per game last year before breaking his leg. Seeking a waiver to allow him to be on the 2013-2014 roster.

13. One incoming -one outgoing for the Gators.   Guard Braxton Ogbueze is leaving.

14. Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson – preseason All-American candidate?

15. Georgia and Georgia Tech scheduled to play on November 15th. In a series that dates back to 1905, the two teams have never met that early in the season.

SEC/College News

16. Expect the committee organized to review Auburn athletics to file a report “in a few weeks.”

17. An attorney vs. attorney dispute that’s generating attention from the NCAA and the NFL.

18. Which conference won realignment?  I doubt you’ll be surprised by the answer.

Extras

19. 15 candidates to be on the stage at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall for next year’s NFL draft.

20. A Tennessee State football player collapsed on the practice field and later died. Now his parents are suing the university for wrongful death.

The NFL draft wrapped up Saturday in New York with a series of record-setting performances by the SEC.

* Of the 254 players drafted, 63 were from the SEC.  That’s the most by a conference in a single draft ever.

* Those 63 players represent 25% of the entire draft.  But as much emphasis as there is on quantity, there’s an ever greater one on quality.  The SEC dominated the first three rounds of the draft with 32 of 97 picks.  That’s just under 33% of what the NFL considers the best talent available.

* Four schools from the SEC – Alabama, LSU, Florida and Georgia – combined for 34 draft picks.  That’s more than any single conference.

*The ACC came in second at 31.  That makes it the greatest disparity in picks between the two top conferences in any draft.  

* Alabama and LSU had the most picks from the conference with nine each.  Florida and Georgia with eight each and South Carolina with seven followed closely behind.

* Every SEC school with the exception of Ole Miss had at least one player selected in this year’s draft. Kentucky and Auburn had one apiece.  For Auburn, that’s only two selections in the last two years – the worst stretch for the Tigers since the early 1950′s.

Some Saturday highlights:

Alabama. Crimson Tide had five players – Nico Johnson, Barrett Jones, Jesse Williams, Quinton Dial and Michael Williams - selected Saturday.  34 Alabama players have been drafted in the last five years.  That’s more draft selections than the previous ten years.

Arkansas. Three of the four Razorback selections took place Saturday.  Quarterback Tyler Wilson is headed to the Oakland Raiders (4th round), wide receiver Cobi Hamilton was taken by Cincinnati (6th round)  while  tight end Chris Gragg was picked by the Buffalo Bills (7th round).

Auburn.  There was more activity in the free agent market for Auburn than in the draft, including tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen signing with the St. Louis Rams and running back Onterio McCalebb expected to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals.  Corey Lemonier (3rd round) was Auburn’s sole draft selection.

Florida. Four Gators were drafted on Saturday.  Three of them -  outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins in the fourth round and tailback Mike Gillislee and kicker Caleb Sturgis in the fifth round – are headed to the Miami Dolphins. The only one not drafted by Miami will also stay in the state.  Safety Josh Evans was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the first pick of the sixth round. Six undrafted  Gators sign  free-agent deals.

Georgia. Four Bulldogs were drafted Saturday. The eight total selections for Georgia tied for the most ever – equaling the output from 2002. Nose tackle Kwame Gathers, who left following his junior year, was not drafted. Gathers reportedly signed as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers.

Kentucky. The Wildcats lone draft choice was Larry Warford, picked Friday night in the third round by the Detroit Lions.

LSU. The school-record nine selections for the Tigers included eight LSU juniors who departed the program early.

Mississippi State. Defensive tackle Josh Boyd became the Bulldogs third selection of the draft when he was taken by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round. Wide receiver Chad Bumphis and linebacker Cameron Lawrence signed free-agent deals.

Missouri. No draft activity Saturday for the Tigers. Missouri had two picks – Sheldon Richardson in the first round to the New York Jets and linebacker Zavier Gooden in the third round to the Tennessee Titans. Four Mizzou players did sign free agent contracts, including wide receiver T.J. Moe, who’s headed to New England.

Ole Miss.  Rebels didn’t have a  player drafted for the first time since 1999, but several players were quick to sign free agent deals, including former Ole Miss basketball star Murphy Holloway who signed with the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

South Carolina. Busy final draft day for the Gamecocks, who had six of their seven players drafted Saturday.  The final day haul included running back Marcus Lattimore (4th round to San Francisco) and the final pick of the draft with tight end Justice Cunningham – 2013′s Mr. Irrelevant.

Tennessee. Vols quarterback Tyler Bray goes undrafted.  He’s signing a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.  Former Tenessee tight end Mychel Rivera was drafted Saturday- taken in the sixth round by the Oakland Raiders. Defensive tackle Montori Hughes – who had  a brief career at Tennessee before finishing at UT-Martin – was selected by Indianapolis in the fifth round.

Texas A&M.  Aggies had their best draft performance since 2008 with five players taken.  Linebacker Sean Porter is headed to Cincinnati (4th round) and wide receiver Ryan Swope (6th round) was selected by Arizona.  Seven Aggies signed free-agent deals.

Vanderbilt. The Commodores two draft selections both took place Saturday.  Running back Zac Stacy is headed to the St. Louis Rams (5th round) and offensive lineman Ryan Seymour was selected by Seattle in the seventh round.

1. Tennessee running back Marlin Lane is still suspended but on the path to returning, according to coach Butch Jones. “He knows what he has to do to be reinstated at this time.”

2. Missouri quarterback James Franklin is No. 1 on the depth chart according to coach Gary Pinkel.  He’s followed by redshirt freshman Maty Mauk and redshirt sophomore Corbin Berkstresser.

3. Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace, recovering from shoulder surgery, is ahead of schedule.  Wallace will begin throwing in 10 days.“We’re real excited to get him out there and do it,” said Ole Miss coach  Hugh Freeze on today’s SEC teleconference.

4. Alabama will investigate a tweet sent from the account of former lineman D.J. Fluker.  Fluker’s agent says the account had been hacked when a tweet appeared with the words, “Yea I took $ n college so wat.”   Said Alabama coach Nick Saban, ““We’re trying to do things the right way.”

5. Multiple stories today out on the Internet about Steve Spurrier saying he voted for Jadeveon Clowney on his Heisman ballot last year. Spurrier admitted this months ago – here’s a story from December where it’s mentioned.

A little more than a month ago on the calendar, or approximately the Paleolithic era in Twitter time, Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy was on the hot seat. After his Rebels started the season 17-2, Kennedy’s Ole Miss team endured a 4-6 stretch that raised questions about the future of the coach.  But his squad caught fire late, won the SEC Tournament, beat Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament,and ended the year with 27 victories, tied for the most in school history.

Friday, Ole Miss rewarded Kennedy with a raise and an extension.  He’ll be paid $1.8 million a year through 2017, making him the league’s seventh-highest paid coach.  Ole Miss also raised the salaries for assistant coaches and support staff by 40 percent.  Kennedy had two years remaining under his old deal which paid him a base salary of $1.3 million. The Rebels lose seniors Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner but return Marshall Henderson, the SEC’s leading scorer this past season.

SEC Football

1. The Egg Bowl, Thanksgiving night, and the difference between ESPNU and ESPN for Ole Miss and Mississippi State.  “The last three years the Egg Bowl has averaged 481,000 viewers on ESPNU, while ESPN’s Thanksgiving games averaged 3.6 million viewers during that same period.”

2. Ole Miss tight end Christian Morgan has a knee injury that will require surgery – expected back for start of practice in August.

3. The Rebels have depth in receiving corps – three of the top 12 returning receivers in the SEC  and the nation’s top wide receiver prospect is coming this fall.

4. Alabama linebacker Trey Depriest was in a cast at Wednesday’s practice – underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot.

5. Auburn running back Tre Mason didn’t scrimmage Saturday and appeared to be favoring his left leg Wednesday.  Gus Malzahn: “Just want to make sure he’s 100 percent healthy before we put him back in there.”

6. Auburn wide receiver Melvin Ray left baseball for football.  L.A. Dodgers paying the tuition for the Auburn walk-on.

7. Soaring booster fees have some Florida season ticket holders upset.

8. New LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is focused on a quicker pace and quarterback Zach Mettenberger is adapting: “We’re setting the building blocks for what we’re going to go off of in August.”

9. Whoever ends up starting at quarterback for Kentucky will most likely be taking snaps from a redshirt freshman center.

10. Stamina an issue along the Georgia defensive line last year?  New line coach Chris Wilson wants to spread the snaps around.

11. Texas A&M sophomore Donnie Braggs is moving from weakside linebacker to the middle.

12. Arkansas wide receiver Mekale McKay on finding out Jim Chaney was hired as offensive coordinator: “It was a big relief off my shoulders.”

13. “Tennessee’s receivers have a LONG way to go.”

14. Profile of Alabama A.D. Bill Battle recalls his day at Tennessee, cutting edge computer analysis, and coaching against Bear Bryant.

SEC Basketball

15. Louisville fell down early against Michigan and rallied to win a title.  Florida trailed early against Michigan and wilted.  Coach Billy Donovan:  ”I’m not so sure in the Michigan game if we even deserved to win that game.”

16. Kansas coming to Gainesville next season?

17. Missouri guard Phil Pressey declared for the NBA draft yesterday.  But what if he goes undrafted? “You have to be ready for that, but I just think I’m ready. I’ve been working my tail off.”

18. Johnny O’Bryant’s decision to return to LSU helps give the Tigers plenty of options next year.

19. Seth Davis has his early 2013-2014 projections - Kentucky is No. 1. “If John Calipari also adds Andrew Wiggins, it could be the greatest freshman class ever.”

Extras

20. Lindsay Vonn at Augusta to watch boyfriend Tiger Woods.

21. Peyton Manning sends a bill to a teammate.

Turkey and eggs.  In Mississippi, nothing goes better together.

ESPN has announced that the Egg Bowl game between Ole Miss and Mississippi State this fall will be moving back to Thanksgiving night for the first time since 2003.  From 1998 through ’03, the rivalry game was a regular part of ESPN’s Turkey Day schedule.

This year’s game will be played at 7:30pm ET on November 28th.  It’s the 110th meeting between the two squads.

MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for our state’s largest football game to be played on the largest stage of a crowded football weekend.  Some of the most memorable games in Egg Bowl history have come on Thanksgiving night, and hopefully more great memories can be made for Bulldog fans on this holiday evening.”

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze shared his feelings as well: “I think it’s great for this storied rivalry to return to Thanksgiving Day.  There were so many memorable moments from our meeting on that holiday in the past, and I hope to see a big Rebel turnout in Starkville this year.”

Mississippi upset State in last year’s game 41-24 to snap a three-year Bulldog win streak in the series.

Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson announced Wednesday he will return for his senior season.

Henderson announced his decision through a letter on the school’s official website:

“First, I would like to thank the Ole Miss fans for their support this season. It was a lot of fun even though we didn’t make it to the Sweet Sixteen in L.A. It was our goal this season to get Reggie, Murph and Nick to the Big Dance and we did that. It is my goal to make next season even better.

With only nine hours left to earn my degree, I want to help build this program and that means I need to be a leader for my teammates both on and off the court. The spotlight on the court means my actions affect more than just me, and I need to show my teammates that I can be a leader for this team.

I play the game with a lot of passion, and sometimes that passion boils over. I take responsibility for my actions this season and apologize to anyone I offended. However, my edge on the court has made me the player that I am. I can’t change that, but I do understand that I can take things too far.

I have come to understand this year that I represent this team and this university, and I have to hold myself to a higher standard than people in the stands, because I am a student-athlete at Ole Miss.

Hotty Toddy,

Marshall Henderson”

Henderson’s 20.1 points per game led Ole Miss in scoring this season. But it was the personality Henderson referenced in his letter that brought him so much attention and at times criticism.

Will we see a calmer Henderson on the floor in 2013-14? It looks like we’ll find out.

Uh-oh.

It’s only 44 weeks until National Signing Day 2014.  Is your favorite SEC team in good shape?

Obviously, it’s way too early to be making any judgements about recruiting classes.  Especially when commitments made 10 months out have about as much meaning as The Beatles’ “Revolution 9.”

Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t shake the packages under the tree and dream, does it?

As always, we use Rivals’ rankings.  For every star they assign, we hand out a point.  Except we also provide a point for all 0-star prospects as, eventually, they will be scouted and graded:

Observations:

*  We said it before they joined the SEC, we said it when they joined the SEC, and we still say it now… the Aggies are sitting on a gold mine of a program at Texas A&M.  The combination of Johnny Manziel, Kevin Sumlin, and the national exposure provided by a leap to the SEC could not have been scripted any better.  Texas A&M is LSU pre-Nick Saban.  With the right coach — and that coach might be Sumlin — the Aggies should be able to run with the nation’s elite on a regular basis.

*  Florida and LSU at the top of an SEC recruiting chart?  Shocking.

*  Ole Miss took advantage — as Hugh Freeze has admitted — of a number of contacts, ties, and special circumstances that allowed them to haul in a top 10 recruiting class this past February.  But in converting those opportunities in 2013, the Rebels appear to have also turned themselves into a hot name moving towards 2014, too.

*  Tennessee seems to following in Ole Miss’ footsteps.  Butch Jones used a number of ex-Vol offspring to kickstart his 2014 recruiting push.  Now those early commitments from big name “legacies” are helping to lure in others.  UT fans would surely be happy if Jones could continue to mimic Freeze’s early successes in Oxford.

*  Based on recent history, there’s a 0% chance of Alabama and Auburn not racing up into the top four or five slots on our table by the time February rolls around.

*  Think this is an important year for Gary Pinkel at Missouri?  The Tigers disappointed last year (thanks in large part to injuries).  But Pinkel has been in Columbia for a long time and that’s rarely a good thing.  After a while, fans turn.  And when grumbling fans have to look at so-so recruiting numbers after a so-so season on the field, well, it makes for an uncomfortable offseason for coaches.