If you’re the Southeastern Conference and you’re about to come into a hefty chunk of newfound cash, how would you spend it?  Well, if you’re smart, you’d invest some of that cash back into the product.

Turns out, that’s exactly what the SEC plans to do with some of its new television, playoff, and bowl money.

While the SEC continues to lead the nation in college football attendance, there’s no denying the fact that attendance is dropping across the conference.  For four straight years the SEC’s average attendance has fallen.  In response, the SEC has created what it’s calling the “Working Group on Fan Experience.”

The group plans to tackle issues involving the in-stadium experience.  That means showing more in-game replays (the league began doing so last year), improving cell phone and Wi-Fi coverage in and around stadiums, and finding ways to lure students back into SEC stadiums.

According to a report by CBSSports.com’s Tony Barnhart, the secondary ticket market (StubHub, for example) and the quality of games on teams’ schedules will also be hot topics for the SEC’s special panel.  Some of the topics will also involve pricey solutions.

The cost of improving Wi-Fi, for example, will run about $2 million per stadium.  “Our next generation of fans is used to staying connected,” Tennessee AD Dave Hart told Barnhart.  “They should be able to communicate in real time with somebody on the other side of the stadium.  It’s quite an investment but we have to make it.”

The most direct route to improved attendance is a strengthened home schedule, of course.  Florida AD Jeremy Foley said: “There once was a day when every single seat for every single game would be full.  But those days are gone.  If it’s a big SEC Game we don’t have a problem.  But if it’s not a big game we are concerned.”

Ironically, the chairman of the SEC’s new task force is Mississippi State AD Scott Stricklin, a man who’s been against going to a nine-game conference schedule.  While his Bulldogs will play Oklahoma State this season in Houston — kudos — he has in the past stated that some programs — meaning his — need to schedule plenty of lesser opponents during the rebuilding process.  That kind of thinking won’t help SEC schools at the turnstile.

While Stricklin recognizes the problem, it’s likely he’ll focus on in-game experience issues rather than the obvious solution — better games.

“What is the real attitude of our fan base?” he asked Barnhart.  “We know about all these issues, but what are the real world solutions?  Soft attendance is something we’ve been dealing with a few years.  We have to get a handle on this now.”

One suggestion that we at MrSEC.com would make — and we’ve made it before — is that schools should refurbish their stadiums and decrease the number of seats in the process.  The average fan is being priced out of most games anyway.  High-definition television at home has become a good alternative to fighting traffic and spending money to see a team beat up on an FCS foe.

To combat that, successful programs could actually decrease seating capacity, create in-game experiences that can’t be found at home (“impact seating,” really good food, sports bars, in-game apps that can only be used inside stadiums, etc) and increase ticket price.  If a stadium can’t be filled up, cut down on seating and make the seats that are available more valuable.

Some schools are already removing bench and chair-back seating to make room for new lounge and club boxes.  Expect that trend to continue moving forward.

While the best fix for declining attendance is better scheduling, the SEC deserves credit for at least attempting to study this problem and find solutions for it.  Whether the league will be successful in its quest is anyone’s guess.

It’s possible, after all, that tomorrow’s sports fans — kids who’ve grown up inside their own bubbles staring into smartphone screens — won’t have the same desire as their grandpaps to fight crowds and attend events in person.  We’re talking about a generation that’s become accustomed to watching movies and sporting events on tiny handheld screens.  If the next generation of fans finds that kind of “experience” satisfactory, the SEC may have to work miracles if it wants to draw those people to an expensive, packed stadium on a Saturday afternoon.

When it comes to Las Vegas sports gambling, the LVH SuperBook is as hardcore as you can get.  The book boasts some of the best lines in the desert, including plenty of halftime and mid-game lines all in a massive arena-sized environment.

One of the guys here at MrSEC.com swears by the LVH (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton).  He’ll hardly go anywhere else.  (Personally, I’m more of a Bellagio sportsbook man.  Comfortable seats, a big venue but not too big, and very few gamblers who look like they’ve been trapped in the place since 1964.)

At any rate, the LVH SuperBook has updated its BCS Championship futures odds to reflect the fact that Notre Dame will be without quarterback Everett Golson in 2013.  The odds on the Irish dropped from 30-1 to 50-1 after this weekend’s announcement.

As for the other schools favored to be in the championship mix, a whopping six of the to eight teams on the LVH board play ball in the SEC.  Here’s a look at the odds for the book’s top 10, as well as for some additional SEC squads:

1.  Alabama 5-2

2.  Ohio State 6-1

3.  Oregon 7-1

4.  Georgia 10-1

5.  Texas A&M 12-1

6t.  LSU 15-1

6t.  South Carolina 15-1

6t.  Florida 15-1

9.  Stanford 18-1

10.  Clemson 25-1

Arkansas 300-1

Tennessee 300-1

Vanderbilt 500-1

Missouri 500-1

Ole Miss 500-1

Auburn 1000-1

Mississippi State 1000-1

And if you want to bet Kentucky, you’ve got to put your money on “the field” at 30-1 odds.  (Of course, according to the folks who set the lines for Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the Wildcats are the runaway 5-1 favorite to win next year’s NCAA basketball tournament.  So they’ve got that going for them.)

Someone might want to alert Bob Stoops and Charlie Weis that Texas and Oklahoma State are the favorites coming out of the Big XII at 30-1 odds.

File this under “No Surprise.”  Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart wants no part of an expanded, nine-game conference schedule:

“Nine games is not something we favor.  I do not think a nine-game schedule would serve Kentucky well…

History says it’s very difficult for us to have the level of depth, the second, third, fourth lines of players, that some of the other schools in our league have just as a means of their in-state recruiting situations.  When we have to play a long line of league games, it’s a grind, our teams can get beaten up physically.  It’s better for us, for our players, when the schedule allows us to have some so-called breathers, so that our kids can sort of restore themselves physically in-season.”

Translation: “We’re weak.  We know we’re weak.  We don’t foresee a day when we’ll be strong.  So we need cupcakes on the schedule.”

Barnhart isn’t the only AD in the league to make comments like this.  Mississippi State’s Scott Stricklin has said that his school needs pastries, too (though we send kudos to MSU for taking on Oklahoma State this year).  Vanderbilt coach James Franklin has said he’s against a nine-game schedule, too.

Simply put, you can be sure that most of the traditional non-powers in the SEC hope to avoid a nine-game schedule.  OK.  They have their reasons.  Everyone wants to win games and everyone wants to go to a bowl game.

But do any fans really want to hear their school’s athletic director say that their program has to have “breathers” in order to win and reach those bowl games?  Where’s the ambition in that?  Where’s the confidence?

Laugh if you like, but any school can win.  If Kentucky had beaten Alabama to the punch and hired Nick Saban in 2007 is there anyone out there who doesn’t believe UK would be competing for SEC titles today?  In addition, it should be left to the fans to make the “we’ve got no in-state talent” argument.  Barnhart’s job is to find someone who can recruit kids from inside and outside the Bluegrass State.  That’s the lay of the land.  It can be done.  Some of UK’s SEC neighbors have proven it can be done.

In terms of NFL draft picks produced by SEC states, Tennessee and Arkansas rank at the bottom of the SEC along with Kentucky.  Tossing out Ivy League schools, Tennessee is one of the 10 winningest programs in the country all-time.  Arkansas is in the all-time top 20 for victories.  No in-state talent?  Recruit out of state.

Hey, we get that Kentucky doesn’t have the tradition or the recruiting base of some of its rivals.  But an athletic director admitting that his school can’t succeed without “breathers” and patsies?  Sorry.  That’s just not what an SEC athletic director should be saying.

A report surfaced at the end of March indicating Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy nearly took the job at Tennessee in December.  Gundy even told Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com, “At some point, that’s where we thought we were going to go.”  In the end, Gundy decided to stay and Tennessee hired Butch Jones but that hasn’t stopped questions about it.

Why did Gundy reveal details about something that didn’t happen? Here’s what he told a group of local reporters in Oklahoma.

“What I have tried to do is just be as up front and honest as possible. And the truth of the matter is what I said (in the CBS piece). And that’s really the easiest way for me to handle it, because there is nothing really else to say.

“I can’t make something up. I just basically will say, ‘This is what happens and this is the way it is and go on down the road.”

Reports and rumors had linked Gundy to the coaching searches not only at Tennessee but Arkansas as well. He was asked if either school made an official job offer.

“I really would rather not comment, for respect out of both schools. There are conversations that go on with those situations that are private …

“But I think what I would say is I was treated very well by both schools. They were very up front and honest, and (we had) very positive discussions that actually can help us here.”

One of the reasons Gundy reportedly considered leaving Oklahoma State was over tougher non-conference schedules. According to Fowler, Gundy believed the tougher schedules  didn’t maximize the team’s chances of winning a national title.

Florida vs Florida Gulf Coast Friday night in NCAA Tournament basketball…Winner plays in Elite Eight On Sunday
Sophomore Arkansas guard BJ Young announced via twitter on Thursday he plans to enter the NBA draft.
South Carolina’s Bruce Ellington says he will again play both football and basketball for the Gameocks next fall
Injuries along the offensive line have Ole Miss running out bodies in spring practice…four freshmen linemen will join the Rebels in the fall
Kentucky linebacker Alvin “Bud” Dupree moving to defensive end
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy admits he nearly took the Tennessee job in December…disagreed with OSU AD over scheduling issues
Stay up to date with SEC news year-round at MrSEC.com and on Twitter at Twitter.com/mrsec

SEC Football

1. Johnny Manziel’s parents are shopping for insurance on their son.  NCAA sponsored program provides up to $5 million in coverage.

2. Still red tape left to make it official, but Jason Jones from Oklahoma State will be the new cornerbacks coach at Ole Miss. “The main thing that stands out about his stop at Oklahoma State is how successful he was with defensive back recruits.”

3. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is close to filling out his support staff, which features three former high school coaches.  ”Being a former high school coach, that’s very important to me. Just trying to give some of these guys some opportunities to be in the same situation I am some day.”

4. South Carolina is having to replace all three starting linebackers from last year’s team.  Linebackers coach Kirk Botkin: “There are no starters right now.”

5. Steve Spurrier likes what he sees from wide receiver Shamier Jeffrey: “He’s fit, he can run faster, can catch the ball and I think he’s going to be a real player for us.”

6. Five starters are gone from the front seven of the Texas A&M defense.  Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder: “We got a lot of young guys — a bunch of new guys.”

7. Josh Harvey-Clemons is expected to see time at both safety and linebacker for Georgia this spring. Mark Richt: “Can he play some outside linebacker? Yeah, we think so. Can he play some safety? We think so too.”

8. Richt likes what he sees from linebacker James DeLoach: “He’s in tremendous condition; he’s a great athlete.”

9. Spring practice gets underway at Alabama on March 16.  Coach Nick Saban: “I really like where our team is, how they’ve worked during the offseason conditioning program.”

10. Positive things about Tennessee football start with the offensive line -  ”four seniors, 123 combined career starts and a likely NFL first-round draft pick at left tackle.”

11. Western Kentucky coach Bobby Petrino is getting ready for two SEC opponents to start the season: “You don’t really know what to expect from Kentucky. You don’t really know what to expect from Tennessee…”

12. Corey Lemonier gets a lot of questions from the NFL about Auburn’s worst season in 60 years.  “I basically told them that coming into the season we had a dark cloud over our heads with the shooting and players getting arrested, and we didn’t have the talent to matchup with teams in the SEC.”

13. Jeremy Fowler: “A college head coach told me he heard from an SEC school that’s hiring staffers to do one thing: Text top recruits 100-150 times per day.”  Planning for call centers in India?

14. Dennis Dodd says hate is the wrong emotion to express for new recruiting rules: “It should be fear. Fear of what Alabama could do with the relaxed recruiting rules.”

NFL Draft Prospects

15. Five former SEC stars under pressure to perform at pro days.

16. At Auburn’s pro day on Tuesday, running back Onterio McCalebb ran an unofficial 4.29 forty-yard dash.  Weighed in at 169 pounds.

17. Mississippi State pro day today.  Former MSU receiver Chad Bumphis says his trainer refuses to show him his forty-time.  “They won’t tell me. They say I’m getting better.”

18. Former Missouri wide receiver T.J. Moe chronicles his NFL Combine experience.  ”The funny thing is that no doctor trusts the others.”

SEC Basketball

19. With the victory last night against Alabama, Ole Miss moves to 11-6 in conference. coach Andy Kennedy gets $100,000 for winning more than 10 conference games and receives $25,000 for every victory over 10.

20. Head-scratching and disappointing performance from Mike Anderson’s team at Missouri last night.  ”Here’s the thing that just doesn’t make sense: Arkansas was playing for their tournament lives.”

21. Missouri center Alex Oriakhi on the intensity exhibited by coach Frank Haith last night: “I looked at him on the sideline and I didn’t really recognize him.”

22. Vanderbilt at Florida. Senior Night in Gainesville for Kenny Boynton, Erik Murphy and Mike Rosario.  Could be first Gators class to win two outright SEC titles.

23. Tennessee travels Auburn tonight.  A win won’t do much for Tennessee – but a loss to the 9-20 Tigers would be devastating for their NCAA tournament hopes.

24. Conference tournaments are underway and for bubble teams like Tennessee – they could have huge implications.

25. Georgia will host Kentucky Thursday night.  Georgia’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope one of only 11 Division I players to reach double-digits in points every game this year.

26. LSU travels to Texas A&M tonight.  Depending on how things shake out, Tigers could be seeded as high as No. 6 in the SEC Tournament but could be as low as No. 11.

27. South Carolina has a shot at ending .500 in basketball but it won’t be easy.  If not, Gamecocks will finish with fourth-straight losing season.

28. If the season ended today - here’s what the conference tournament seedings would look like. (PDF).

29. Thanks to a gift from an alum - Mississippi State will spend $500,000 to renovate the men’s locker room.

30. Kentucky basketball documentary debuting March 17th on TruTV.

Extras

32. The 10 most-despised college basketball players of all-time.

33. Steve Sarkisian is 26-25 in four seasons at Washington, but he’s reportedly the highest-paid football coach in the Pac-12.

34. How much does ESPN generate in cable fee revenue?  In 2014, projected to be more than $7 billion.

35. What do you get when you combine Sons of Anarchy with Alabama football?  Sons of Saban, of course.

According to multiple reports, Oklahoma State secondary coach Jason Jones is about to join Hugh Freeze’s staff at Ole Miss.  Jones would replace defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff who left the Rebels for a spot on the New Orleans Saints’ staff a week ago.

Jones has been at OSU under Mike Gundy since 2008.  He was a two-year starter at safety for Alabama in the late-90s.

Tennessee has a new running backs coach. Head coach Butch Jones announced Friday night that West Virginia running backs coach Robert Gillespie has been hired to replace Jay Graham, who departed for Florida State.

“Coach Gillespie brings a vast knowledge of the SEC, having been part of it as both a player and a coach,” Jones said. In addition to coaching at West Virginia, Gillespie has spent time at South Carolina and Oklahoma State.  Jay Graham replaced Gillespie at South Carolina when he left for Oklahoma State.  Gillespie played his college ball at Florida, rushing for more than 1,800 yards from 1998 to 2001.

In addition to Gillespie, Tennessee also interviewed Georgia assistant Tony Ball.  Georgia A.D. Greg McGarity confirmed Friday night that Ball interviewed with Tennessee but is staying with the Bulldogs.  Footballscoop.com reported Friday night that Ball had “accepted UGA’s counter.”  Current Tennessee assistant coaches John Jancek and Willie Martinez had spent time on the Georgia staff with Ball, who has coached the Bulldogs wide receivers the past four seasons.

Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell from Crete-Monee High School in Crete, Ill., has committed to Ole Miss.

The nation’s No. 1 wide receiver according to ESPN chose Ole Miss over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

“The recruiting process was something I took very seriously, but had a lot of fun with,” Treadwell said, according to ESPN. “I took my time in the process so I could make the right choice for myself.”

Treadwell’s interest in Ole Miss was strengthened by the presence of former Crete-Monee standout Anthony Standifer, who plays defensive back for Ole Miss. He signed with the Rebels last February.

Treadwell’s commitment is the start of what’s expected to be a strong finish to the class of 2013 for Ole Miss. The Rebels are recruiting several highly-touted prospects, including the nation’s No. 1 prospect, defensive end Robert Nkemdiche from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga.

“I wanted to be a part of something special,” Treadwell said. “The program is on the rise with the new coaching staff. (Coach Hugh Freeze) is changing the culture and I want to be a part of changing the Rebel culture.”

Ole Miss has 21 commitments for the class of 2013.

Defensive end Robert Nkemdiche from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., is close to having his official visits set.

Nkemdiche told ESPN RecruitingNation he will visit Ole Miss on Jan. 25 and plans to call LSU coach Les Miles this week to schedule a visit to Baton Rouge.

The nation’s top prospect recently narrowed his list of schools to LSU and Ole Miss. The Rebels are the leader for Nkemdiche, whose brother Denzel plays linebacker at Ole Miss.

“It would be hard to see myself not going to Ole Miss because it is a family thing,” Nkemdiche told ESPN last week. “My whole family wants me to go there. They are on the rise and doing a lot of good things.”

One of those good things has been Ole Miss’s recruitment of wide receiver Laquon Treadwell from Crede, Ill. The Rebels are considered “heavy favorites” to land the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver, according to ESPN.

Treadwell, who’s also considering Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, will announce his decision on Jan. 17.