You can hand the offensive and defensive MVP trophies to Alshon Jeffery and Courtney Upshaw.  You can count on Jadeveon Clowney to be the impact freshman of the year.  And you can pencil in a South Carolina-Alabama SEC Championship Game.

At least according to SI.com’s preseason SEC predictions.  You can see their full write-up here, but their divisional predictions are as follows:

Sports Illustrated’s college football preview issue will hit the market on Thursday and a pair of SEC stars will be featured on the cover.  Alabama tailback Trent Richardson is flanked on either said by South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery and Nebraska’s Jared Crick.  Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Oklahoma’s Landry Jones are also featured on the fold-out cover.

SI ranks Alabama #1 in its preseason rankings with LSU (#3) and South Carolina (#7) also making the Top 10. 

When a college football job comes open, Urban Meyer’s name is connected to it.  When an article is written about the top candidates for jobs in 2012, Meyer’s name is on that list.

Read the internet and or turn on television or radio sports coverage and you’ll hear that it’s just a matter of time before the ex-Florida coach is back on the sidelines.

And we at MrSEC.com continue to say Meyer’s return will come later rather than sooner.

SI.com has posted a series of videos that shine light onto Meyer’s personal life.  In this clip from “Inside the Private World of Urban Meyer,” you’ll see how Meyer’s decision to walk away from football — twice in a year — impacted his wife and children.  Hint: They weren’t sad about it.

The lure of coaching is great, to be sure.  And Meyer may recharge his batteries and grab the reins at Ohio State in just a few short months.  But we think it’s more likely he’ll follow in the footsteps of fellow well-known workaholic Jon Gruden.  Rather than jump right back into coaching, the ex-Super Bowl winner has remained a broadcaster with ESPN much longer than anyone anticipated.  Don’t be surprised if Meyer doesn’t do the same.

Watch “Behind the Resignation” and we think you’ll understand why we feel the way we do.

Hope you liked yesterday’s coverage of SEC Media Days.  (If so, tell a friend.)  Today, we’ll be bringing you all of the news from Hoover, more live blogs when the coaches hit the podium, reaction from around the league, and all the other non-Media Days news items involving SEC schools.

We’ll get started with some headlines…


1.  ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” has studied the video LSU purchased from Willie Lyles last year and found that some of the players shown were already playing college football when the Tigers received the DVDs.  ESPN says there would be little value to the video.  Uh and Oh.

2.  This on the heels of Mike Slive’s “agenda for change” speech.

3.  Even Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com says Slive’s proposals are so sensible they won’t work.

4.  Slive told CBSSports.com that you can win these days without cheating.  (Obviously.  Hyperbolic question.)

5.  Here’s ESPN’s Media Days’ Notebook.

6.  Andy Staples of SI.com says Slive’s suggestions are unlikely to be implemented.

7.  Dennis Dodd of SI.com — Lord High Executioner apparently — says the media has given Steve Spurrier a pass on the Stephen Garcia situation.  (Yep, ’cause no other college player has ever boozed it up.  Somebody alert me when Garcia steals something or assaults someone.  Then this site will jump on the “run him off” bandwagon.)

8.  FoxSports.com reports “SEC to raise academic standards.”  No.  Slive proposed that all schools across the NCAA do that.  The SEC isn’t expected to got out on a limb on its own.  (Or maybe Slive is planning to do that and FoxSports learned of it by hacking his phone.)

9.  Will Muschamp is “a player’s guy.”

10.  The Gainesville Sun lists its best and worst from Day One.

There are some stories relating to the SEC that aren’t coming out of Hoover, Alabama today.  Here are a few:

1.  Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com says South Carolina is this year’s Auburn, Houston Nutt’s seat is warm, Alabama can win with either of its quarterback and more.

2.  With Mike Blakely forced to redshirt, Auburn’s depth at running back could use another body or two.

3.  Here’s more on Mike Slive’s “bold” agenda for change.

4.  Can the SEC renegotiate its television deal with ESPN?  (It’s not like the league is getting left in the dust cash-wise… some folks need to calm down a bit.  Just our opinion.)

5.  Stewart Mandel of SI.com tackles quarterbacking in the SEC and the Texas A&M situation (stating as we have that the Slive does not want to be the aggressor).

Brian Kimbrow helped continue the trend of Vanderbilt’s 2012 recruiting class when he committed to the Commodores on Friday.

“The reason I made that decision is I like to be different,” the Memphis, Tenn., tailback said during an announcement ceremony in Nashville, according to 247Sports.com. “I like a challenge. I don’t want anything given to me. It’s close to home and it felt like home and it gave me an opportunity to be successful after football.”

And Kimbrow should give Vanderbilt a better chance of being successful at football. He’s considered the state’s top prospect and the nation’s third-best all-purpose running back by 247Sports.

Kimbrow joins a recruiting class that is creating buzz around the country. Along with Kimbrow, Vanderbilt received commitments from defensive end Caleb Azubike and wide receiver Cory Batey on Friday. The Commodores have 11 commitments for the class of 2012.

First-year Vanderbilt coach James Franklin has been busy selling recruits on the idea they can get a quality education while also helping Vanderbilt change its luck on the football field.

“We can do something special,” Kimbrow told SI.com. “That’s something I’m interested in.”

Schools like Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Notre Dame and Southern California were interested in Kimbrow. Oh yeah, Tennessee was, too. Kimbrow tried on a Vols hat before placing it down on the table during the ceremony, which was carried live on WGFX radio in Nashville.

“Nah, it didn’t fit,” Kimbrow said, according to SI. “It’s Vandy.”

And there’s the difference Franklin has made for Vanderbilt. UT isn’t used to losing in-state prospects to the other SEC team in the state. Franklin is trying to make it a trend and he’s challenging prospects to join him.

“If you feel that you are the best and the brightest, come prove it with me week in and week out,” Franklin told SI.com on Wednesday. “If you’re afraid of competition, then you’d better not be playing major division football, and you’d better not be considering the SEC.”

Where Vanderbilt’s class will finish among SEC teams remains to be seen. Remember, prospects can’t sign with schools for another seven months. Still, the most recent class rankings published by ESPN.com places Vanderbilt at No. 24 in the nation.

How will prospects view Vanderbilt if the Commodores struggle in Franklin’s first season on the field? We’ll see, but these prospects choosing the Commodores have already seen the struggle in the past.

“I’ve had a chance to think about this for two years now,” Kimbrow told SI. “I’ve been recruited since 10th grade. … This is where I feel comfortable. This is where I want to go.”

And other top prospects in the Southeast appear ready to join him.

Last week, Andy Staples of SI.com ranked the 20 best college football jobs in the country.  Not to be outdone Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News has posted his list of the 10 best college basketball jobs in the US of A.

Want a shock?  John Calipari’s gig at Kentucky doesn’t rank #1.  So it must be behind the North Carolina job at #2, right?  Uh, no.  That would be UCLA. 

So UK ranks third?  Uh-uh.  That’s Texas.  “There’s so much talent and money — and minimal pressure to win it all,” DeCourcy writes of the Longhorns.

And at that point — at #4 on the list — you’ll find Kentucky’s head coaching position.  “Perhaps more than any other program, Kentucky makes certain there is life beyond basketball for those who prove themselves to be committed Wildcats.”

Depending on your point of view, that line could be seen as a positive… or as a possible veiled shot at UK’s history of rules violations.

Reading the comments beneath DeCourcy’s post, it’s clear that most UK fans see their school’s gig as the top job in the country.  And that’s not a shock.

No other SEC jobs make the pundit’s list.

1. SEC Meetings: The Fallout

2. Eric Berry’s Twin Brothers Receiving Plenty Of Attention

3. Petrino Called Out For Talking Out Of Both Sides Of His Mouth

4. SI.Com’s Tressel Piece A Must Read For College Football Fans

5. SEC Releases Early TV Schedule For The Fall

The SEC’s football coaches have had their say, and now the SEC’s presidents will tackle a number of options and proposals regarding oversigning, ahem, we mean “roster management” on Friday.

If the presidents go with the biggest possible change, the SEC’s oversigning plan would become second only to the Big Ten’s hard 25-man signing class cap in terms of toughness.  Andy Staples of SI.com believes that a switch by the SEC to a 25-man cap would inspire the other major conferences to follow suit.

Nick Saban made his feelings quite clear today regarding a possible move from 28 to 25 signees:


“What’s the problem with 28?  You all are creating a bad problem for everybody, because you’re going to mess up the kids getting opportunities by doing what you’re doing.  You think you’re helping them, but you’re really gonna hurt them.  You take one case where somebody didn’t get the right opportunity but you need to take the other 100 cases where somebody got the opportunity because of it.”


Wow.  If only I believed Saban was motivated 100% by what’s best for “the kids.”  Not saying he doesn’t care a great deal, but I have a hard time believing some of his outrage isn’t tied to the fact that he’s going to a roster-building option.  (And this from someone who believes Saban is the A-1 best coach in college sports today, so hold your “You hate Saban” hooey.)

According to Steve Spurrier, the coaches voted 12 to 0 to keep the SEC’s cap at 28 today.  As we have said, we at MrSEC.com would be in favor of a hard 28-man cap with no loopholes (as opposed to the 28-man “cap” that allowed a couple of SEC schools to ink 30+ players this February).

“We’re in favor of oversigning,” Carolina’s coach said.  “We’ve never had a problem of too many qualifying and not having room.  All the coaches are in favor of the 28 and so forth.  The presidents I don’t think are, but that’s OK.”

The trick for the SEC is to not put itself at a disadvantage.  As long as the SEC’s oversigning cap is comparable or even to other league’s oversigning caps, the SEC will still win in the long run.

There’s an old saying regarding fast football players: “If he’s even, he’s leavin’.”  Considering the SEC’s incredible talent advantage over other regions — more than 30% of the NFL’s draft picks since the late 1980s have come from the nine-state SEC region — Saban and Spurrier would still hold a major advantage over coaches from other regions… even with a 25-man or hard 28-man cap.  If they’re even, they’re leavin’.

But on Friday, the presidents will make the final call.  And no one knows for sure just how tough big of a change in the system they’re going to make.

If you haven’t read Sports Illustrated’s cover story on now-deposed Ohio State coach Jim Tressel… you need to.  The piece by George Dohrmann and David Epstein is an unflinching look at the often nasty underbelly of college athletics.

Now that headlines about OSU and Tressel are piling up, it’s likely that the majority of America’s sports fans will simply say, “What a bunch of dirty cheaters” and then move right along.  But those who think a bit longer on the subject will consider Ohio State’s situation — and contemplate the rule-bends and look-the-other-ways documented in the SI piece — and wonder: “Does that kind of thing go on at my favorite school, too?”

The probable answer: Yes.

Anyone who’s spent time on a big-time college campus knows that some athletes drive very nice cars they have no business owning or driving.  They know that there are a few restaurants and bars on campus where athletes tend to congregate and that often those sites give the players “VIP treatment.”  Get to know an athlete and you’ll likely learn that players know who and where to turn if they should need a hundred bucks here or there. 

In other words, this kind of thing goes on everywhere.

Fans across the country point fingers at the SEC… and thanks to the league’s recent high-profile troubles, it’s hard to fend off the barbs.  But just as it’s inaccurate to suggest that only the SEC cheats, it’s just as improper to point a quick finger at Ohio State and declare them America’s top villain.

Cheating goes on, folks.  Everywhere.  Don’t believe me?  Then ask yourself how all of your favorite school’s top football and basketball players can afford to cover their bodies in tattoo “sleeves” that would normally cost them thousands of dollars.

Ohio State has been caught.  And Ohio State will be rightfully punished.  That’s how the system works and I’m all for a deterrent system based on smashing the guy who does get caught.

But the SEC, the Big Ten, and all the other conferences making up the NCAA have bigger issues than Tressel and OSU right now.  Some boosters will always look for advantage.  Some young men will always be willing to take an extra benefit here or there.  And some/many coaches will always be willing to look the other way.

Ohio State is just the latest symptom of a much bigger cancer that’s growing — right along with television contracts and coaches’ salaries — on the face of college athletics.