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It's back! SEC Media Days have returned. The annual event that many view as the unofficial kickoff of the college football season. Over the course of the next four days coaches, players, a commissioner and others will be trotted out before the media for a series of questions previewing the new year. It's an event we make into something bigger than it really is. It is the only time you will get every coach and top players together but it's certainly not the last time the media will get to speak with these people.
No one has mastered the concept of a football media event like the SEC. Other major conferences do it but no one comes close to the coverage, fan interest and charade like this one. It's all a marketing event for the conference that plays the media better than anyone. The conference makes the media feel special with access, free food and ego. In return, they get favorable treatment whether some members of the media will admit that or not. No group carries arrogance better than those who cover the SEC who take their defense of the league to another level when compared to any other league.
But there is no argument that on the field the SEC stands out compared to anyone else in college football. The league has won six national championships in the last decade and plays the best football, with the best players and makes the most money. Everyone else in the Power 5 world wants to be the SEC but can't. They can't because college football in the south remains unique because most schools in the league have no competition from pro teams and their fan bases don't care who wins the NBA title or when your favorite NFL team opens camp. They care about what true freshmen will have an impact this coming season and what coach is about to be on the hot seat.
But how did the SEC get here? There are many answers to that question. Success on the field has led to billion dollar contracts and passionate fan bases who never stop talking about your program and conference.
But to me, five people are the reason the SEC has become the league it is today. I list these five in chronological order of their time and impact on the conference:
Bear Bryant: The SEC existed before Bryant came into the league but Bryant came to Alabama and gave the conference it's dynasty. He won six national titles and 13 conference championships and was one of the most influential figures in all of college football. He played a major role in the integration of black players in the conference despite facing backlash from his own fans. He coached 25 years at Alabama and remains one of the most important figures in the game's history.
Steve Spurrier -The "Head Ball Coach" changed SEC football forever. Hired in December of 1989, Spurrier's offense was not seen before in a league where you ran the ball and ran it some more and then played tough defense. The former Heisman winner lit up scoreboards with his "Fun and Gun" offense and other SEC teams then tried to duplicate what he was doing. That changed recruiting and it changed high school football as more and more teams began using similar offenses. Florida starting conference titles and Spurrier's team and his image made the SEC a non-regional league and drew interest from fans and media outside the south.
Roy Kramer - Hired shortly after Spurrier was named coach at Florida, Kramer became the most influential commissioner in college sports during his time. Under Kramer, the SEC expanded its membership, created division play and introduced a conference championship. He convinced media partners that his conference football games were worth a lot of money and they agreed. He worked to create the biggest weekly college football game, not just in the south, in the country on television. Kramer negotiated the media deal to create the "SEC on CBS" which brought a southern football game to television sets across the country. Kramer was also one of the creators of the Bowl Championship Series which did eventually lead to the college football playoff we have today.
Nick Saban - When done, Saban will likely be recognized as the greatest coach of all time in the sport. He has won seven national titles with one at LSU and six at Alabama. He has built one of the game's greatest dynasties that turns out NFL draft picks at a level no one could have ever imagined. Assistants and players come and go but Saban is the one constant that keeps the Alabama machine going.
Paul FInebaum - Yes, Finebaum. He was already a known columnist, radio host and author before the SEC Network came along in 2014. But when SEC and ESPN decided to create the network their decision to put Finebaum on every weekday afternoon was one of the greatest programming moves in media and college football history. Already known for his SEC knowledge and sources and his entertaining brand of programming, Finebaum and his show gave the conference coverage every day at a level not yet seen in college sports. Coaches, players, members of the media and fans want to be on the show. I have said that Finebaum owes Nick Saban much of his exposure since he went to the SEC Network. That's not because of a lack of talent. Finebaum is incredibly talented, but Alabama's success is a huge reason the SEC Network took off. He remains one of the most influential figures in college sports today.
Why no players? Because players come and go. Tebow, Johnny Manziel, Bo, Herschel and others were great players. But players are limited in their time and there will always be the next great quarterback, running back and defensive end.
The SEC has never been bigger and they have no problem reminding you of that. Like them or not, the conference isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Final thought: The SEC was founded in 1932 in Knoxville.