Teachers used to tell me that the Fourth of July was a pivotal time for them.
That was the date that ushered in the end of summer and a return to the chaos of the classroom. For me, it was the Wimbledon Finals, which took place this weekend.
There’s another benchmark: Southeastern Conference Media Days. This week the center of the college football universe will settle in at Hoover, Alabama for four days as over 1,000 members of the media and all 14 SEC coaches square off to start the college football season.
This always is a fun time of year. No, there won’t be any footballs there, except maybe in the hands of fans seeking autographs of players, coaches and perhaps Paul Finebaum. Media members will leak some sort of controversy, the coaches will react and nonsense will ensue.
That’s usually what happens. But we do get a semi-good idea about what to expect for the upcoming campaign. And, as usual, the pundits will have their thoughts and ideas … which are usually wrong.
I’ve stopped making predictions this time of year based on what I hear and learn at SEC Media Days. No matter how much colleagues have tried to convince me about various aspects of SEC football, I’ve learned they are wrong about 85 percent of the time.
Questions? They will abound.
For example, there are many who think Florida is going to challenge for a playoff spot this year. Some pundits tell me they believe Florida is going to take a step back and won’t be a 10-win team again.
Can Tua stay healthy at Alabama? Georgia has a great line and a pretty good running back returning in DeAndre Swift, but it lost five of its top receivers and has no proven backup quarterback. Can Kentucky replace Benny Snell and key missing defenders? Who is going to be the starting quarterback for Auburn? And can it negotiate the tough schedule. Will LSU coach Ed Orgeron let his offensive coordinator Joe Brady run the show?
Mizzou has to replace Drew Lock with Kelly Bryant, which may be an upgrade. Can he hold up? Vanderbilt has three of its top leading ground gainers returning, including Ke’Shawn Vaughn. Can the ‘Dores replace Kyle Shurmur at quarterback? Texas A&M appears to be solid with Kellen Mond, but can the Aggies handle the road trip to Clemson and the SEC West? Will South Carolina continue to be a disappointment?
Then there’s Tennessee? Can the Vols fill in the gaps on the offensive and defensive lines? Can they stay healthy? Will they be deeper in 2019? Is this a bowl team?
We’ll hear the expected mumbo-jumbo from the coaches and their silver-lining departments, but we won’t get any serious answers to those questions this week. The questions posed this week will only be answered through results on the field.
We’re six weeks or so from kickoff and the regular season.
But, rest assured, the “talkin’ season” will be well under way after SEC Media Days.
Jim Steele is a correspondent for Magic Valley Publishing and host of The Pressbox, which airs 4-6 p.m. CT, Monday-Thursday on WRJB 95.9 FM, Camden, Tenn.
