1) Well, you made it. The offseason is over… sort of. SEC media days begin later this morning in Dallas (of course). While the Big 12 already held its event last week and media days as an entire concept are outdated and overrated, today is nonetheless considered around the country to be the unofficial start of the college football season. Practices are in about two weeks (we should have a schedule by the end of the day tomorrow), and we need to get everyone talking about it. Two main topics will dominate the conversation in Dallas over the next two days.
*Oklahoma and Texas are here, let’s talk about it. If there was ever any doubt that the SEC was the best conference in college sports (there shouldn’t have been), that doubt is gone. The best league in the country just snatched up two of the best athletic programs available and added them to the list. Texas has won back-to-back Directors Cups, awarded to the program with the best athletic performance in any sport. Oklahoma is a dynasty in softball and is no slouch in the other most watched sports. These two teams will make SEC softball and baseball even tougher than they already are and add depth to men’s and women’s basketball. But all we really care about is football, so what does this mean for football?
Texas comes at what seems like an ideal time for the Longhorns. After a 17-year absence, they returned to the national title race last year, albeit falling just short. They have a lot of returning talent and will be in everyone’s preseason top 10 (and most people’s top 5). My interest in Texas isn’t really this year. It’s long term. Texas has ruined everything it’s ever been a part of. The SEC is the league that can’t be ruined. I guess we’ll see.
Less is expected of Oklahoma. I’m not sure that’s the case. The Sooners haven’t just been the Longhorns’ equal in football. They’ve been better. For about 75 years. But many seem to think OU will have the hardest time making it to the big leagues. In the long run, I don’t think that’s the case. They won’t dominate the SEC like they dominated the Big 12, but I expect them to be a consistent winning team that wins a few league titles while we’re all still here to pay attention. In the short run? Joe Castiglione should ask who he offended in the SEC offices. Here’s a look at the two teams’ schedules:
Oklahoma: vs. Tennessee, at Auburn, vs. Texas, vs. South Carolina, at Ole Miss, at Missouri, vs. Alabama, at LSU
Texas: vs. Mississippi State, at Oklahoma, vs. Georgia, at Vanderbilt, vs. Florida, at Arkansas, vs. Kentucky, at Texas A&M
I can paint you a very realistic picture where Oklahoma is a very good football team and is 2-6 in the league. Texas, on the other hand, has 4-5 games that they absolutely should not lose. Part of that is because the Longhorns are a good team, but you can’t look at those schedules and think that these are two teams that are being brought into the same league. Oklahoma is a top-15 pick. Texas has a landmine or two, but it’s manageable.
*The other major topic of the week is the future of college sports in general. What happens with the NIL? Are players destined to become employees? Should we be concerned about the fate of non-profit sports? For many, SEC media days will be a chance to get away from all that and talk about football, and I don’t disagree at all with those who view this week that way. But Greg SankeyThis morning’s speech will go down as major news. What he says could shape the entire industry for years to come. I have no idea what the answers to the above questions are, and honestly, I’m tired of thinking about them and glad I have actual games to look forward to. But they are important answers.
2) The Missouri crew will speak in Dallas on Tuesday. Strategist Brady Cookwide receiver Luther’s Burden and defensive tackle Kristian Williams will be present with Eli Drinkwitz. We’ll obviously be there to cover the whole day. Jarod Hamilton is flying out to Dallas later this morning.
This is the first time in nine years that Mizzou has entered media day with any buzz. Honestly, there are plenty of moments during this event where the Mizzou coach is done well before his allotted time in the main room. Missouri doesn’t happen to be one of the biggest news stories. The locals all get their questions answered in a small, separate setting, so the main room is reserved for the rest of the league media to ask the head coach questions. And most of them haven’t had much interest in Missouri in recent years. A lot of times I look at the schedule and think, “Well, you’ve got one of the heavy hitters in the league and one of the best talkers and one of the potential breakout teams, and then you’ve got Missouri time where the rest of the league media will take a break to get coffee and pee before they drool all over the place.” Nick Saban “Again.” Not this year, and not just because Saban isn’t here.
Mizzou has two of the league’s top 10 offensive players, including Burden, who might be the best pure football player in America (let alone the SEC). It has a coach who can say anything at any time. It has the leader of a defense that has to replace a lot of players but was one of the quietest stories in college football last year and finished the season with its best performance ever. The Tigers are going to be in almost everyone’s top 15 this year and, barring disaster, should be 4-0 and in the top 10 by early October. They won’t be the biggest story on Tuesday (Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee are there too), but they won’t be ignored as they often have been here in the past.
3) Here are the questions I would have for each member of the Mizzou contingent this week:
We are proud to welcome Will Garrett, Director of Sales for Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance, as a partner and sponsor. When you’re looking for an in-depth analysis of all things Mizzou, Monday Morning Thoughts is the place to go. When you’re looking for an in-depth look at your insurance policies, Will Garrett is the one to go to. Born and raised a Tigers fan, Will is proud of his hometown and takes pride in protecting his community and its people. The time to prepare for tomorrow is today. Find Will in his office just south of Faurot Field! Click here to connect with Will and get the ball rolling.