SEC Football: Catch Some Rays with Saban, Chizik and Miles at SEC BeachFest

What better way to prepare for football season than taking one last trip to the Gulf of Mexico before the fall to hang out with current and former SEC coaches? 

You now have that opportunity, thanks to the SEC.

The SEC will hold its inaugural SEC BeachFest in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Ala., from August 23-26. The weekend will feature current SEC head coaches Les Miles of LSU, Nick Saban of Alabama and Auburn's Gene Chizik, as well as SEC legends Phillip Fulmer, Vince Dooley, Pat Dye and Gene Stallings.

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Auburn's @coachgenechizik LSU's @lsucoachmiles and Alabama's Nick Saban will be in attendance to rally SEC fans before the 2012 season!!

— SECBeachFest (@SECBeachFest) June 26, 2012"

If you want to know what hats Miles prefers to block the UV rays, here's your shot.

If you've ever wanted to play ladder golf on the beach while discussing "the process" with Saban, here's your shot. 

If you want to know where Chizik gets his flashy beach attire, here's your shot.

It is a bit odd that the event will take place one week before the season starts, especially considering that Saban and Chizik both have tough out-of-conference games on opening weekend against Michigan and Clemson, respectively.

Timing aside, it's another way that the SEC is dominating the calendar, with orchestrated events scattered periodically throughout the offseason.

The NFL has used this method to become the most popular sport in America, and it appears that the SEC is following suit. When spring practice is over, spring meetings, media days and now BeachFest dot the calendar, keeping the SEC in the forefront throughout the doldrums of summer. 

It's a model that works, and the SEC is capitalizing. 

Follow @BarrettSallee