Ranking the Best Days to Attend 2015 SEC Media Days
The annual circus known as SEC media days will return to Hoover, Alabama, and now we know the order each coach will step into each of the rings at the Hyatt Regency Wynfrey.
The conference announced on Tuesday that the event will take place July 13-16 in the Birmingham suburb, with the SEC Network bringing the country wall-to-wall coverage of an event that has become the unofficial kickoff to the college football seasons.
| SEC Commissioner (TBD) | Steve Shaw, SEC Coord. of Officials | Nick Saban, Alabama | Les Miles, LSU |
| Gus Malzahn, Auburn | Steve Spurrier, South Carolina | Mark Stoops, Kentucky | Mark Richt, Georgia |
| Jim McElwain, Florida | Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M | Bret Bielema, Arkansas | Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss |
| Derek Mason, Vanderbilt | Dan Mullen, Mississippi State | Gary Pinkel, Missouri | |
| Butch Jones, Tennessee |
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Which days should you put in your calendar, and which ones can be skipped?
4. Monday, July 13 (Day 1)
Sure, hearing the "state of the SEC" speech from the new commissioner will be interesting and will be the first major event that Mike Slive's successor will attend.
But honestly, what's going to change? There will be a heavy focus on player welfare, autonomy, the SEC Network and basically all of the other administrative decisions that have dominated headlines. Sure, there my be a subtle (or perhaps not-so-subtle) dig at Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany's attempt to restore freshman ineligibility, but unless something comes up between now and the event itself, most of the Power Five conferences seem to be on the same page on most business-related issues.
Unless the new commissioner is a 180-degree departure from Slive, it should be, for the most part, business as usual.
From a coaching perspective, the first day of the event doesn't bring a whole lot to the table. Sure, it will be interesting to get to know Florida head coach Jim McElwain, but this will be new to him too, so expect the feeling-out process to lead to some vanilla answers.
Speaking of vanilla answers, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn is one of the masters of coachspeak, and in true Malzahn style, will do it as quickly as possible.
Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason might hand out some more gold business cards, but that might be the highlight of the day. Well, until the night out at On Tap across the street from the Wynfrey, where they have to make sure the media fans stay in line.
3. Thursday, July 16 (Day 4)
Let's get this out of the way—by Day 4 of SEC media days, everybody wants to go home. We're all exhausted, a little bit sick of each other, possibly hungover and have consumed more coffee than should be allowed under law.
In an attempt to spice things up on the final day of media days, the SEC will throw a curveball in the form of LSU head coach Les Miles.
Will the "Mad Hatter" spice things up? This is the same man who talked about the World Cup, his family vacation, how much he hated the city of Austin, Texas, and compared freshman running back Leonard Fournette to Michael Jordan last year.
Yep, that will work.
He will be the star of the final day of the event, but unless you're following Miles around during his three hours on the second floor of the Wynfrey, there's not much else going on during Day 4.
Sure, Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze and Georgia head coach Mark Richt are nice men who are always forthcoming in interviews, but Miles will steal the show and overshadow his fellow Day 4 participants.
2. Tuesday, July 14 (Day 2)
Speaking of stealing the show, Day 2 will send South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier to the Wynfrey, which is always a good time.
Bonus: Instead of talking about Kevin Sumlin's contract without the Texas A&M head coach in the building, the two will be in the building together at the same time.
Spurrier with a hot mic in front of him is always enjoyable, and what's more intriguing is the fact that not only is his team rebuilding—which will undoubtedly lead to self-deprecating humor—but we'll also get to ask him about fun stuff like his newly created Twitter account and what he plans on saying during the season in 140 characters or less.
Toss in Tennessee head coach Butch Jones—who will make every individual in the building want to run through every wall in the Wynfrey, along with the always friendly Dan Mullen, fresh off a double-digit win season at Mississippi State.
Double bonus: Steve Shaw will be around to explain fun stuff like the possible change of the illegal lineman downfield rule. That may not seem like a lot, but Shaw does explain mechanics of officiating very well and provides an alternative to the "blame the refs" mentality.
1. Wednesday, July 15 (Day 3)
"Alabama day" is the media days equivalent of the final trapeze act at the circus.
You know what's coming. You're prepared for what's coming. And when it comes, you're still amazed.
It has nothing to do with head coach Nick Saban. He'll make his rounds, give answers to questions that weren't asked and rattle off enough coachspeak to hold us over till September. The real fun is in the lobby, which will be packed with Alabama fans hoping to get a glimpse of Saban and the Alabama contingent.
When you add in Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema—who talked about defensive tackle Bijhon Jackson's incredible...um...backside last year—you have a recipe for media days success.
Sorry, Mark Stoops and Gary Pinkel. You guys are great, but the combination of Saban and Bielema will make Day 3 a "can't miss event" that will be the crown jewel of 2015 SEC media days.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
