Why this SEC Media Days could actually be interesting

Here we go again.

It’s time again to fill four days of SEC Network July programming with the circus formerly but still formally known as SEC Media Days. A year ago, this newsman took his best shot at bringing a better attitude to the 2023 event. And failed.

But this year is different.

Where last July in Nashville was a bridge to the future, it’s finally here.

We’re headed to the heart of SEC country -- Dallas, Texas -- for four days of microphones, cameras, goofy questions, worse wardrobes, maybe some hot dogs for lunch and the ceremonial transition from summer to football season.

In all honesty, there is reason for genuine interest this time. Here are a few to nibble on.

SEC preseason poll

Nick Saban’s go-to deflection for the media often picking Alabama to win the SEC was our horrible rate of accuracy in this realm. From 2009 through 2019, we whiffed on eight of those 11 years -- five in a row to start that run.

Most Popular Stories by Michael Casagrande

Also, from 2010 through 2022, Alabama was picked to win 11 of those 13 seasons (and the Tide went on to win the two times it wasn’t the July selection).

Anyway, the balloting should generate more discussion and intrigue. While there’s little doubt Georgia will be the preseason pick to win the league, the next 15 spots could go any number of directions.

You have newcomer Texas coming off its first playoff appearance and recruiting/transfer success. Ole Miss has possibly the most buzz since Arch Manning’s grandpa wore No. 18 in Oxford. Also, post-Saban Alabama. And LSU. And Tennessee. Looking at Athlon’s preseason magazine, the SEC had nine of the top 18 teams in its national ranking. That means Texas A&M, a team picked in the bottom half of the league, is a top-20 team.

There’s just more newness, more unknowns that make this season exciting in a sea of the scary kind of unknowables.

Also, consider the hometown factor here. With the event being held in Dallas, there will presumably be more Texas-based media credentialed. That means more ballots in a dynamic that undoubtedly helped Alabama all those years we did this in Hoover.

New format

After moving to East and West divisional play in 1992, the SEC’s Berlin Wall fell with the inclusion of Texas and Oklahoma.

With it comes a whole new scheduling philosophy that’s shaking up the flow and rhythm of the season, leading to more intermingling and the loss of some stale annual meetings. No doubt Alabama wanted to keep playing Arkansas -- a team it beat 17 straight seasons, but adding games with former East teams Georgia, Missouri (and at Vanderbilt) along with newcomer Oklahoma adds some spice to the fall.

It leads to more conversation about trying new things. It adds a layer of difficulty instead of predictability and that’s what makes this fun, right?

News bombshell?

You really never know. Just think back to 2021 when we gathered in Hoover, definitely not expecting the realignment earthquake of Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC to rattle college football to its core.

This isn’t a prediction of another tectonic shift this week, but there was clearly a strategy behind releasing that news while the news media was gathered in a single place.

Alignment will never reach its final form so we’ll be ready should another bombshell land.

The video game

It’s coming.

Any Gundy moments?

Maybe the SEC invited the wrong Oklahoma if they wanted an entertaining media event. Mike Gundy at the State version of Oklahoma delivered one of the all-time tone-deaf, dumb guy comments at the Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas.

But seriously, this event is about playing it safe. Not cutting the sound bite that makes you look like a buffoon when discussing DUIs. Gone are the care-free days of Steve Spurrier and his generation of SEC coaches.

Saban looms

Nick Saban is retired from coaching, but he’ll be a presence in Dallas thanks to his new career in broadcasting. It’ll be interesting to hear what he has to say about his old rivals, colleagues and how much he breaks down Alabama over the ESPN/SEC Network airwaves.

Saban felt loose and was informative in his debut on the ESPN set during the NFL draft, so we’ll see how things look when it’s a more focused topic in an event he’s been a part of for decades.

Where to next?

This road show has been to Atlanta, Nashville and now Dallas. Where next? Commissioner Greg Sankey announced the westward move last July on Day 1 of media days.

So, we’ll see where we’re headed in 2025, presumably, not long after this Texas rodeo kicks off Monday.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter@ByCasagrandeor onFacebook.