We are officially a week away from Week 0 of the college football season, which means the media knows as much about SEC teams as they're probably going to know, which is about zero in this era of transfer portals and CIA level secrecy in securing practices from prying eyes.
So, since it's hard to learn much in the traditional sense, it seemed more practical to take a look at the SEC in a much different way. The following includes a special look at a different side of the league's coaches, an anyalysis of some of the quirks in the schedules, and we think about unique players in ways SEC fans don't necessarily approach things before the season even starts.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer wasn't about to let any press conference time pass by without setting people straight when it comes to his wife. Her cookies are the bomb and anyone who wants to run their mouth can go bake themselves.
"Guys were just being themselves [on the Netflix documentary], and I'm glad people were able to see on the inside of our program. Having said that, I do have a statement to make.
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has a job that he knows can be inconvenient, especially when's he is trying to keep his players out of the heat while scheduling around classes during preseason camp. However, even though he's got nearly 40 years of practice as a married man, he can't help but step in hot water with his better half.
"It felt like it was early [at the 6:20 a.m. practice]. You know how you guys are, but if you got to be somewhere by 5:15 you know you, you feel like you need to wake up at 2 a.m. and you set 19,201 alarms. You know, you have your wife set her alarm, which didn't go too good. You know, Saturday, what's today? Friday? Tomorrow, Jamie and I will be married 39 years, and so you guys haven't been married that long, you still get chewed out if you ask wrong questions."
Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding pulls in a reported $2.55 million per year, making him, at least for now, the highest paid assistant in the SEC. That contract begs the question: What schools don't value their head coach as much as the Rebels value Golding as an assistant?
If Golding were a head coach, his salary would fall just below Wake Forest's Jake Dickert and just above South Florida's Alex Golesh. Other names of note making less than Golding include Jeff Traylor (UTSA), Trent Bray (Oregon State), Ryan Silverfield (Memphis), Jeff Monken (Army) and Spencer Danielson (Boise State). That means only 62 coaches make more than him.
On Nov. 21, people will wake up to a world where the Missouri Tigers will have played only two games outside of Columbia all season long.
Ole Miss vs. Kentucky, Sept. 6, 2:30 p.m.
Arkansas vs. Tennessee, Oct. 11 (2:30 p.m.-7 p.m.)
Neither Georgia, nor South Carolina play SEC games in the final two weeks of the season. The Bulldogs close out SEC play against Texas on Nov. 15 before playing Charlotte and Georgia Tech to finish out the season.
Meanwhile, South Carolina travels to College Station to finish up the SEC schedule against Texas A&M before hosting Coastal Carolina and Clemson.
Both teams are expected to be in contention for both the playoffs and the SEC championship, which means they could each be watching and waiting for literal weeks as chaos unfolds around them in regard to the SEC title game.
5-foot-7 inches
Vincent Brown (Florida, DB), Seth Davis (Mississippi State, RB), Liam Evans (Oklahoma, PK)
6-foot-10 inches
Jahzare Jackson, Georgia, OL
153 pounds
Zion Ragins, Oklahoma, WR
387 pounds
Ian Geffrard, Arkansas, DL
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