College Football Live - SEC Media Day Begins!

Episode Date: July 15, 2024

CFB Live host Victoria Arlen accompanied by Grey McElroy and Ben Watson bring you the latest on SEC media day as they give you all the sites and sounds from Georgia, LSU and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They say everything is bigger in Texas and now the same can be said in the SEC. We'll be hearing from this guy, LSU head coach Brian Kelly, in just a bit from day one of SEC Media Day. It's all going down at the Omni in Dallas. But before we get there, welcome into college football live. I'm Victoria Arlen. Happy Monday and happy SEC Media Day. We are covering all things at you see all week and we'll be having Ben Watson and Greg McElroy joining us from Dallas. We'll get to them in a bit.

But first, let's get into some storylines. The SEC welcomes Oklahoma and Texas and says goodbye to the East and West divisions. The 16 teams will play eight league games with the top two meeting in the SEC title game in Atlanta. Now, for the first time since 2007, Alabama opens a season without Nick Sabin as head coach. Coach Sabin, who retired in January, led the Crimson tie to six national titles in 17 seasons. Caitlin DeBoer was hired from Washington to take over in Tuscaloosa. Now, after back-to-back national titles, Georgia failed to reach the college football playoff last season.

However, odds makers are viewing it as a fluke. The dogs are armed with a Heisman contender in QB Carson Beck, and they open as the preseason favorite to win the national title. Greg and Ben with us, now with ESPN analytics, giving eight teams at least a 10% chance to reach the SEC championships. Greg, is it safe to say that the SEC is wide open this year? Well, wide open, Victoria, I don't know if I'd go that far, but it's as deep as it feels like it's been in quite some time.

And with everybody kind of getting rid of divisions, and we've seen this now with the Big 10, we've seen this in the Big 12 for years in the ACC last year. Seeing everyone get rid of divisions now kind of has things up for grabs, if you will, and kind of depends a little bit on what your story. schedule looks like. And in most cases, it was Georgia's world and everyone else is just living in it back in the SEC East days.

Now they have to go to Bama. They have to go to Ole Miss. They have to go to Texas and route to what could be a very difficult road to the conference championship. So looking at the depth of the league, Ben, I think there are so many teams that are very, very capable and knowing that there's some unfamiliarity too with some of the new teams that are entering the league. That could also make it a little bit more difficult.

for some of these teams to perform at a high level consistently. Yeah, I agree. Not wide open in the sense that anybody can win. Look, you still have the same teams, some of the same teams that are going to be favorites in the SEC. You talk about Georgia and Ole Miss, a Missouri, Texas now, obviously. So you still have that upper tier and, shall we say lower tier, but to your point, Greg, any team can win in the sense that you don't have to win your side of the division now to win. And I think that gives some teams hope.

I think for other teams, it might be a little bit more difficult when you're used to be in the big dog get to SEC East or the SEC West and now there's no SEC East or West. It's wide open than that sense, which makes it more exciting for the fans as they watch because all these fan bases are excited right now, especially at media days because they know they have an opportunity for the championship. Especially Georgia. People are looking at Georgia to climb back to the mountaintop after, of course, Alabama unseeded them a year ago. Now, we're going to look at the makeup of the SEC conference through the years because

10 charter members remain from when the league was first formed in 19. 1333 in 1991, the league added both Arkansas and South Carolina. They expanded again in 2012, adding Missouri and Texas A&M. 12 years later, they bring in both Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12. Here's SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, who spoke earlier today about the expansion. It's the imagery to which we're accustomed in the SEC, and then you saw something new. You saw Bevo, and you saw the sooner schooner. And you heard from 14 deep to 16 strong.

16 is our today and 16 is our tomorrow. It is indeed. And we haven't seen an expansion since 2012. Big news. Ben, how do you see OU and Texas adapting? Well, much of the narrative around here at media days and some of the conversation that we've heard as we talk to these teams is,

are you ready for the SEC schedule? I think the biggest difference that you're going to see with Texas and Oklahoma is preparing for that weekend and weekout grind that is the SEC. Not to say that they didn't play great competition in the Big 12, but it's a bit different when you come to the SEC and you're playing, as we just mentioned before, so many of these teams that have championship aspirations. I will say this, there is no fan base or school or football programs outside of Texas or Oklahoma that I think are more prepared to enter the SEC and do well, Texas. Went into the playoff last year. They are built like an SEC team. They've got a great quarterback. They're big up front and on the D line.

They can run the football. And Oklahoma, this is a story, traditional. I was about to say franchise, but school, I mean, they've won a lot of football games. And so their top 15 in viewership, both schools, they are made for the SEC. The one thing I would say that's a big difference. And look, I grew up here in Dallas, about 30 minutes from here. So I grew up a big 12 guy at my core, went to the SEC and became an SEC guy very quickly. You find out there's just a big 12 guy very quickly.

You find out there's just some aspects of playing in this league where there just is nothing that can be taken for granted. And I could just think back to when I was in school, every single team, it didn't matter if it was a bottom of the barrel team. Like at that time, it was Mississippi State. Mississippi State had Fletcher Cox, who has now gone on to play for a million Pro Bowls as a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles. You had South Carolina, who at that time was not great. They were okay, not bad Spruyer got them going. But they had first round picks. Every single team in this league has first round picks that are littered on both lines of scrimmage.

And that's the big difference for Texas and Oklahoma as they transition. Every single person that they face has a guy that will take over the game if you let them. You don't see that all the time in the Big 12. And you just don't see that all the time in some of the other leagues as well. So I think that will be the challenge. Is playing at a really, really high level every single week? Because if you don't, there's going to be a week where you can get got when in the past, If you had your C game, you'd still likely be victorious.

Well, and Texas has some pretty high expectations. They enter the first year in the conference with the second best odds to win the conference outright. No shocker after Longhorns made their first college football playoff appearance in program history last season. Texas back in Bama territory. Ewers from the pocket. Now he'll loft one downfield. Worthy's got it for a touchdown. What a troll by Ewers.

Now, the C. Carson Beck's able to drop it. That a C. This ceiling for Nico is very hot. Here we go. Fire it. It was just a great throw by Jayden. He is full of Heisman winners and Heisman hopefuls.

According to ESPN bet, five of the top seven favorites with the best odds to win the award are from the SEC. Now, four of the last five Heisman trophy winners have come here, including last year's winner, Jaden Daniels. Now, Greg, are we thinking there's another chance that an SEC player wins the Heisman this year? I think in all likelihood, Victoria, when you look at the SEC and the Big Ten and the way that these two conferences are going to be promoted, in all likelihood, the Heisman trophy winners coming for one of those two leagues. And then you just kind of have to look at how things are going to configure in the schedule. And you have to look at moments. And so often when you look at Heisman trophy winners, they had elite moments in the second half of the season. So when you look at some of the schedules and you look at the Bama LSUs, the Texas at Texas A&Ms,

some of the big games that will be in this league, that will be beneficial. But the Big Ten also has some marquee matchups in late October and early November. So if I had to choose, I'd probably lean towards the Big Ten having a Heisman trophy winner. But at the same time, it's anybody's guess. I would, however, place a bet on the Heisman trophy winner coming from one of those two leagues. And probably being a quarterback. most likely being a quarterback, I'm afraid. I agree.

It's all about moments when it comes to the Heisman Trophy, and the eyes of the entire nation are going to be on these two conferences. And so the SEC, the Big Ten, the national championship is going to come from those conferences. I'll throw another name out there since we looked at all the quarterbacks. Luther Burton III is another guy that may not be talked about in the Hysman category, but he plays from Missouri. He's a wide receiver. He's a guy that touches the ball in a lot of different ways,

a dynamic skill player that perhaps is the best football player. in the nation. Now, Willie, have an opportunity to win the husband? Probably not, but there are a couple other names around the conference and around the league. I think that could have consideration that aren't quarterbacks. Well, it definitely comes down to all those big moments. Now, last year's winner, Jaden Daniels led LSU with 50 touchdowns and, of course, won before getting drafted second overall by the commanders. Now, coming up, LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly joins the show and takes a look ahead at why we might want to keep an eye on Harold Perkins this fall. And the coaching conversation rolls on as we're joined by Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin,

who previews what you can expect from Ole Miss this season. Coach saving called LSU a sleeper team this year, but to keep an eye out for them. Replacing Heisman trophy winner, Jane Daniels, is priority number one for LSU. Daniels accounted for 50 touchdowns last season and was the number two pick in the NFL draft by the commanders. The Tigers must also replace wide receivers Malik neighbors and Brian Thomas Jr., who were also first round picks. New offensive coordinator Joe Sloan is tasked with reloading an offense that led the nation in scoring.

LSU will have a new defensive coordinator in Blake Baker as the defense is coming off of a year in which it was at or near the bottom of the SEC and almost every key statistic. However, linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. is back for the Tigers. Leading the charge at LSU, we now welcome in coach Brian Kelly. Coach, you mentioned earlier in your press conference that this conference is an incredible challenge. top to bottom, what will be the biggest challenge your team faces this year? Well, we've got to open up with USC and we've got to finish with Oklahoma. And in between, we've got to play the entire SEC schedule. So I think it's just week to week and being able to answer that bell in this conference.

It is a gauntlet. And so, look, in a snapshot, playing one week, that's fine. you've got to be able to play weekend and week out quality football. And another gauntlet situation is this will be the first year for the 12-team playoff. What's changed in your preparations to prepare your team for essentially and potentially 17 games this year? That's right. You know, I think you have to be really intentional with your year-round workouts. And I think you have to make sure that your team is prepared the right way.

And that means you've got to give them the right rest. The recovery has got to be really thoughtful, and you've got to make sure that you're playing all of your players, because this is a marathon. This is not a sprint, and you've got to rely on depth within your program. So the teams that have built depth in their program, you're going to have to replace players. Guys will get injured. And so you're going to have to have quality depth, and guys are going to have to step up and play that are key backups. And I think that that's what you'll see in this league, that teams that have the depth are. are going to probably end up at the top.

And how do you adjust that mindset on and off the field? Well, I think everybody has to accept the role, right? I mean, there's going to be the front line guys, your starters, but there are other guys that are going to have to accept that, listen, when your number's called, you've got to be ready to perform at the highest level. And so accepting that role and understanding

what your role is on your team. And that's what I have to be able to do, and our coaches have to be able to do to each and every one of our players. I liked what you said in your press, Presser, you said, don't deal with expectations, but instead with what we're doing and the necessary things we're doing to make progress. And speaking of that, you had the number one offense in the country last year, but on defense, it was a different story. How has the changes in your coaching staff on that side of the ball, including bringing in new defensive coordinator, Blake Baker, changed that narrative?

Well, look, we had to make some adjustments, and certainly the first one was, you know, bringing new leadership. and I think Blake brings an energy. Obviously, his success at Missouri was one that I closely watched. I thought his connection with the players was one that I was looking for. And again, when you're looking at the elements of defense, it's not just about scheme. It's about the connection that you have with the players. And I love the connection that he had with his players. And I love what he's doing early on with the connection that he has with our players at LSU.

And you have very high expectations for your new starting quarterback, Eric Nussmeyer. What kind of qualities does he have that make you confident in him? Well, first of all, you've got to have the skill set, right? And he's got all of those things necessary to play at the highest level. But certainly he's got the acumen. He can play the game intellectually. He knows what to do and how to do it. He can take it from the classroom, I guess is what I'm saying, and he can put it on the field.

He recognizes coverages. He knows how to protect himself. He knows how to go through progressions. And look, the quarterback has got to be able to take it from the meeting room and be able to apply it on the field. And Garrett can do it. And he does it with the ability to lead others. And quarterbacks have to be able to do that and bring other players with them.

Absolutely. And you mentioned that this is the most accountable and deepest team you've had. Can you elaborate a little bit more on that? Well, I think in year three, we've been building our process. and our process has been about total preparation. It's been about having the traits necessary to win championships. And along the way, you've got to have accountability. And that is personal accountability.

And our players have taken personal accountability for everything that we do on a day-to-day basis, from going to class to doing the right things in the community, to every day in our workouts and being on time. And so that personal accountability is going to show itself on the field. And that's why, you know, right now, We've been in a good position. Now we hope to do that on the football field. Now you have Harold Perkins coming back on the inside this year.

What does he bring on the field? Well, first of all, experience. He's made a lot of plays for us. He's been an experienced player. He can get after the quarterback, but certainly he can play sideline to sideline for us. Now with the added size, he's got the ability to play inside out. So this year, you're going to see him playing inside linebacker.

He's going to play a little bit outside linebacker. I know coach has got, I think, I would say, surprises for some teams in the SEC. What kind of surprises, Coach? Well, I think we're going to move him around a little bit. I don't know that you're going to see him play one position. It's going to be a little bit about where's Waldo. I mean, we're going to move him around. I think it's going to be the best assets of Harold Perkins coming to like this year.

Who doesn't love Where's Waldo? Coach, thank you so much for your time. Good luck this season. Thank you. Thanks for having me on. Where's Waldo? And also, let's take a look at this schedule. LSU has a 13% chance to reach the SEC championship game, which is the sixth best in the conference. Now, the Tigers have the second easiest schedule in the conference ahead of only Missouri. They open the season in Las Vegas against USC, but get Alabama at home while avoiding SEC favorites, Georgia and Texas. Now, Coach Kelly also mentioned that this is the most accountable and deepest team that he's had. 55% of his office. offense is coming back. Now, Greg, after losing some key players in the draft and so many changes, what are your expectations for LSU's offense this season?

Well, I'll just start by reacting quickly to what you just said when we saw the schedule, that that's the second easiest schedule, and it's at Florida. Bama comes to you. You're at A&M. It's like, we are in a new world now, man, as far as strength of schedule discussion, that's for sure. One thing that I'm really optimistic about, LSU's always had great lightouts. That goes without saying. Kair and Lacey will step right up. They've added a transfer to that I think will step right into the fold. They won't miss a beat there. Will they have that automatic go-to guy that's going to go for $1,200? Yeah, I don't know if they have them a leak neighbors right now.

It's going to be drafted into the top six. I can't confirm that. But I do think the quarterback situation's in great hands. And in part because of what we witnessed last year when watching Georgia, we saw, hey, look, for what Stetson Bennett was, he was a great player. But this car Christian Beck kid's been waiting his turn. Similar things can be said about Garrett Nussmeyer. We know that Jaden Daniels was amazing, got drafted second overall. Hopefully it'll be a great player for Washington. But I look at what Garrett Nussmeyer was a couple of years back.

When this competition was ongoing back in 2022, we called LSU's Game Week 1. And we sat down with Brian Kelly on Friday. And at that point, it was up in the air who the starting quarterback was going to be. And he said, look, we're going to go with Jane Daniels. But the gap between these two is this close. Close. Fast forward two years. Jaden Daniels is a Heisman Trophy winner top two pick in the NFL draft. But two years ago, Nuss Meyer was this close to become in the starting quarterback back then. So, Ben, I think they're in great hands, great maturity, big arm, very accurate.

And now, I think, having waited his turn, ready to relish the opportunity. Yeah, one of my questions was, was Gary going to feel a lot of pressure because he's coming in for a Heisman trophy winner? And we had Coach Kelly on set and he said, you know, there's no pressure there because he knows he doesn't have to be Jaden Daniels. He doesn't have the same skill set. He has his skill set. And his skill set is enough. Look, he's been reliable throughout his time at LSU. He actually played a lot intermittently.

He played in the bowl game. I know you talked about the ball game. We do three touchdowns there. So we've seen him be able to process information as a play caller, get his team to the right situation so they can be successful. The wide outs, Kyron Lacey, but also the tight-end Mason Taylor, I think he's going to take a jump to the next step when it comes to being productive. And perhaps the most important thing for the offense this year is,

that I think they're going to have a much better defense so they don't have to score out and score 45 points every single game. Absolutely. And I think the big thing, too, with Garrett is his leadership patience and persistence. And there's been some changes on the defense side. So let's get to those changes on the defense side because LSU football had a number one ranked offense that looked good enough to win a championship in 2023. But a major factor that held them back from doing so was a defense that was far from the top. Now, Coach Kelly's defensive coaching staff was revamped, replaced during the offseason, adding defensive coordinator Blake Baker from Missouri. Now, major changes were made on the defensive coaching staff, with one of the biggest ones being Blake Baker. Now, Ben, what kind of impact do we see Baker having on LSU's defense?

There were times last year watching LSU's defense that it was just disappointing. They were listless. They couldn't tackle. They seemed to be confusing out of play. place. When you watch Missouri, you juxtapose them with Missouri. Missouri played a very aggressive defense. And so for Blake Baker coming back to LSU, I think Coach Kelly talked about it, the reliability, the relationships, the fact that guys want to play for him, they understand what's expected of them. And specifically Harold Perkins Jr., look, a lot was made last year of

his move to the inside. And were we taking away from a great player, his greatest strengths, which was being aggressive while he's put on 20 more pounds of muscle, he understands his position a lot better. And LSU's coaching staff feels like he's going to be the same dynamic type player with greater responsibility than what we saw before. But when it comes to LSU's defense, look, they've got to just do the simple things great,

which is tackling, shedding blocks, being in the right place. And I think Blake Baker, along with defensive line coach Bo Davis, is going to have them in those positions. One thing I would say as far as just what they looked like last year defensively to what they will look like this year, last year's defense was an NFL style

defense. It was a defense that required a lot of learning, a defense that was very read and react. And it was a challenging defense, frankly, to play in. And I think as a result, there was confusion. There were guys that were not playing with great confidence. And as a result, guys that were kind of scared to make a mistake, which led to ultimately mistakes. This style of defense is an empowering defense.

It's one in simplest terms where he's going to tell those players, hey, you play fast, you're going to make players. And you look to at some of the numbers and the things that Missouri's done well in the last couple years is havoc rate. And while they're not blitzing some ridiculous amount, they are allowing linebackers to play with athleticism, which

is going to perfectly lean in to what LSU has always had at the second and third level. They have great athletes, incredible athletes that can run with the best teams in the SEC. Now that havoc is going to cause more offenses to make mistakes, which

ultimately is going to lead to more big plays made defensively like turnovers and three and outs and things that could potentially flip the field. Yeah, and if they have that balance, Greg, I think that's what I heard from Coach Kelly. He said, we need balance. You can't be competitive in this league or any other league. If there's not balance between offense and defense, if they're not working together, you allow the opposing coaches really to shut down one side of your offense.

And without a Jaden Daniels, I don't think LSU offensively is going to be as explosive as they were before. They're going to need that defense to keep them in and win some games for them. Absolutely. And Coach Kelly talked a lot about building up in that balance as well. And I loved what you said, Ben, do the simple things great. All right, we're going to take a quick break. The main man in Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin joins the show and previews what you can expect from Ole Miss this upcoming season.

More college football live coming your way. You know what they say. Everything's bigger in Texas. The food. The boots. the hats, the attitude. And this week in Dallas, talking season is bigger than ever before.

A bigger conference. A bigger storylines. A bigger playoff. Plus, big shoes to fill. And some big old rivalries, renewed once again, and another in the SEC for the first time. Welcome to a new era of college football.

And in a conference where it just means more, this week, it's just bigger in Texas. 20201 and 2023 are the only two seasons that Ole Miss has won 10 or more games in the regular season. Now, they're looking for back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time in school history. Lane Kiff and Squad will have a favorable schedule as it avoids Alabama and Texas,

but faces its toughest test against Georgia at home. Now, if you work, the transfer, portal like Kiffin and Ole Miss. The rebels reloaded the roster with a class that includes seven of ESPN's top 75 players in the portal. Jackson Dart returns to lead in offense that ranked third in the SEC with 35 points per game. Dart is thrown for more than 6,300 yards and 43 touchdown passes in two seasons since

arriving from USC. We now welcome in Coach Lien Kiffin. Coach coming off of your team's first 11 win season in program history, what is the message you're giving in the locker room about higher expectations that this team will be facing this year. You know about worrying what they can control, which is not that outside noise, and is them preparing really well, having a great summer, practicing really well, getting into training camp, and coming together as a team, because even though there are on paper some really good players, they haven't won a game together. And so we have a lot of work left to do.

Coach, you looked at the games last year that you came up a little bit short and you say, hey, we got to get bigger here, we got to do this here, we need reinforcements here. You went out and attacked those places in the portal. And with some of the pieces that you were able to add, it feels like you're more well equipped to win games that might be won or lost in the trenches than in years past. So how are you able to kind of go and get those guys that everybody wanted in the portal? Well, I think you're right. On paper or getting off the bus, we're going to look better.

That doesn't mean we're going to win. A lot of teams have done that, and even in professional sports and done well in a free agency, and they don't gel together. So we have a lot of work to do with that. But we did address, and I felt that was an issue over the years, and especially last year, you know, with those upper echelon year-and-year-out programs, the length, the size and length. And even though we've had some good teams and really good players, I think we've lacked in that area. And so we addressed that on both sides of all, especially defense.

And bringing in new players with a transfer portal, and like you said, they haven't won together. How do you get them to come together and be able to win? Well, that's a lot of work because, like I said, there's been plenty of teams in all sports, especially professional sports, that you look at where they've been put together that they're supposed to be good, and that there's a lot of work to do. And as Greg knows, football more than any other sport, in my opinion, is the ultimate team sport as far as a lot of players and a lot of phases have to perform really well with each other. So that's why there's a training camp and a lot of work to do.

Looking at some of your personnel offensively, you already had Trey Harris. Great year last year. In comes Juice Wells. Priest Corn at tight ends. Phenomenal. Bentley is going to be a good, solid, reliable back amongst many backs. A couple of guys that are coming back from injury like Diggs and, frankly, Wells, to an extent. There's only one ball.

How do you keep everybody happy knowing that all those guys at some point or another in their career have been a major difference maker for their program? Well, that kind of fits in, I say to our team, and in life, everything that has a cost has a benefit, and everything that has a benefit has a cost. Well, one of the benefit of all those players is it's a great thing to have, but there's a cost of that of, okay, where does the ball go?

And so that's why we really work really hard on the culture of the team and guys understanding the value of winning. You came from the greatest program ever with saving of getting players to do that, that all had these dreams of first round and how many balls that they would touch. And so we have a lot of work to do on that. But I think we have really good kids that are headed that direction in the way that they think. Someone definitely heading in that direction.

And is a Jackson Dart. Now, Coach, what are your expectations for him this season? Well, just expect him to perform really well. And really, you know, through the roller coaster of the season, which is going to happen. It always happens in every season, but especially in this conference and very challenging games, especially road environments that we have coming up, some of the hardest to play in the country, that he's going to have to stay really level for us. And when those dips come, he's going to have to be there for us and get us back up.

We've also got the 12-team playoff, which changes the narrative when it comes to the path to the national championship. In what ways do you feel your team can benefit from that? I think the 12-team playoff is exciting for college football and exciting for fans and media and keeps a lot of people alive late in the season for a national championship. But for us, that that's so far down the road. And that really has nothing to do with how we prepare, how we play, and how we get ready to perform really well. Looking at the schedule coach, and it's always so hard in this league,

but we're done with divisions, which I think would stand the benefit a team like Ole Miss. I know you don't think necessarily cause an effect like that, but knowing that we're seeing some different rivalries, some games that we're not used to seeing on a regular basis, how does that impact your preparation in the summer and trying to know the opponents that you'll see in the fall? Well, I think, like you said,

we're right back into cost and benefit of everything. So it is neat for the players to go different places. The fans, I think, more than anything, to be able to go different places than they have before. I think the cost is I'm in this area. I'm a traditionalist. I don't think people think I am in many areas. But in this area, I really am.

I like rivalries. I like traditions. I don't like, you know, especially in some other conferences, some, you know, PAC-12 team, SC and UCLA, not there. But it is what it is. And so we'll try to focus on the positive that it's exciting for fans and some different places. but there's some really cool rivalries and traditions that are now not in place, unfortunately.

Yeah, we agree with you on the rivalry stuff as well. Big fans over here about those too. We also here at College Football Live would like to pass along our condolences to and your family on the loss of your father, Monty. What was one lesson you learned from him that has helped to become the coach you are today? I mean so many, but I guess in this area today as I was flying over here was his first rule to get better that he always told players coaches to show up. So even when I got asked the other day, like,

are you still coming to this? And that was, it's non-negotiable, just like he had. There were non-negotiables. One of them is you show up and you do your job. Coach, we appreciate you showing up for us today. We thank you so much and good luck this season. All right. Thanks, guys.

Have a good week. Another spot in which Old Miss can really benefit is not having to play Alabama in the regular season. Now, expectations are high for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels. The toughest game is a home matchup against Georgia. Oklahoma also visits Oxford. Now, while a road game at LSU is never easy, Ole Miss has a light non-conference schedule that includes Furman, Middle Tennessee, and Wake Forest. Now, if there was a year for Ole Miss to crack the 12-team college playoff, this could be it. Now, Ben, in years past, had there been a 12-team playoff,

Ole Miss would have been in. Now, here we are. expectations are pretty high for the rebels. What is the biggest thing Ole Miss has to do to ensure they make the cut? Well, I'm sitting there looking at that schedule you just put up, and they're going to be favored in most of the games this year. They should be favored, except for maybe that home game against Georgia. And so what that tells me is this team needs to manage their expectations. What I mean by that, well, everybody's going to be writing about them,

telling them how great they are. I'm going to be saying that they're going to be one of the teams to play for an SEC championship. How does this team manage all of the hype around them? It's one thing to play very well as they did last year winning 11 games when not too many people are expecting it. It's another thing to come out now there being the hunted instead of just a hunter. How are they going to play and perform on a week-to-week basis? More importantly than that, how are they going to practice?

And, you know, Kiffin has done a tremendous job bringing so many players together, getting the most out of them in a time where you hear about the importance of recruiting. One thing he said after that game against Georgia, last year was that they need to recruit better. I think he's done that in a variety of different ways over this past off season. And now we're going to see if they're able to manage those expectations and live up to the hype of what everybody's thinking that they should do. Now, speaking of hype, Lane Kiffin has been called the portal king. Now, according to ESPN's recruiting rankings, Ole Miss has the top incoming portal class. So what's the biggest thing you see

in regards to the transfer portal that Lane Kiffin partook in that stood out for you? Honestly, the last three years, I've been very surprised at the success he's gotten out of bringing so many different players from different places with different experiences together and playing so well in Oxford. We say the portal king, but there really is a technique to that. And Walter Nolan comes in as a D-Lyman. This is a guy who played tremendously well in Texas A&M. He's a game breaker when you get him going. You think about the juice wells that he's brought to Oxford from South Carolina, a guy that quite honest. Honestly, South Carolina is playing Georgia tight until Drews Wells gets hurt.

So match him up with the Trey Harris. I think that's going to be a tremendous boost for their offense. And so you get a pass rusher from Florida and Prinsley. And so he's again this offseason, done what he does every single offseason, bring in some transfers, find out what he needs. Go poach from there, poach from there. But the difference is that now Ole Miss has an opportunity to do something that they have never done. Absolutely.

And seven of the top 75 transfers, not too bad. All right, we're going to take a quick break because the Sooners are SEC bound. Oklahoma joins the conference this season. So how will they fare in their quest to be the ones in the SEC? More college football live coming your way. Make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry, a gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs that doesn't just sparkle but speaks. From new festive charms to forever rings and personal engravings.

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An SEC story film. Saturday Night Lights. Thursday, July 18th at 7 Eastern on SEC Network. We are counting down and you know what else is here? The 12-team playoff under the new format. The five highest-ranked conference champs will be in with the top four getting a first round by. Now, the remaining eight teams will be seated with the first-round games held on campus sites hosted by the higher-ranked team. There will be no limit on the number of teams from the same league.

With the no limit, Greg, how will this new 12-team playoff format affect the SEA. Well, I think it's going to be fascinating. And I'm not so sure it's going to affect the SEC as much this year. But I do think future scheduling is something that we'll be watching closely. Nine conference games schedule. How many non-conference games against Power 5 teams? Those are things that could change very quickly. But I also think, too, I mean, this is going to be a gauntlet.

And it's going to be really uncomfortable for a lot of teams and fan bases, frankly. And even for us as an analyst, like in the NFL, you see a team go 12 and 4 or 12 and 5 now. You're like, oh, that's a pretty good year. That's a great year. Like, they won their division. In the college, it's always been do or die. It's always been, hey, if you're not 11 to 1 or 12 and 0, like you are out, no chance. Don't even think about the playoff.

So I think adjusting our thinking there will be something that will be a little bit unique to fans that are used to contending every year at the very top with an undefeated or a one blemish record. Yeah, I think two things when it comes to scheduling. I think it gives you a little bit of leeway in the beginning of the season. You know, if you have a dud and you go out there and don't win your opening game, LSU, and you say, oh, wow, I needed to win that game. You might have some time to recover. But also, I think it makes it a lot more exciting at the end of the season. And we've talked about this, at nauseam at this point, but these rivalry games that happen at the very end of the season

that sometimes are just for the fans and they really don't have implications into the postseason. Now all these games from week six on out, week seven on out, 9, 10 are going to matter a lot more because they're going to have playoff implications. If you would have run the simulator from last year, I believe five SEC teams would have made it into a 12-team playoff. We're expecting at least that many this year. Now, Greg, who do you think will be the most uncomfortable this year, though? As far as, I think the most uncomfortable are going to be the teams that are sitting there

on the bubble. So the teams that are sitting there, 9 and 3, 8 and 4 in that vicinity. Now, 8 and 4, will that get you close enough? I really don't know. I think 10 and 2 will likely get you in. But if you look at some of the schedules, for example, not all schedules are created equal. And we found that out last year with how things went with Florida State and Alabama.

Now automatic conference championships, automatic qualifiers, that's going to be something that will be alleviated for sure. But if you look at, say, a 11 and 2 big 12 runner-up, and compare that to, say, a 9 and 3 SEC that played a really good non-conference but came up on the losing end, will that 9 and 3 team get in over a team from the Big 12 or the ACC that lost their conference championship game? So I don't think the discomfort's going to be in this conference as much or in the Big 10, but I think if you don't win your league in the Big 12 or the ACC, that's where things could be maybe a little bit more uncomfortable. I think it's safe to say, just get a little comfort.

with the discomfort. All right, we're going to take a quick break because how will some of these teams fare this season? We're bringing you the numbers on what the odds are saying and if they're on the mark for these teams. The Ultimate Fighter continues to heat up inside and outside the Octagon with Team Grazo squaring off against Team Shevchenko.

The next episode premieres tonight at 10 Eastern on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. In fact, we'll have a new episode every Tuesday at that time with each one of immediately following on ESPN Plus. All right, let's get to some SEC win totals, and all odds are brought to you by ESPN bet. Now, we'll be doing this all week long, hitting on the teams that speak each day. All right, Greg, LSU, over under 9 and a half.

Nine and a half. I will take the under, I think 9 and 3 is about right for LSU. I was under the impression that number was a little bit lower than that. But either way, man, at 9 and a half, you look at the schedule, I think you have some possible trip-up games at South Carolina. That'll be a noon start, very difficult game. Ole Miss is at home, of course, a team that's likely going to be in the top 10. At A&M, I think A&M is a top 20 team.

Bam at your house, top 10, top 5 team. And then at Florida, don't sleep on that one with Oklahoma finishing up. So to lose three there, I don't think is anything to be ashamed of, especially knowing the non-conference gets at sea. This is a tough one. And I would have said under two before we got here, but after talking to Kelly, I think I'm going to go. I think I'm going to go over just because I think that they are,

I think they're kind of a dark horse if you want to call that, but the offensive line is going to be really strong. I think it depends on Nussamire the way he plays, but I'm building confidence in him. I'm going to take the Tigers. All right. Let's keep it rolling. Ole Miss over under nine and a half.

Greg? I'll take the over here. And I actually think that Ole Miss is probably 10-2 football team. With what they've added defensively along the line of scrimmage, like they're more well-equipped to, to handle the circumstances and the challenges of this league. Yes, I think their schedule is actually sneaky tough. Now, people will look at it and say, oh, this is very manageable.

I think at South Carolina is a little tricky. I think the Kentucky game's tricky at LSU, of course, it's difficult. Oklahoma comes to them. You got Georgia coming to them. So I think their schedule is sneaky tough, including the game at Florida. But the non-conference is a lapper.

Anything better, anything less than four and O would be a huge surprise. If they manage expectations like we talked about before, I think this team can do it at Atlanta. I look at that Georgia game at home and say that's probably the only game right now without knowing anything that's going to happen throughout the season where I would say that they wouldn't be favored. I think that this team is ready and I think that this is the right time for this team to make that move in the SEC. They're ready indeed. Now another team that's ready to is South Carolina. All right, Greg, over under five and a half.

You know, I was originally going to go under here. I'm actually going to go over. And part of me is feeling more and more optimistic after having talked with Shane Beamer. that they're going to be really solid defensively. Now, they might not win a ton of games because their offense scores 28 or 30 or 35, but I think they can keep some teams in check. So I look at some of those games.

I mean, the LSU at home, is that one they can get potentially? Can they get Ole Miss at home? Those are big questions. I think they can go to Vandy and get a win. I think they can get Missouri potentially at home. I think that's possible. They've gone to Clemson and one in the past.

So I'm going to take the over. I think defensively in their ball control identity will help them a lot and getting closer to that win total. I think that's what's so difficult about South Carolina because when you look at this team, they win by forcing turnovers, they win by playing great special teams, and they always are sneaky good on one or two games

where you just don't expect them to win. I'm going under on that, but simply because I look at them last year, look at who they have coming back, the change at quarterback, the struggle they've had on an offensive line. I think they'll have a great defense, but I just don't know quite offensively

if they'll have the firepower to win some of these games. When I liked what Coach Beamer said, he said it's hard to outwork passionate people, and he's pretty passionate. So we shall see. All right, Greg, finally. He is that. He is that for sure.

And finally, Greg Vandy, over under two and a half. Yeah, I think this team, they had a ton of people leaving the portal, and that was a challenge. But I actually think they've done a pretty good job addressing what they need to become offensively. They go out, they get new offensive mentality, bring in Tim Beck, their new office coordinator from New Mexico State. They also bring with him their quarterback, Diego Pavia, who I think is a massive. massive upgrade at that position has played a lot of football. So I'm going to take the over on two and a half. And it's really going to come down to the non-conference.

I think Virginia Tech's a tough one to expect them to be competitive in. But Alcorn State, I think they can get that ball state for sure. And you just got to find one more. Can they pull an upset at Georgia State potentially? I think they can. So I'm going to take the over for Vandy. I'm going to take the over too, my friend. I think Clark Lee getting more involved in coaching hands-on,

being more in that day-to-day room with the guys on offense and defense. I think that's going to bode well for them. And again, you look at their schedule, and there are a couple games there. You say, you know what, maybe this can be a place where Fandy can get a win. It's difficult for them. It's been hard for them. But I think three games, they can get to there. Now, that two and a half number gave them the lowest among power for teams.

So it is tough, but look, football players are tough. We'll see what happens. All right, flag football is the fastest growing sport in the world. And the NFL flag football championships round of 16 will be on ESPN 2 Friday. starting at one Eastern 10 a.m. Pacific. ESPN Plus will have additional coverage from Canton, Ohio at 10 a.m. Eastern. For more information, go to NFL flag.com. While Coach Sabin is still making the rounds at SEC Media Day, his role is a little bit different this year. You won't want to miss. The biggest thing coach was missing being on the

TV side of things. More college football live coming up. SEC Media Days are just getting started. Tomorrow kicks off with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart at 10.05. Then it's Tennessee's Josh Hyple at 1135 a.m. Is this the year the Vols get to the playoff? We shall see. Plus, Brett Venables leaves the Sooners into their first season in the SEC. He speaks at 1.50 p.m. and Missouri head coach Elijah Drinkwitz wraps up the day. Now, we mentioned Oklahoma. They're looking to make an impact in the SEC for their first year. We will hear from their coach tomorrow. Ben, what do you want to hear from Coach Brent Venable?

tomorrow. Well, I think the biggest question for Oklahoma, outside of coming into the ICC, dealing with the schedule, is how do they replace 500 yards per game of offense from Dylan Gabriel? Now they've got Jackson Arnold as quarterback, new officer coordinator, Seth LaTrell. And so how do they plan to replace that? Defensively, Oklahoma has been stout. They return 79, 80 percent of their defensive production. They score 11 points off turnovers. But my biggest question is on offense, and I will hope that he will come in and kind of talk about. what he's done on offense in the off season, what are some ways he's seen Jackson Auto grow into this position

where he's going to take control of this team and be able to lead them into the gauntlet of an SEC schedule that they have. The schedule draw, the schedule draw did then no favors with the schedule they have to play for the first year in the SEC. Especially in the second half of the season. I mean, the last six games is just an absolute gauntlet. But I kind of want him to come in and say, hey, look, we've heard a lot about the Longhorns being a part

of the SEC and how they're just going to step right in. There's going to be no problem. And yet here we are just, you know, little old Oklahoma that's won like 15 conference titles in the last 20 years. I mean, they are right now a more consistent program over the last two decades than the Texas Longhorns. It's not close. So I just want him to come in with maybe a little bit of bravado

and talking about what Oklahoma's accomplished. Now, he'll come in with some swag, I think. By the way, we beat Texas last year. By the way. We love, we love swag. Now, someone who has swag is, of course, Nick Saban. He's the legend in SEC football. Now, after one of the greatest careers in college football history, he had seven national titles.

Coach Saban is now a member of our team at ESPN, and he's still adjusting. I've never worn a credential in my life, and was always for 17 years able to get in the SEC Media Day without a credential. I had to go back to the room today and get my credential to get in. So that's one of the biggest changes I see is it's not like it used to be. What? I can't. Guys, I literally. They take security series here in Dallas.

In fairness, though, it just. Don't forget your credential. Guys, we'll be back tomorrow. Same time. More SEC Media Day.