Tag: Slive

SEC names new Commissioner

The SEC has named former COO Greg Sankey as the league’s new Commissioner after Mike Slive had to resign due to treatments for cancer. Sankey, who has been at the SEC for 12 years and was the league’s Executive Associate Commissioner, was announced by head of SEC presidents and chancellors Nick Zeppos. He will take over Slive’s job when he formally retires on end-July this year. “The institutions of the Southeastern Conference searched for a commissioner who would carry forward the momentum of success enjoyed by the SEC over the last decade while also possessing a vision for change in the modern era of college athletics,” said Zeppos.  “Greg Sankey’s experience with our institutions, his respect on the national landscape,

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Slive coming back as SEC Commissioner

Mike Slive is going to be back for the 2014-5 academic year, the SEC Commissioner told reporters. He said to the Birmingham News: “I’ve got too much going on…..I’ve got the (SEC) Network to work on. I’ve got football scheduling to solve. We’ve got the NCAA restructuring. We’ve got a lot of important issues to take care of. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The report noted that Slive made $1.2m in 2012-3.  

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Texas A&M drops USC and Oregon from future schedules

It didn’t take long Texas A&M to fit in with the SEC-type of scheduling issue. Why? Because right now, there’s an outcry for schools to schedule more difficult non-confernence teams in a quest for a National Championship. And what did Texas A&M do? They cancelled their home-and-home games with USC in 2015-6 and Oregon from 2018-9. The Aggies explanation is a good one – blame it on the SEC. “During a transition like this (from the Big 12 to the SEC), it’s just been a little more difficult trying to schedule. Hopefully, in time, it will straighten itself out,” said Texas A&M’s AD Eric Hyman to the Houston Chronicle. Weirdly enough, the move comes just as SEC commissioner Mike Slive

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Quick reflection on SEC Media Days: Why didn’t people mention soft scheduling?

This is going to sound really nasty bearing in mind that this is a blog on the SEC and the fact that we are read by SEC fans, but we’ve been looking for the ‘juiciest’ (trust me, there aren’t very many) quotes from the SEC Media Days, and we struggled to get anything that kept us particularly awake. However, like the ghost that haunts us and never seems to give up, we couldn’t help but think: Why on earth did NO-ONE ask either Commissioner Slive or any of the SEC head coaches about Non-Conference scheduling? Here is why: When the 2014 play-offs come along and the Committee -whoever they might be – are deciding ‘strength of schedule’, they hopefully will

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SEC Meetings: What to Expect From Media Days 2-3

A few months after the SEC Meetings in Florida, we’re getting a play-off in college football – and it’s all to the SEC’s advantage, because if that group is going to sit and talk about ALL schedules – not just non-conference schedules – then it’s going to be SEC all the way. So anyway, here’s what we expect the coaches to talk about at the SEC Media Days from now on in (sorry about missing Mssrs Pinkel, Spurrier, Franklin and Sumlin, but we’ve been away (but you will be caught up on what they said). We expect: Nick Saban to talk about Alabama’s recruiting, re-tooling after another National Championship, and of course – as happens every year – oversigning. And how

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Feeling the loss: Key players out on each SEC team

Big-time players have gone from SEC schools around the country. The SEC Football Blog outlines which players are going to be missed the most…. SEC West Alabama Let’s get this straight first and foremost, the loss of most of their defense isn’t going to make life as easy for the Crimson Tide in 2012 and it was in 2011, but the big loss is running back, Heisman contender and bulldozer Trent Richardson, who destroyed the opposition week in, week out. Sure, Ed Lacy’s going to be good – but we’re going to give him a year to be Trent-good, if that’s at all possible. Arkansas  First of all, let us say that the biggest loss isn’t going to be on

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It’s Official: College Football Has Its Play-Off

After 100 years of controversy, College Football at last has its play-offs, starting in 2015, the NCAA has said. The four-team play-off will start in 2015, and the first ‘Final Four’ will be chosen by Selection Commiteee – and teams will be ranked on Win-Loss record, strength of schedule, head-of-head and then if a team is conference champion, USA Today reporter Nicole Auerbach tweeted. She added that the make-up of the selection committee is still to be decided. Virginia Tech president Charles Steger told a press conference: “I am delighted to report our endorsement of a four-team seeded play-off”, and added that they will be taking fan suggestions for a new replacement name for the BCS, which has caused so

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SEC Spring Meetings: Winners/Losers

The SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Fl. weren’t low on discussion. To make it a quick read (and to not try and tread on too much old ground, The SEC Football Blog brings you a (not completely complete) list of winners and losers from the three days of meetings. If you have any more, please comment! WINNERS The supporters of tradition: The SEC voted for the 6-1-1 schedule to stick around for the next half a decade, meaning that the century-old Auburn-Georgia and Alabama – Tennessee rivalries stay intact. And so does the LSU vs Florida game, which has been going for a mere 41 years, which is just a smidgeon shorter than how old Les Miles is (and yes,

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Schedule grumblings dominate SEC Spring Meetings talk

It’s as though everyone’s either on a schedule, or grumbling about them these days. And the SEC coaches are no different at the Spring Meetings in Destin, FL. A few points: There some seriousness in discussions of nine-game SEC schedule, with Nick Saban advocating it, according to Clay Travis.. “Clay Travis (@ClayTravisBGID: Biggest news on SEC football coaches meeting was seriousness of 9 game schedule. Told Saban advocated for 9.” Steve Spurrier wants divisions decided not by overall SEC record, but divisional record, and boy is he banging his drum about it. He’s still a little peeved that South Carolina didn’t get into its second straight SEC title game, even though it beat Georgia (in one of the games of the season, we

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Slive: I Like Play-Offs

When the most powerful commissioner in college football is saying: “I like play-offs”, it’s not going to be a matter whether college football goes to a play-off, it’s a matter when it does, and how many teams are involved. Speaking at the SEC Baseball tournament in Hoover (won by the Mississippi State Bulldogs, if you’re counting), Mike Slive said that he favours a four-team play-off. “I think what’s in the best interest of college football is a four-team playoff,” he told ESPN. “I think it’s better for everyone involved in the game. The plus-one narrows the postseason in a way that’s not necessarily in the best interest of all the conferences.” Of course, now comes the madness and questions: 1)

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