DESTIN, Fla. – As the SEC coaches, athletic directors, administrators, and media members ponder the greatest league’s future, let’s pull a few highlights from Destin so far:
Former Auburn head football coach Pat Dye created quite a stir last week by suggesting Auburn should move to the East side of the conference. Jay Jacobs, Auburn’s AD, fell right in line. However, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey dismissed the concept for now.
“Is that item on the agenda? No,” Sankey said. “Do you talk about it in media press conferences? Regularly. There’s almost this cycle now, it’s two years that you can begin predicting what will happen May 1. The national membership conversation then at some point someone will talk about division alignment. I think the next question is about a nine game schedule, none of which are on our agenda.”
Alabama’s new AD Greg Byrne made it quite clear the Tide will not entertain the idea of playing in-state schools on the gridiron.
“I think we have a very good model that has worked well for us and I don’t see that changing,” said Byrne
Alright trivia experts: how long has it been and who did Bama play? Answer at the bottom of the page.
Tide basketball fans are fired up about Avery Johnson’s third season at The Capstone and the out-of-conference schedule is adding fuel to the fire. Alabama is likely making the 1,500 mile trip to Arizona this year with the Wildcats heading to Tuscaloosa next season.
The quote of the meetings thus far belongs to Texas A&M Athletic Director Scott Woodward. When asked about Kevin Sumlin’s three straight 8-5 seasons he quipped, “Coach knows he has to win, and he has to win this year.”
The biggest discussion in Destin might have to do with something that goes hand-in-hand with the beach: alcohol. The question at hand: should it be served at stadiums? It is just a matter of time. While it might lessen binge drinking at tailgate parties, the bottom line is revenue. What do you think? E-mail me or let us know on Twitter.
Trivia answer: Alabama beat Howard (now Samford) 63-7 in 1944, 72 years ago.
Matt Coulter for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2017, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.