SEC Media Days: Who’s who in Hoover

HOOVER, Ala. — What might the mighty SEC, hoister of the past four crystal footballs, have in store for the insatiable college football public in 2010?

Fans will get a sneak peek starting today as the SEC convenes for its annual three-day media kickoff at the Wynfrey Hotel.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive will lead off the event with his annual state-of-the conference talk at 12:30 p.m., then defending BCS national champion Alabama will be at the print media auditorium at 1 p.m.

The Crimson Tide, the only SEC team to go unbeaten during the league’s four-year streak of champions (following Florida in 2006, LSU in 2007 and Florida in 2008),are likely to begin the season atop the national polls. Fawning Alabama fans are sure to flock to the Wynfrey lobby and radio row, which leads to the adjoining Galleria, to get a glimpse of Coach Nick Saban and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.

While analysts project Alabama as a national title contender, an array of SEC West teams are aiming to replace the Tide as division champions. Arkansas, led by its high-powered offense, Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State are all projected to be stronger this season.

The Razorbacks’ contingent, due to arrive Thursday morning, will be led by third year Coach Bobby Petrino, who is tied for sixth in the SEC in years of tenure at his school. Arkansas will also be represented by record-breaking quarterback Ryan Mallett (possibly still in that pesky orthopedic boot), defensive end Jake Bequette and tight end D.J. Williams, the only senior among the three players, and a repeat attendee from last year.

At Ole Miss, third-year Coach Houston Nutt enters the season without a proven quarterback and missing a lot of pieces from a solid defense. The Rebels are not likely to be projected for another upper division finish after back-to-back Cotton Bowl victories.

Another key question facing the SEC: Can anyone in the Eastern Division challenge the supremacy of Florida, which has played in three of the past four SEC title games and will probably be picked to do it again, even with the departure of quarterback Tim Tebow.

And what’s with Florida Coach Urban Meyer? After his flirtation with resigning over the winter, Meyer initiated a verbal spat with a reporter during spring drills, then took a scheduled leave of absence following spring practice. Maybe it’s Tebow withdrawals.

Vanderbilt, not normally a media magnet at SEC media days, will be more of a hot topic after the sudden resignation and retirement of Coach Bobby Johnson last week.

Vanderbilt interim coach Robbie Caldwell will join Tennessee’s Derek Dooley and Kentucky’s Joker Phillips as the only first-timers among head coaches at SEC media days.

Caldwell’s promotion means seven football programs in the 12-team SEC have changed head coaches twice since Georgia Coach Mark Richt, the dean of league coaches, came on board in 2001.

Speaking of Richt, it’s a big season for his Bulldogs, who are coming off a disappointing 8-5 season in which the defense gave up an average of 25.9 points per game, allowing five SEC opponents to score at least 34 points. The defensive issues led to a staff shake-up.

Georgia had trouble staying out of the headlines for all the wrong reasons this summer, with player arrests and the firing of Athletic Director Damon Evans after an embarrassing traffic stop and DUI charge.

There has also been off-the field problems at Tennessee, where Dooley was forced to dismiss safety Darren Myles Jr. and suspend two other players after a large number of Volunteers players were allegedly involved in a bar brawl July 9.

Questions are sure to arise regarding what is considered a growing problem with agents in college football.

On Monday, allegations that former Florida offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey might have accepted money from a representative of an agent surfaced. That story came on the heels of an investigation at North Carolina regarding agent activity, and South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders said last weekend he had spoken to NCAA investigators.

On Tuesday, ESPN.com reported that Alabama officials were trying to determine if defensive end Marcell Dareus violated NCAA rules by attending an agent’s party in Florida along with Saunders and North Carolina players.

Slive’s stance on conference expansion is also likely to be further examined. The SEC kept its maneuverings during the expansion debate this summer mostly under wraps before the movements ended and the conference remained at 12 schools.