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Today, looking at the calendar, you realize just how far we are from kickoff. South Carolina, as usual, kicks off the season on the first Thursday of the college football season, this year on Sept. 3. That’s 207 days away. Grueling, I know.
College football never stops, though. There’s plenty to look forward to between now and then, even if the wait until we get to see SEC teams hit someone other than their teammates in practice is intolerable.
- Pro days and the NFL scouting combine — How fast are guys like Amari Cooper and Nick Marshall? How close is Todd Gurley to being healthy? We’ll start to find out soon enough. As opposed to the NFL scouting combine, players get to show their skills in a comfortable environment at their pro days, plus gives extra time to heal up from the season. We also get the annual Wonderlic test drama, always good for a few days of media attention.
- Quarterback competitions — There are a glut of teams around the conference replacing their signal caller. While some, like Auburn, have successors lined up, others — Ole Miss, Alabama, South Carolina — will have it out in spring and fall practices. There’s LSU, one of the most talented teams in the country, whose fate will likely be decided by how its quarterback competition plays out.
- Draft season — The NFL draft has turned into one of the biggest non-game spectacles in sports. This year, as always, plenty of fan bases will have players to root for at the top of the draft. While there aren’t any heart-warming stories like Michael Sam’s yet, several SEC players will be vying for top slots in the first round.
- New threads — It’s one of the more inconsequential aspects of football, but every fan wants their team to look good. Tennessee is making the switch from adidas to Nike, and their new designs are highly anticipated. South Carolina has switched up its Under Armour template every few years, meaning there could be a new one coming for 2015, while Texas A&M regularly gets fresh designs from the Three Stripes.
- Preseason hype videos — There’s nothing like aimlessly browsing the Internet (hopefully not at work) and finding your favorite team dropped a video complete with slow-motion highlights, epic music and the hope of a new season.
- Trash talk — A lot of players and coaches shut down social media during the season, knowing that very little good can come from it. Offseason is peak time for reckless tweeting, though, and we can only hope that some players fan the flames of their rivalries. Texas A&M signee Kendall Bussey has already gotten the smack talk going between Texas A&M and LSU. There will be more where that came from.
- SEC media days — Speaking of the spectacle the NFL draft has become, how about SEC media days? Just look at the images from last year’s media days and see the hundreds of reporters jammed in. With star players and coaches in front of so many microphones, fans will be in for some interesting moments.
- Preseason rankings — For anyone that loves to debate, the first set of preseason rankings provides a great talking point. Which teams are overrated? Who is being undervalued? The first polls set the tone for the season and provide plenty of fodder for fans to dissect.
- Preseason awards lists — Just like the rankings, the early awards lists will help shape the season. For many fans, the lists will be how they start to get acquainted with the upcoming star players from around the country.
- Conference comparisons — It’s everyone’s (least) favorite conversation: which conference reigns supreme on the college football landscape. It’s been popular to bash the Big Ten in recent years, something that will cool off after Ohio State’s national championship. For the first time in nearly a decade, the SEC doesn’t definitively hold down the top spot heading into the season.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
