SEC Spring Meetings in Destin got cooking continued on Wednesday. Multiple head coaches spoke with the media, and Paul Finebaum was live on location, and we learned more about some of the biggest issues facing the conference heading into the new 16-team era. The 2024 college football season is quickly approaching.
Most of the chatter at the event continues to be about the House v. NCAA settlement and what that will mean for college football. Let’s recap the latest.
A bunch of questions and not many answers
The House v. NCAA settlement still needs to officially get passed, but that has not stopped the SEC from discussing the changes that will need to be made. Finding additional revenue or doing a better job of balancing expenses will be a huge task for college athletic directors moving forward. Luckily, the SEC has some big checks coming from Walt Disney thanks to the new media rights deal.
But there are other issues.
Numerous coaches in Destin have spoken out regarding the roster limits that will now be put into place after the settlement got rid of scholarship limits. The move could eliminate walk-ons and leave football rosters with only 85 scholarship players. In a mild surprise, this has been the No. 1 talking point throughout the week, and there does not appear to be much clarity.
“Came in with a lot of questions, leaving with a lot more,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said.
The fact of that matter is figuring out the new world will be a months-long process, but everyone needs to brace for change. SEC coaches will not get an open checkbook to operate anymore. Staffs could be made smaller along with rosters. Changes are coming.
We will get better answers down the road, but for now, this is a fluid situation.
SEC fans will have more schedule information
In the old model, kickoff times for the first three weeks were announced in the summer, and every other game was released 12 days in advance with some select games getting a hold placed on them before the kickoff time became public six days in advance. That made logistic planning difficult for fans. The SEC’s new deal with ESPN will provide more information.
As normal, the SEC will announce kickoff times for the first three weeks of the season on Thursday afternoon. In mid-June, the SEC will announce over 50 percent of the remaining kick times. All Noon ET/11:00 a.m. CT kickoff times will also be announced in mid-June.
In a few weeks, we will know when over half the SEC games will take place, and tailgate plans can be made. This one can be considered a win for the fans.
Chris Del Conte could be an entertaining SEC character
The fit for Texas in the SEC is going to be really interesting. The school with more resources and money than anyone else is used to being the alpha, but the Longhorns might not be the alpha in this league. The burnt orange is going to get under multiple fan bases’ skin quickly. Don’t believe me? Go ask a Arkansas or Texas A&M fan.
Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte is an administrator, but he is very much a Texas administrator. He will not be boring, and he proved that on his first appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show.
“You may talk about the Cocktail Party or the Iron Bowl — it is nothing like this game at the state fair because you have 300,000 people outside,” Del Conte said about the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma that takes place at the Cotton Bowl every October.
“You gotta throw us a bone there, P-Dub.”
Rivalry game trash talk in his first event with the league. Expect to see some more soundbites from Del Conte now and in the future. The SEC is better with characters. Chris Del Conte is a character.
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