Despite what the thermometer might say, beginning this week, summer is officially over.
Once coaches step to the podium for the weeklong, made-for-TV spectacle known as SEC media days, the countdown to the start of another college football season switches from a snail’s pace to warp speed. And when the season does kick off, the spectacular color of the leaves won’t be the only drastic change as league expansion (most notably within the Southeastern Conference) and an expanded College Football Playoff field headline the shift in the sport so many of us love.
Preseason camps begin in less than two weeks, less than 40 days remain before the first weekend of opening games, and that short span will certainly evaporate faster than a Vanderbilt fan’s playoff hopes.
Although Southern hospitality required welcoming new members Oklahoma and Texas by holding the event in their backyard of Dallas, common sense should dictate it returns to the actual Southeast moving forward. So as this week’s far-flung festivities got underway on Monday, there was a serious uptick in interest for many in the Chattanooga area on Tuesday as team representatives from Georgia and Tennessee stepped into the spotlight.
While the storyline for Georgia is rinse-and-repeat simple — with the stockpile of talent Kirby Smart has amassed, just keep doing what has made the Dawgs the sport’s premier program and hope to avoid the injuries that likely cost them a shot at a third consecutive national title last year — Volunteers coach Josh Heupel faces more doubt than belief that he and his team are ready to join the 12-team playoff discussion.