Football and basketball coaches all wrap up their sessions later today, after meeting with athletics directors and other execs.
This year doesn't feature the same brash topics as previous years, such as full cost of attendance, serious debate on an early signing period in football, etc.
But, I would say that a significant focal point on the football side of things is the guidelines regarding transfers. Look for formal adoption of a rule that bars any transfers with any sort of violent history but particularly a violent history against women. Needless to say, Baylor is the unspoken Bear/Elephant in the room this week.
There's some talk on football pace-of-play, but there's absolutely zero talk to speak of on any divisional realignment and also there's no discussion on going to one set of standings similar to basketball.
In basketball, there's been discussion in recent years about going back to divisional play, but it hasn't garnered as much traction this year just as a nine-game conference schedule isn't generating as much in football, either.
Lot of chatter, particularly last night at the SEC reception, about the Vols' upcoming 'Battle at Bristol' against Virginia Tech (which again all signs strongly indicated a primetime, national telecast). SEC personnel and those of other schools are intrigued by the spectacle of it, especially as all signs point toward UT hauling in easily more than $4 million.
Calipari talked with media and again expressed his disdain for the SEC postseason basketball tournament, saying it does only harm to teams in the league. "IF you lose on the first day of our tournament, what happens? You're out (of NCAAs). That's not necessarily the case in other leagues."
He said he had proposed a preseason "celebration of basketball tournament" with perhaps two host sites or one host city with two gyms where fans could come and celebrate the onset of hoops season and each team would be guaranteed 3 games. Asked what response was given from other coaches, Calipari showed a blank, bug-eyed expression.
Under his proposal, the automatic bid would go to the regular-season champion, "because that's who should get it."
This year doesn't feature the same brash topics as previous years, such as full cost of attendance, serious debate on an early signing period in football, etc.
But, I would say that a significant focal point on the football side of things is the guidelines regarding transfers. Look for formal adoption of a rule that bars any transfers with any sort of violent history but particularly a violent history against women. Needless to say, Baylor is the unspoken Bear/Elephant in the room this week.
There's some talk on football pace-of-play, but there's absolutely zero talk to speak of on any divisional realignment and also there's no discussion on going to one set of standings similar to basketball.
In basketball, there's been discussion in recent years about going back to divisional play, but it hasn't garnered as much traction this year just as a nine-game conference schedule isn't generating as much in football, either.
Lot of chatter, particularly last night at the SEC reception, about the Vols' upcoming 'Battle at Bristol' against Virginia Tech (which again all signs strongly indicated a primetime, national telecast). SEC personnel and those of other schools are intrigued by the spectacle of it, especially as all signs point toward UT hauling in easily more than $4 million.
Calipari talked with media and again expressed his disdain for the SEC postseason basketball tournament, saying it does only harm to teams in the league. "IF you lose on the first day of our tournament, what happens? You're out (of NCAAs). That's not necessarily the case in other leagues."
He said he had proposed a preseason "celebration of basketball tournament" with perhaps two host sites or one host city with two gyms where fans could come and celebrate the onset of hoops season and each team would be guaranteed 3 games. Asked what response was given from other coaches, Calipari showed a blank, bug-eyed expression.
Under his proposal, the automatic bid would go to the regular-season champion, "because that's who should get it."
