Football season unofficially begins now at SEC Media Days

AUBURN, Ala. -- Forget, for the most part, about the Sun Belt, which held its conference's media day Monday to kick off the slew of FBS conference media extravaganzas that preview the college football season.

The unofficial start of the 2012 season begins today with the opening of the SEC Media Days at the Wynfrey Hotel at Hoover, Ala., an event that will draw more than 1,100 credentialed media from around the country and last three days.

The SEC has won six straight national championships, a run of dominance that might have reached its peak when Alabama beat LSU in the BCS national championship game last season.

And the SEC's run may not be over.

Led by longtime commissioner Mike Slive, who told the Associated Press Monday that he plans to continue on the job for at least the next couple of years, the SEC increased its fan base by adding Missouri and Texas A&M to its ranks.

Lured away from the Big 12 by the promise of SEC stability and a lucrative TV contract currently being re-negotiated, the Tigers and Aggies will help kick off SEC Media Days today by making their first appearances at the event.

Throw in South Carolina's Steve Spurrier and Vanderbilt's James Franklin, two of the conference's most quotable coaches, and the first day should have plenty to discuss.

The newcomers will likely not even be the biggest topic of discussion as the nation's media look for the frontrunner to win the SEC championship and make a likely run at the conference's seventh straight title.

LSU, Alabama and Arkansas all return a bunch of big-name players in the SEC West, but all three face big-time questions with new faces at quarterback, on defense and at head coach, respectively.

In the SEC East, Georgia has plenty of star power coming back, but the Bulldogs' offseason has been marred by a series of arrests and suspensions. South Carolina's season may rest on the health of star running back Marcus Lattimore, who won't be making the trip to Hoover.

One player who is scheduled to appear is Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, a former Carver High standout. Georgia and Alabama are both scheduled to appear on Thursday. Auburn will appear on Wednesday.

Granted, the race for the SEC championship won't be decided until these teams take the field in September.

But the arrival of SEC Media Days means one thing.

Football isn't far around the corner.

Complete coverage

Joel Erickson and Seth Emerson will be in Hoover, Ala., all week to cover SEC Media Days for the Ledger-Enquirer and also on ledger-enquirer.com. You can also follow them on Twitter.com @wareagleextra and @sethemerson.

This story was originally published July 16, 2012 at 11:26 PM with the headline "Football season unofficially begins now at SEC Media Days."