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1. Southeastern Conference Media Days begin Monday morning at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham, also known as the Wynfrey Hotel. There are a lot of topics that will be broached when SEC commissioner Greg Sankey opens festivities. I’m sure he’ll talk about COVID-19 vaccinations and testing. I’m sure he’ll talk about TV deals, the expanded playoff structure heading to college football soon and much more.
I’ll report on those topics on Monday and throughout the week. Ole Miss’ appearance is Tuesday.
However, one final time, I want to address one thing Sankey probably won’t Monday — Sankey’s role in saving college football in 2020.
In short, he saved it. Last summer, as other leagues caved to political pressure and an overall lack of courage, Sankey stood strong. In early August, when the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced there would be no football in those leagues, they believed the rest of the Power-5 conferences would go along. And in reality, they were basically right — except for the SEC.
Sankey never budged. Instead, he followed science and numbers. He admitted that it might not be possible to play. He prepared the league office and the member-institutions for the worst-case scenario, but he pushed forward, knowing there was absolutely a path to a college football season.
And he was right. It wasn’t perfect. Stadiums were mostly empty. Games were postponed, rescheduled and — in some cases — canceled. But there was a season. Programs were hurt but not destroyed. Sankey’s leadership emboldened the Big 12 and the ACC. It forced the Big Ten and Pac-12 back to the field. It gave fans football to enjoy on Saturday.
And because there was football, we had basketball and baseball and softball and all of the other sports, too.
Sankey isn’t perfect. He’s made mistakes and he’s drawn deserved criticism at times. His job is an impossible one in that regard.
This season will be a challenge, what with variants and rising cases and a public that has been burned by both sides politicizing a virus for gain. Health care officials and politicians have lost a significant segment of the public’s trust. There are plenty of young people, including those who play sports, who are hesitant about taking a vaccine for a virus that didn’t and likely won’t hurt them. Testing for COVID-19 remains controversial. As much as we all want to be back to normal, we’re not there yet. I suspect Sankey will say as much Monday.
I might not agree with everything he’ll say Monday, but I hope to get a chance to shake his hand and thank him personally for saving college football 11 months ago. For as much as he’d push back and say it was a collaborative effort, Sankey absolutely saved the sport. And in so doing, he saved jobs and families and homes, all the while providing hope and an entertainment outlet to fans who used the games as a therapeutic escape from their everyday lives.
2. As I said, Lane Kiffin will make his debut at SEC Media Days as Ole Miss’ coach on Tuesday. There was no SEC Media Days event a year ago, not even a virtual one, as frankly, at this time last year, pessimism reigned, even in the SEC offices.
Here are the questions I suspect Kiffin will be encountered with, other than the ones you can absolutely bank on, such as his team’s rate of vaccination, his thoughts on the expanded playoff, his relationship with Alabama’s Nick Saban, etc.
— Because local media members are obsessed with John Rhys Plumlee, Kiffin is going to be asked extensively about Plumlee’s role. He’s likely going to be vague, but Plumlee is absolutely going to be a receiver this fall. He does not fit as a quarterback in Kiffin’s system, no matter how hard media fight that fact.
— He’s going to be asked about replacing Elijah Moore and Kenny Yeboah. Frankly, that’s more than fair. If Ole Miss is going to be as electric on offense as it was in 2020, some new names have to emerge and other players have to step up.
— He’s going to be asked a lot of questions about defense. Ole Miss was abysmal there a year ago. If they’re going to push for second or third in the West, it starts on that side of the ball.
— Kiffin is going to be asked about coaching staff shake-ups and about the extremely young staff he’s accumulated in Oxford.
— Someone will likely ask about Arch Manning without saying Arch Manning’s name. I’m still trying to figure out exactly how to word that one. Someone, hopefully, will beat me to it. His presence looms over the program to a degree. Let no one tell you differently. Kiffin is and has been aware of the ramifications of signing — or failing to sign — Manning for more than a year now.
— Someone might ask about his weight loss regiment. Kiffin looks like he’s dropped 25 pounds since last season. The guy is lean.
— He’ll be asked about returning to Tuscaloosa and Knoxville this season, about any pressure he might feel coaching against Hugh Freeze when Liberty comes to Oxford in November.
— He’ll be asked a lot about Matt Corral and the strides he took and still needs to take.
-- He'll likely be asked about a certain rumor, one he sort of addressed late last week, leading to a local newspaper turning it into a headline. He shouldn't be asked, but these days, there's simply no telling.
In short, it’ll be pretty interesting stuff, a far cry from the relative influx of boredom that Ole Miss has been at SEC Media Days since the end of the Freeze era in Oxford. The Rebels, for the first time in a long time, will be headliners.
3. If I cast a vote this week in Hoover, mine will look like this:
SEC East:
1. Georgia
2. Kentucky
3. Florida
4. Missouri
5. Tennessee
6. South Carolina
7. Vanderbilt
SEC West:
1. Alabama
2. Texas A&M
3. LSU
4. Ole Miss
5. Auburn
6. Mississippi State
7. Arkansas
SEC Champion: Alabama
4. If I cast a vote for All-SEC this week in Hoover, mine will look like this:
OFFENSE
QB — Matt Corral, Ole Miss
RB — Tank Bigsby, Auburn
RB — Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
WR — Traylon Burks, Arkansas
WR — John Metchie III, Alabama
TE — Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
OT — Evan Neal, Alabama
OT — Darrian Kinnard, Kentucky
OG — Emil Ekiyor Jr., Alabama
OG — Luke Fortner, Kentucky
C — Michael Maietti, Missouri
DEFENSE
DE — DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M
DT — Kobie Whiteside, Missouri
DT — Jordan Davis, Georgia
DE — Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
LB — Zakoby McClain, Auburn
LB — Grant Morgan, Arkansas
LB — Christian Harris, Alabama
CB — Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
CB — Eli Ricks, LSU
S — Jordan Battle, Alabama
S — Jalen Catalon, Arkansas
SPECIALISTS
K — Cade York, LSU
P — Paxton Brooks, Tennessee
KR — Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
PR — Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
5. There are a lot of new faces in the league this year, so I thought I’d break out the preseason SEC Coaches Hot Seat gauge. This year, for the first time in a long time, there aren’t many flames to be found as things get rolling in Hoover.
Here’s the scale: 1 is ice cold, 10 is red hot. You can figure out the rest. Last season, there were several guys in the 8-, 9- or 10-range, even in the midst of a pandemic.
Alabama’s Nick Saban — 1 (He’d have to murder multiple people in cold blood on video and scream racial slurs in the process. Even then, he might be safe)
Arkansas’ Sam Pittman — 2 (Pittman is well-liked and respected in Fayetteville. He’ll get time)
Auburn’s Brian Harsin — 2 (Just because Auburn coaches always have at least a burner on; that’s just how it is on the Plains)
LSU’s Ed Orgeron — 7 (If the Tigers get off to a bad start, the heat ratchets up quickly. The school needs a scapegoat for the Title IX stuff. Orgeron could be a prime candidate)
Mississippi State’s Mike Leach — 3 (He’s not a great fit, their bowl game was marred by a postgame brawl and the schedule is weird. It’s a critical year for Leach if this experiment has any chance of becoming a longterm situation)
Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin — 1 (He’s a perfect fit for Ole Miss, and that becomes more obvious all the time. The defense needs to improve and he needs to manage the Arch Manning thing well to avoid someone at least searching for a match, but realistically, Kiffin is going to get all the time he wants in Oxford)
Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher — 2 (He needs to beat Alabama, but he’s turned the program around, recruited at a very high level and has the Aggies poised to be in the national conversation. He’s very good at what he does)
Georgia’s Kirby Smart — 2 (All that’s left is winning the whole thing. There’s no heat, but make no mistake; there’s pressure)
Florida’s Dan Mullen — 4 (If this season doesn’t go swimmingly, the muttering will begin in Gainesville)
Kentucky’s Mike Stoops — 1 (He’s turned Kentucky football into a very respectable commodity, and that’s all 99 percent of the people in Lexington are asking for)
Missouri’s Elijah Drinkwitz — 1 (Sure, he’s goofy and awful at social media, but he’s doing a very solid job in Columbia and the people there really like him)
South Carolina’s Shane Beamer — 1 (Just know this is hopeless. They love the guy, but the best he can be is a bridge to respectability)
Tennessee’s Josh Heupel — 3 (One starts with the fire already lit at Tennessee. The transfer portal hasn’t been kind)
Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea — 1 (They’ll give him all the time he wants in Nashville. At least the city is very nice)
6. Starting in this space this week, I’ll make some preseason predictions for the other conferences in college football. Since they kicked off the July media extravaganza this week in Arlington, Texas, today I’ll take my stab at the Big 12.
1. Oklahoma — 11-1 overall, 8-1 Big 12
2. Iowa State 10-2, 7-2
T3. Oklahoma State 8-4, 6-3
T3. Texas 8-4, 6-3
T5. Kansas State 7-5, 5-4
T5. West Virginia 7-5, 5-4
7. TCU 6-6, 4-5
8. Baylor 6-6, 3-6
9. Texas Tech 5-7, 2-7
10. Kansas 2-10, 1-8
7. Isn't it awesome to have football to discuss again? Starting this week, I'll start making my sure-to-go-wrong NFL predictions in advance of the season, which is slated to begin Sept. 9 with the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Dallas Cowboys.
I'll do division by division over the next few weeks, starting today with the AFC West.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) -- The Chiefs have played in the last two Super Bowls, winning one, and they're a major candidate to advance to another one in February. Patrick Mahomes is the most dominant quarterback in the game and it's a talented, balanced roster.
2. Los Angeles Chargers (10-7) -- The Chargers are a popular "Cinderella" pick this preseason, and I'm all in on Justin Herbert as a future star. However, that's a new offensive line and I wonder if they can gel in time to make a run at the division.
3. Las Vegas Raiders (6-11) -- The Raiders were very solid on offense a year ago, but their issues on the defensive side of the ball continue to be problematic. I might be underselling the Raiders a game or so, and to their credit, they've given the Chiefs fits, but there's not enough there to challenge for the playoffs.
4. Denver Broncos (5-12) -- I might even be too optimistic on the Broncos. The organization appears to have no direction. Barring some last-minute deal for Aaron Rodgers, this season has chaos written all over it for Denver.
8. Major League Baseball began the second half of its season this week following Tuesday's All-Star Game in Denver.
I expect a fair amount of trade activity over the next two weeks, as sellers sell and buyers buy. It started Thursday when the Chicago Cubs traded outfielder Joc Pederson to Atlanta for a minor league first baseman. The prospect's position matters, for the Cubs are likely not done moving big names. Their first baseman, face of the franchise Anthony Rizzo, could be on the move, along with shortstop Javy Baez, All-Star third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant, all-star closer Craig Kimbrel and likely others.
Minnesota's Nelson Cruz could be on the move. Colorado's Trevor Story almost certainly will be. Teams will inquire about Texas' Joey Gallo, but the price tag will be exorbitant. Several races are going to be super exciting, and the one-game wildcard round is going to be heartbreaking for two really good teams.
Here are my second-half predictions:
AL East: Red Sox hold off Tampa Bay; Yankees left out of the postseason
AL Central: Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and the guys bring a division title to the South Side
AL West: Houston wins, but Oakland and maybe even the Angels will be in the wildcard mix.
AL Wildcard: This is my heart over my head, and you know Major League Baseball hopes I'm right: Angels vs. Athletics
NL East: The Mets make a big move (Bryant?) and solidify their spot on top.
NL Central: The Reds catch Milwaukee and win the Central, further confusing my 14-year-old son/Nick Castellanos fan.
NL West: The Dodgers catch the Giants.
NL Wildcard: San Diego versus San Francisco
AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Angels
NL MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
AL Cy Young: Lance Lynn, White Sox
NL Cy Young: Jacob deGrom, Mets
AL Rookie of the Year: Adolis Garcia, Rangers
NL Rookie of the Year: Jonathan India, Reds
AL Manager of the Year: Dusty Baker, Astros
NL Manager of the Year: Gabe Kapler, Giants
9. It’s time to eat. Here’s our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 95 — Beef Ravioli with Mint Yogurt.
These little nuggets are mighty tasty and will have you calling back to your childhood. It reminds me of hamburger helper yet a little sophisticated.
Tidbit #1: This is a Turkish recipe so there will be no eggs in the pasta. Once you make the pasta dough, you will need to let it rest for 20 minutes in a bowl covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
Tidbit #1.2: When you form the ravioli one thing to note, these are “open ravioli”. Place your meat mixture in the middle of the rectangle you have cut out. Fold the long sides up to the top of the meat, then pinch the sides on either side of the meat. Very simple and the reason for this is to be able to brown the top of the meat when it is cooking in the oven.
Tidbit #1.3: For the quantity of the meat mixture, 1 teaspoon per ravioli. For the size to cut the pasta dough, just 1/2 inch on all 4 sides of the meat mixture. Remember that pasta dough can stretch.*
Tidbit #4: If you would like, you can use venison in the recipe. You will just need to do a mix of 80% venison to 20% ground pork or beef because of how lean the meat is.
Things you will need:
4 People
IPA to drink
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cook time - 35 minutes
Utensils needed:
Worksurface and chef’s knife
Measuring cups
Small sauce pot
Square pyrex 13x9
Stovetop and oven
2 Medium mixing bowls
Small mixing bowl
Teaspoon and regular spoon
Ladle
Rolling pin
Plastic wrap
Ingredients needed:
2 cups all-purpose flour + .25 cup for rolling
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1.5 cups greek yogurt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried mint
Salt and pepper
Mise en place
Step 1: Place the flour, vegetable oil, and water into the mixing bowl. Mix using your hands until the dough comes together. After, place your plastic wrap over the top and let sit for 20 minutes.
Step 2: While the dough is resting, pour your beef stock and tomato paste into the small saucepot. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Set to the side.
Step 2.1: In your other mixing bowl, add the ground meat along with the minced onion. Season with salt and pepper heavy. Mix until combined thoroughly.
Assembly
Step 3: First set your oven to 400°F. Then, roll out your pasta dough to 1/4 inch in height. Place your teaspoons of meat on the dough and then cut into rectangles. Follow the folding directions in “Tidbit 1.2 and 1.3”. Once you have finished all of the ravioli, put them in your pyrex dish. Pour have of the tomato-beef broth over and then into the oven for 25 minutes.
Step 3.1: *When the cooking time is halfway, open the oven and carefully pour the rest of the tomato-beef broth over the ravioli.
Last step
Step 4: In your small mixing bowl, add the yogurt, minced garlic, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 of the quantity of the dried mint. Mix with the spoon. Once you are ready to serve the dish, spoon over the yogurt mixture on top of the ravioli and sprinkle the rest of the mint over the top. Then you’re set!
From the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit!
10. We'll have coverage of SEC Media Days, Ole Miss football recruiting and whatever else might pop up this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me -- and hopefully, to you -- for your reading pleasure:
Two A&M football players to net $10,000 for exclusive interviews
2021 NBA Draft Two-Round Mock: Zach Harper sees Rockets torn between Jalens at No. 2
Las Vegas was boozed up, loud, and brilliantly back to normal for Poirier-McGregor – The Athletic
Boulder, Colorado, is the No. 1 Best Place to Live, According to U.S. News | Press Room | US News
This Major Ingredient in Beer May Help Treat Liver Disease, Says New Study | Eat This Not That
Dear Men, Please Stop Drinking Beer. It's Making You Effeminate And Infertile
The Kids Were Safe From COVID the Whole Time
The CDC Owes Parents Better Messaging on the Vaccine for Kids
Vaccine Hesitancy Is Informed, Scientifically Literate – PJ Media
Hunter Biden’s prosecutor rejected moves that would have revealed probe earlier - POLITICO
Shark experts insist on re-branding attacks as shark “interactions”
