Alabama Football: Predicting storylines from SEC Media Days

Alabama football will be a common talking point this week

Once again, Hoover will host the official start of the upcoming college football season as SEC Media Days take place this week. With Alabama football being the reigning champs, they will be a focal point in almost every discussion.

This is a chance for every coach to share insight on the state of college football. They can detail position battles, deflect tough questions and give their opinions on pressing matters around the sport. This is always a time where the media can land great quotes from the best coaches and players in the SEC. With that in mind, what will be the storylines from the 2021 SEC Media Days?

NIL Laws

Expect every coach to be asked about new NIL laws and how they will impact their teams. For the first time ever, college athletes are allowed to be paid for use of their name, image and likeness. Some players have already landed lucrative deals. Expect plenty of one-liners about how this will change college football.

COVID-19

While many want to put COVID-19 in the rearview mirror, it is still impacting sports. Many athletes are ineligible for the Olympics, and multiple NBA players missed games due to the COVID-19 protocols. Expect questions regarding vaccination rates, testing and safety measures.

Alabama football’s title defense

As always, Alabama football will be a part of every interview. Saban will be asked about how this team looks compared to others in the past. Other teams will be asked how they can stop the Crimson Tide. Every team is graded on a different scale thanks to Alabama, so that will dictate some of every team’s questions. It may not be fair, but it is a common occurrence.

Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach memes

Last year’s media days were canceled due to COVID-19. This will be the first official SEC Media Days experience with Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin as head coaches of their new programs. While we might not learn much about either team, this should be high-level entertainment.

Whatever Nick Saban wants to talk about

Members of the media can have their own questions ready, but they won’t truly matter. When Nick Saban walks up to the podium, he will have an agenda. It won’t matter if he gets asked about something. He will get his point across.

In the past, he has discussed a variety of things. He went into detail regarding how he was going to conduct the quarterback competition between Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. He once talked about Alabama football’s scheduling and how the SEC needed to add another conference game to the schedule. He’s even talked about satellite camps in the past.

So, what will be on Saban’s mind this year? My best guess is the new CFP format proposal. This will impact the Crimson Tide, and Saban will likely use his platform to speak his mind. He’s earned that right.