MEDIA DAYS NOTEBOOK: Miles playing nice in Hoover

HOOVER — Les Miles trod carefully Wednesday.

The LSU coach, just a few days after a much-discussed verbal swipe at rival Alabama, was on his best behavior during the first day of Southeastern Conference Media Days.

“I have great respect for the University of Alabama, the history they have presented to college football, the competition that they put on every time they take the field,” Miles said. “I promise you that any fun and entertainment that I have with supporters is very respectful.

“I love college football, the competition and the young men that play it.”

That contrite tone was a change from Miles’ statements last Sunday at a gathering of LSU supporters. In that meeting, held at a Baton Rouge, La., hotel, Miles referenced LSU’s 41-34 win against Alabama last season.

The Bayou Bengals went on to win SEC and national titles. But Miles told LSU fans “not to make too much of that game, as it seems like a lot of teams in Louisiana beat that team.”

The reference to Alabama’s 21-14 loss to Louisiana-Monroe two weeks after the Alabama-LSU game didn’t escape the LSU fans present. It also didn’t escape the notice of Alabama fans, who bashed Miles on Internet message boards and talk radio.

The controversy is just the latest episode in the Alabama-LSU rivalry, which reached a new level when the Crimson Tide hired former LSU coach Nick Saban before last season.
Saban and Alabama’s players will appear at Media Days today.

SEC TV network no sure thing
Television has been good for the Southeastern Conference.

The league’s contracts with CBS, ESPN, Raycom Sports and FSN South have brought in more than $100 million over the past decade. But all four deals expire after the 2009 football season.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive says the conference will think long and hard about its next step. The chance to broadcast SEC football and basketball could spark a bidding war, with CBS, FOX and ESPN among the suitors; the process would likely result in a significant raise over the current deals.

Or the SEC could move in a different direction, starting a league-owned television network. The Big Ten and Mountain West conferences each own TV networks, which show league games in addition to the conferences’ existing TV contracts.

Both networks have struggled to convince cable providers to carry them on cheaper “tiers.” As a result, relatively few cable subscribers receive either channel — a problem of which Slive is well aware.

Slive says the SEC has been considering both options for two years. And the decision-making process isn’t finished yet.

“We will make a final decision this fall, a full year before the existing contracts expire, giving us a year to implement the new agreements in whichever direction we decide to go,” he said.

No shortage of speed for Gators
Urban Meyer knows speed. The Florida coach has recruited plenty of it over the past few seasons, with noted speedsters Percy Harvin and Chris Rainey among the stars on his roster.

Rainey, a sophomore tailback, was acknowledged as the fastest Gator last season, and he isn’t shy about defending his title. So when true freshman tailback Jeff Demps arrived on campus, Rainey issued a challenge: A head-to-head 40-yard dash, with bragging rights on the line.

Demps is no slouch: A two-time Florida high school champ in the 100-meter dash, he ran the 100 in 10.01 seconds at the Olympic trials in June.

According to Meyer, the two backs set up a 40-yard head-to-head race in a field behind a dormitory on Florida’s campus. And Rainey walked away the winner, by a nose.

“We’ve got some speed,” Meyer said with a smile. “I'd like to watch that. I wasn't there, but I’d have liked to. Could’ve probably sold about 10,000 tickets for that.”

Vanderbilt’s Johnson nearing milestone
Bobby Johnson is becoming a familiar face at SEC Media Days. For a Vanderbilt coach, that’s quite an accomplishment.

Johnson is entering his seventh season as the Commodores’ head coach. It’s the longest run for a Vandy head man since George MacIntyre logged seven years, from 1979-1985.

“They said we couldn’t do it,” Johnson joked.

In 70 games at Vanderbilt, Johnson is 20-50, including an 8-40 mark in the SEC. Last season, the Commodores finished 5-7, one win short of becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 1982.

The improvement has Johnson feeling confident.

“If we take care of our business and play as good as we can, we’ve got a good chance of winning,” he said.

Quotable
Mississippi State’s Sylvester Croom, on reports that the Atlantic Coast Conference is considering a weekly, NFL-style injury report: “I don't have a problem with it. It's easy to say probable, out, maybe. Just cuts down how much I have to say.”

cmickle@oanow.com | 737-2561