The SEC Network has launched. On Friday, it will televise Ole Miss' home soccer date with Georgia. In 11 days, it will broadcast Texas A&M's clash with South Carolina in Columbia. Ole Miss, meanwhile, is the same 11 days from its opener against Boise State in Atlanta. Fall camp is over; preparations for actual games has begun. My thoughts on those topics, Major League Baseball's new commissioner and more follow here, thanks to Oxford-based RE/MAX Legacy Realty agent Harry Alexander.
1. Ole Miss has turned the page to Boise State, the surest sign that fall camp is officially over. The Rebels didn't get out of August unscathed, however, losing cornerback Tee Shepard (toe) and return specialist Carlos Davis (knee) to season-ending knee injuries. Both injuries have ramifications. Shepard had emerged as the Rebels' best cover corner, the lock-down coverage standout the program --- and every program, for that matter --- has been searching for. Without Shepard, the pressure mounts on Derrick Jones and Senquez Golson to stay healthy and play extremely well. Mike Hilton likely has to focus more time at cornerback, and the training wheels have to come off freshman Kendarius Webster.
Davis would have likely helped with some nickel and dime coverage packages, but his truest value came on special teams. Davis played on virtually every special team and was emerging as the leading candidate to return punts. Davis' absence likely forces safety/wildcat quarterback Anthony Alford into that role and it could very likely cost a freshman what would have otherwise been a redshirt season.
Throw in the offseason loss of safety Chief Brown (Achilles), and it hasn't been a good summer for Ole Miss' secondary. Injuries, however, are part of the game; just ask Oklahoma, Oregon and others who have lost impact players in fall camp. It's why depth is so very important on every roster, and it should serve as something of a reminder to Ole Miss fans that the Rebels --- while very much a top-20 team --- is still in the middle stages of a total rebuild.
2. Ole Miss continued to put together a phenomenal 2016 recruiting class on Sunday, landing a commitment from Waynesboro, Miss., defensive tackle Benito Jones, who had originally committed to Alabama.
"He has a long wingspan to go along with a stout build," Rivals.com analyst Jason Howell said recently. "He shows plenty of potential. He's very explosive. You can see his motor. He's all over the field, sideline and 10-15 yards down the field. He never quits on the play and takes on multiple blockers. He gets to the ball carrier."
As my colleague, Chase Parham, noted in his story on Jones' commitment Sunday, "Ole Miss is off to a tremendous start with the 2016 class, securing commitments from the top three players in Mississippi, according to Rivals.com: No. 1 DeKaylin Metcalf, Jones and Justin Connor. Also committed to the Rebels are No. 9 Eli Johnson and No. 18 Daniel Crowell."
We've talked about this repeatedly on the Oxford Exxon Podcast Powered by RebelGrove.com, broadcast from the Cannon Motors Studio (see what I did there?) and on the site, the recruiting calendar has been sped up. The 2015 class gets the attention, as it should, but a lot of the staff's attention is on 2016. That class, much like the 2013 class that brought Robert Nkemdiche, Laquon Treadwell, Laremy Tunsil, Tony Conner and Co., to Oxford, figures to be one that shapes the Rebels' program for years to come.
3. The Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll was released on Sunday afternoon. Ole Miss made its debut at No. 18. The Rebels' schedule includes No. 2 Alabama, No. 6 Auburn, No. 13 LSU and No. 21 Texas A&M. News flash: The SEC West is stacked.
Four other Ole Miss opponents --- Mississippi State, Boise State, Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Lafayette --- also received votes. In other words, with the obvious exception of the fighting Presbyterians, there aren't many dead spots on the Rebels' slate this fall.
The poll, of course, no longer matters. However, it is somewhat symbolic of where programs are. As I stated in Thought No. 1, Ole Miss fans should remember where the program was just two years ago. Had someone told me on this date two years ago that the Rebels would be preseason No. 18 in the AP poll in 2014, I would have bet anything against that. What Hugh Freeze and Co. have done in just two years is nothing short of remarkable.
4. August is a time of optimism for college football coaches. It's a time --- typically, at least --- of pure giddy bliss for college basketball chiefs. Ole Miss' Andy Kennedy isn't typically one to be overly complimentary of his club. Kennedy is known to tell it like it is, whatever that may be.
So it's worth noting, at least a little bit, that Kennedy didn't make any attempt to shy away from giving a remarkably positive review of his team following its week in the Bahamas earlier this month. The Rebels won two games, including beating a Providence Storms club that knocked off North Carolina Friday, but that wasn't the source of Kennedy's pleasure.
Instead, Kennedy left Nassau knowing he has a deep, talented, experienced, hungry team --- and he didn't even have the services of forward Terry Brutus (finishing recovery from an ACL tear almost a year ago). Kennedy compared guard Stefan Moody to Marshall Henderson, except Moody isn't the distraction off the floor that Henderson could be. Kennedy acknowledged this team might be his deepest. He's got a plethora of weapons on the post, and this club should rebound far, far better than its predecessor. It has a senior point guard in Jarvis Summers, talented wings and strong on-ball defenders.
5. The SEC Network launched on Thursday, and it was met with mostly favorable views. Sure, a perusal of various message boards around the SEC showed that many viewers quickly became disinterested in the opening-night infomercial, but social media figuratively exploded with mentions of the new network, one that debuted on virtually every major carrier from Minute No. 1.
Games begin this week with Ole Miss and Georgia soccer, and football makes its live debut very soon. The network is going to make the SEC, already a wildly powerful league, arguably the most powerful sports entity this side of the NFL. The money that will be distributed to the league's member-institutions --- some believe the network could produce as much as $30 million per school before long --- is a game-changer.
It will be interesting to see the ratings that Texas A&M at South Carolina draws on the night of the 28th and perhaps even more interesting to see how many eyeballs Arkansas at Auburn attracts two nights later. Down the road, it will be fascinating to see if some powerful schools in other leagues begin a behind-the-scenes flirtation with the SEC. Sixteen is a natural number for the league, but a school is going to have to have major chops --- and really large feet --- to earn a spot in the most powerful conference in collegiate sports. There was very little doubt regarding that designation prior to Thursday afternoon. Once the network went live, any dusting of a doubt disappeared, likely for good.
6. While the AP poll highlighted the teams that are expected to make the most noise this fall, Cigar Aficionado has come up with a list of the 10 worst teams in college football. As the magazine said, these teams are "as likely to see a bowl game as Kim Kardashian is to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. And sure, if you go to one of these schools, you'll likely be crushed with student debt for the rest of your life, but at least your school will owe you something back?an apology! Because you had the unfortunate timing of going there while they were fielding one of the worst 10 teams in college football."
Cigar Afficianado's list includes No. 10 Arkansas, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 7 Rutgers, No. 6 Colorado, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 4 Purdue, No. 3 Virginia, No. 2 Colorado and No. 1 Kansas. Dishonorable mention teams included Boston College, Georgia Tech, Illinios, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Utah, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
7. Tennessee has named its starting quarterback. So has Texas A&M. Alabama coach Nick Saban, however, hasn't indicated that there's a leader in Tuscaloosa just yet.
Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News wrote Sunday that "both of the contending quarterbacks, Blake Sims and Jake Coker, got equal time running the first offense (during a scrimmage Saturday). Neither did so at 100 percent efficiency. Saban used a word he has used a lot this month ? 'consistency' ? and added another virtual synonym when he said the offense 'never got into a rhythm' under either quarterback. He did note Sims, who has been at Alabama for four years, was 'playing faster' than Coker. That isn't unexpected, given the experience level. But what we were left with was a wait-and-see."
"Until somebody wins the job," Saban told media Saturday afternoon, "we aren't going to make that decision."
It might be nothing, and Alabama's talent across the board might simply be too much for opponents to handle, but it's worth noting less than two weeks before the season opener that the Crimson Tide is at least a dash unsettled under center. In what should be a wild SEC West race, that might make all the difference.
8. The Oakland Raiders' future in the Bay Area is in doubt, as the franchise's lease at O.co Coliseum expires after this season. Los Angeles, meanwhile, hasn't had an NFL team since the Raiders and Rams left after the 1994 season. That could be changing.
"I think we'd be well received if we ever moved back (to Los Angeles)," Raiders owner Mark Davis told the Los Angeles Daily News.
San Antonio could also be in play if the team decides to leave Oakland, SI.com reported late last week.
"It was a serious conversation," Davis said. "I don't waste my time just having meetings. But we continue to try to get something done in Oakland."
NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, said earlier this week he believes Los Angeles will have an NFL team again within two years. Johnson was at a joint practice between the Cowboys and Raiders, his two favorite teams. On the subject of a team moving to Los Angeles, which has been without a team since 1994, Johnson sounded very confident.
"I think for the first time, I truly believe we're going to get a team. Finally," Johnson told Yahoo.com. "Everybody is on board. The city is on board. The business community is on board. The NFL is on board. Finally we have momentum. In the next couple years, at least in the next 24 months, I think one team will be coming. I don't know what team that will be, but I believe in the next two years we'll have a team.
"It would be great to have the Raiders back in L.A. I would love for that to happen. But that's going to be up to Mark and the Raiders and the NFL. But I would love to have the Raiders back in L.A., where they belong. We just want a team. We want a team in the worst way."
9. In a summer when Team USA has been best known for Paul George's broken leg and Kevin Durant's defection, Derrick Rose has quiety --- well, it was quiet until this past weekend --- returned to form.
Rose led Team USA to a 95-78 win over Brazil on Saturday night in Chicago's United Center. It was the Bulls' point guard's first game appearance in his home arena since tearing the medial meniscus in his right knee on Nov. 22.
"When I was out there they wanted me to shoot every ball," Rose told ESPN.com.
Rose scored seven points in 24 minutes in his Chicago return, but the fact that he was out there at all after playing just 10 games in the past two years because of two serious knee injuries is what made fans so happy. Rose was the last player introduced before the game as fans roared and chanted "MVP!"
"I'm playing the way I normally play in the trials," Rose said. "Push the ball, play defense and get guys shots. When the shot is available, take the shot, and I think that's what I did tonight. I had one or two turnovers, but that could easily be changed."
Rose wasn't the only Team USA player enjoying a homecoming of sorts. Chicago native Anthony Davis, playing in his hometown for the first time as a professional, led Team USA with 20 points and set the tone on both ends of the floor.
"It felt great," Davis told ESPN.com. "The first time I played on this floor since high school. It's great to be back here in front of my home crowd, friends and family coming out and supporting me. Most importantly, we got the win."
The New Orleans Pelicans All-Star center figures to be a focal point for Team USA later this summer considering the lack of big men depth on coach Mike Krzyzewski's roster.
10. Miscellaneous: The kids from the Jackie Robinson West Little League are the first team from Chicago to qualify for the Little League World Series, and the city is pretty excited about it. According to the Chicago Tribune, Jackie Robinson West's first LLWS game had better TV ratings than the average Cubs or White Sox game. Their win over Lynwood, Wash., drew a 2.4 rating (about 70,000 viewers) in Chicago, while the average audience for a Cubs game is 1.5, and 1.4 for the White Sox. …New Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred's first big challenge is shortening the length of games. According to the New York Times, 30 years ago, the average game was 2 hours, 35 minutes. Through last Sunday's games, the average MLB game lasted 3 hours, 2 minutes, 47 seconds, which would be the longest average game time for a season if it holds up through the end of the year. …Kris Bryant, the Chicago Cubs' top prospect and Minor League Baseball's home run leader, was diagnosed with a foot contusion Sunday, one day after leaving a game with Triple-A Iowa after one plate appearance. Remember I told you first: Bryant's foot will get infected, and the team will have to amputate it just below Bryant's navel. They're the Cubs. This is why they can't have nice things. …Finally, here's a story on one of my favorite guys, former Ole Miss defensive tackle/current Houston Texans starter Jerrell Powe, courtesy of the Houston Chronicle:
This post was edited on 8/18 8:24 AM by Neal McCready
Powe fighting for time in Texas
