Mike Slive discusses Media Days, A&M's first year in SEC

Notes from Mike Slive interview

* It has been a great year for the SEC and while the fans focus on the playing field, there is a lot more to the conference than that. The SEC as a whole has really enjoyed everybody and everything that has come with adding Texas A&M and Missouri to the conference.

* He would loved to say that he predicted the success A&M had in the past year. Johnny Manziel is the fourth SEC Heisman winner in the past six years which is extraordinary. Everyone at the SEC remains enamored with the traditions at A&M and they couldn’t be more proud of the way the first year went.

* It’s been 50+ years since he was 20 years old, so it’s hard for him to put himself in Manziel’s shoes. Manziel’s issues are issues for Sumlin and Texas A&M to handle and Manziel acquitted himself well and put balance into some of the trends after speaking to the media yesterday.

* The reason SEC media days has grown so much is a combination of the proliferation of the media and the expanding popularity of the SEC. There is such passion and loyalty to the conference that translates into the overall interest of the league. Members of the media show up because the fans of the teams they cover are interested in the league.

* The league has evolved from a regional league into a national league over the past 15 years. Every school in the conference realizes that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that is what really separates the SEC from other conferences.

* The 2014 football schedule will be released soon. Usually, the league lets each team schedule their non-conference games and then fills in the rest with conference games, but that method became very difficult when the expansion to 14 teams was made. The conference is doing its best to not break the contracts of other schools for non-conference games.

* Moving forward, the presidents and athletic directors agreed that a significant review of the scheduling format would be taking place. The group is looking to have whichever scheduling format in place by 2016.

* He recently sat down with all the men’s basketball coaches of the conference and discussed the fact that whoever they play in non-conference games has a direct impact on the entire league because of the way the RPI system works. The athletic directors agreed to have all non-conference schedules be sent to the league offices for review.