ESPN SEC guru Chris Low discusses A&M & its new league

Notes from Chris Low interview

* All of the grief that the SEC gets about having off the field issues seems to be magnified because of how much success the conference has had in recent years. In his business, you can never say that there will be a quiet or down time because you never know what is going to break loose, for example the Petrino scandal at Arkansas.

* He’s covered the SEC since the first expansion in 1992 and has been paying attention to the conference since the days of Herschel Walker. He’s been with ESPN since 2007 and spent ten years before in Nashville, covering football in Tennessee. He’s been to just about every SEC championship game, and every year it gets more intriguing because of how competitive the league is.

* In the SEC, the difference between an 8-4 team and an 11-1 team is razor thin. One or two recruiting battles or keeping a kid academically eligible can make a whole lot of difference in the league. The margin of difference is so small because there are so many good teams and because of the amount of talent within the conference. The conference could truly be classified as a survival of the fittest.

* Every power conference has great athletes, but what separates the SEC from the rest is the speed and power of the front seven defensive players. After the Oregon-Auburn national championship game a couple of years ago, Chip Kelly spoke about the difference in the game being the inability to block defensive tackle Nick Fairley.

* Coach Sumlin has spoken very candidly this spring about the offensive line needing to be ‘as advertised’ in order for A&M to have the success it wants in the fall. Fortunately, A&M’s offensive line has experience and guys who can really play, even though there is only one senior in the group. The line will be the heartbeat of the team this year, especially if Christine Michael comes back fully healthy. Last year, Alabama had the best offensive line in college football, which goes to show that having a good line up front can bring great things to a team offensively. Their line is so good and deep, that they were able to move an Outland Trophy winner to a different position on the line because it would benefit the team.

* The fact that A&M has played several SEC teams over the years already gives them a connection to the league. There is familiarity between fans that serves as a welcome to the conference. Another thing SEC fans are excited about is getting a foothold in Texas for recruiting purposes. It’s so appealing to coaches to be able to have more of a connection to the state of Texas, even if they can’t beat out Texas schools for recruits right away. It works the other way for A&M too, because they can sell being able to play in the best conference in the country, while staying in your home state for school. If you’re looking at expansion from the SEC’s perspective, there is no reason that you wouldn’t want Texas A&M in your conference.

* Whoever wins the quarterback battle will definitely need to be protected against these SEC defenses in order for Sumlin’s offense to work. It’s very important that the quarterback is someone who has the ability to extend the play if needed, because the amount of pressure that will be brought is unbelievable.

* He thinks A&M needs to have some success in year one in the SEC. The second game of the season against Florida will be a tone-setter for A&M’s first year in the SEC, and it’s important to get off on the right foot. Everyone will be watching, and it will provide the perfect opportunity to make a statement to the country and to the league that A&M has every intention about being a power in the conference.