Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill, per his custom, is dressed for a long day, sporting a backpack and wearing white sneakers in contrast to his blue suit. The sneakers are for bouncing from journalist to journalist, dropping insight and wisdom. The suit is for the podium, where he cautions against an instant embrace of an expanded College Football Playoffs.
“It seems obvious. More playoff spots means more opportunities for the Sun Belt,” said Gill. “But you have to consider the effects it will have on college football as a whole.” An expanded Playoff could reduce the number of games played in the regular season and dilute the importance of winning the conference, he argued. Gill is just as cautious with proposed federal legislation to “save” college football. Considering that the G6 has largely been excluded from those talks, one wonders if Gill’s opinion has much impact on either front.
Meanwhile, I got to chat with a couple SBC East quarterbacks this morning. Cameron Brown of Georgia State seems healthy and ready for twelve games behind center (much to head coach Dell McGee’s relief). Brown carries himself like a seasoned CEO, not just saying the right things, but saying the right things with a calming assurance. He made me believe the Panthers have an opportunity to surprise some people this year.
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, the preseason SBC Offensive Player of the Year, is delightfully relaxed and self-deprecating, taking his preseason accolades in gracious stride. The only thing that flusters Rio-Wilson is when my pod partner Dusty Thibodeaux tells him that he’s picked Marshall 5th in the East. He’s clearly perplexed, and when the interview is over, he politely asked Thibs to explain himself.
Also, before I forget, former Louisiana head coach Billy Napier is back, plying his craft with James Madison. Thibs got him recite his famous catchphrase, “Scared money don’t make money,” which still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I’m not hip with the kids. He also said “the standard is the standard” which I find equally mystifying. That said, Napier seemed comfortable in his return to the Sun Belt, wearing a sharp purple jacket and flanked by his first team center Zack Greenburg and first team defensive lineman Amar Thomas, two beef battleships who were clearly enjoying themselves.
PHOTOS ARE MINE