Georgia football SEC Media Days

ATHENS — Georgia is the unquestioned favorite to repeat as SEC Champion and the oddsmakers’ choice to win the national title entering the season.

The Bulldogs, however, have several questions to answer entering fall camp, among them, the quarterback position.

This, to the extent Carson Beck was not among the UGA players available to vote on for preseason All-SEC honors. (List at bottom of story).

To be clear, Beck has the inside track to win the position as he’s the most experienced of the returning quarterbacks and enjoyed the best spring game.

But Kirby Smart has said Beck hasn’t done enough yet to be named the starter, and he’s going to give Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton opportunities to compete at the position.

Quarterback competition? Yep …

BUYING

This is the sort of quarterback competition that will play out over weeks and with the quarterbacks supporting one another.

The Georgia players have exhibited complete buy in with the program and trust their coaches judgment to the extent there seems little to no danger of a quarterback controversy emerging.

Nick Saban couldn’t avoid Italy

SELLING

Alabama’s seven-time national championship head coach is as deserving as a vacation as anyone, but there were some raised eyebrows that Saban chose this particular offseason for an extended break.

After all, Alabama has had back-to-back 2-loss seasons and lost multiple games three of the past four years. To boot, the Tide’s recruiting was well off the pace of No. 1-ranked Georgia’s at that time.

Saban could have easily said he simply needed a break, but instead, he indicated he had no choice in the matter.

“Just to clear that up, that was our 50th wedding anniversary gift to Ms. Terry from some of our friends, which I successfully got out of for two years,” Saban said. “Failed to be able to get out of it this year. Didn’t really want to go.”

Big Orange Fever

BUYING

Third-year coach Josh Heupel couldn’t help but pat himself on the back at SEC Media Days last week over “where we’ve come in such a short amount of time.” UT football hit a No. 1 ranking this season, scored an Orange Bowl win over Clemson and capped an 11-win campaign.

The Vols have sold 71,000 season tickets and many anticipate the November showdown with Georgia will have SEC Championship Game implications — an event UT hasn’t been a part of since 2007.

Beyond that, more than $400 million is going into Neyland Stadium upgrades, almost $100 million into baseball stadium renovations and there are plans to build an entertainment district around the football stadium and basketball arena in Truist Park-like fashion.

Jayden Daniels first-team All-SEC

SELLING

Jayden Daniels showed good mobility and play-making ability for LSU last season, but it’s hard to imagine him being the choice as the first-team All-SEC QB at the end of the year.

There’s a saying in the SEC that QBs can run, but they can’t hide, as Daniels dealt with an ankle injury last season that robbed him of his speed at times. Also worth noting, Daniels had the shortest average completion in the SEC for much of last season, a stat defenses will surely adjust to in his second year in the league after his transfer in from Arizona State.

Beyond that the Bayou Bengals have a very capable and ready backup quarterback in Garrett Nussmeier, making it that much easier for Brian Kelly to make a move at the QB position if there are any struggles.

BUYING

• Texas A&M offense with Bobby Petrino and Jim Chaney

• Georgia O-Line winning Joe Moore Award

• Vanderbilt Stadium improvements

• Ladd McConkey 1,000-yard season

SELLING

• South Carolina improvement

• Billy Napier future at Florida

• Two SEC teams in four-team CFP

• Kentucky as a football school

Preseason Georgia All-SEC candidates list at SEC Media Days: Sedrick Van Pran (OL) -Amarius Mims (OL) -Tate Ratledge (OL) -Kendall Milton (RB) -Ladd McConkey (WR) -Brock Bowers (TE) -Xavier Truss (OL) -Smael Mondon (LB) -Jamon Dumas-Johnson (LB) -Malaki Starks (DB) -Mykel Williams (LB) -Javon Bullard (DB) -Kamari Lassiter (DB) -Nazir Stackhouse (DL) -Jalon Walker (LB) -Brett Thorson (P) -William Mote (LS) -Arian Smith (WR) .