By: Eric SanInocencio
Twitter: @EricSan
SEC Digital Network
Hoover, Ala. -- We are now less than 24 hours away from over a thousand media members descending on the Wynfrey Hotel. For the next three days, what is normally a place of rest and relaxation will turn into the biggest college football frenzy in the country.
Welcome to SEC Media Days.
The Wynfrey's transformation from hotel to sports epicenter begins in earnest on Monday, as the SEC and event staffs start the makeover that will become the focus of the college football world. In addition to the media members and other representatives, SEC players and coaches (all 14 of them) will congregate to talk about the game, the unofficial "kickoff" to the 2012 season. We here at the Digital Network will cover it all for you, from a live video stream on the website
(watch it here) to a Twitter stream from everyone here in attendance
(seen here).
That all doesn't begin until Tuesday though, leaving Monday as the "transition" day on the schedule. The SEC's staff has been on site all day, making the necessary changes to the landscape and the behind the scenes (credentials) issues that tend to pop up the day before a major event.
In a "Q&A" session we ran earlier today, conference staff member Tammy Wilson explained that Media Days is the league's most popular event, both in terms of sheer numbers and the amount of people on hand.
In the photos below, you'll get a glimpse at that transformation, as Monday focuses on making Media Days happen. Tomorrow, the fun really starts.
The Trophy Made The Trip
With 14 teams now in the Southeastern Conference, changes had to be made to all existing championship hardware. Here's a look at the football championship trophy, as it will be on display here at Media Days this week.
A New Look Sign
New year, new pictures, as we have two added brothers to the SEC slate. In this photo, Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin's sign is ready to go for Tuesday.
Can I Have Your Autograph?
Interesting tidbit about SEC Media Days. During the three-day event, league coaches will sign 54 different footballs for the conference office. These balls are later used for philanthropic efforts across the country. The ball each coach signs is below.
M-I-Z, Z-O-U
Just like A&M, Missouri has had some new signs made for their trip here to the Wynfrey. Head coach Gary Pinkel's sign can be seen below.
Media Guide Central
Is this enough media guides for you? Before the start of every SEC Media Days event, a crew of volunteers works to put together "boxes" of guides for the media in attendance. This consists of placing a media guide from each school in a box (hence the name) and then separating it all for the lists provided. As you can see, the sheer number of media guides that make their way to Hoover is astounding. This process takes many hours to complete.
