Staff Report
(July 23, 2010)

HOOVER –Former G.W. Carver quarterback Chris Relt is a man of few words.

For instance, when asked about Mississippi State’s expectations for 2010, his answer was, simply, “very high.”

But when asked what team he wants to be more than any other (besides state rival Ole Miss), he didn’t exactly mince words.

“I’d really like to beat Alabama,” he said. “That’s my home state and they were national champions. I want to beat everybody on the schedule but a win over Alabama would be nice.”

Relf will be one of two quarterbacks vying for the starting job for second-year coach Dan Mullen.

“None of them is an incumbent starter coming back,” Mullen said regarding Relf and Tyler Russell. “With the job being wide open, there are so many practices. They are two young guys who are developing.”

Mullen also mention incoming freshman Dylan Favre but said Relf enters preseason workouts as the No. 1 signal caller.

Alabama, Auburn announce starting times for first games

The Southeastern Conference Office announced Wednesday that kickoff times and television plans have been determined for the University of Alabama’s 2010 football games against San Jose State and Georgia State.

The season opener against San Jose State on Sept. 4, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa will be televised on a pay-per-view basis via the Crimson Tide Sports Network (CTSN) at 6 p.m.

Auburn also announced that its game against Arkansas State will begin at 6 p.m. and be televised on FSN.

Alabama’s game with Georgia State, to be played on Thursday, Nov.18 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, will be televised by ESPNU with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m.

Slive takes the high road on conference expansion

SEC commissioner Mike Slive was asked on several occasions how much his conference participated in the summer’s fruit basket turnover and near-ending of the Big 12 conference.

Slive made it clear that the SEC did not make ovations to any schools to join the conference.

“The Southeastern Conference was not and is not interested in initiating or provoking membership changes,” he said in a written statement.

“As it turned out, the paradigm shift never materialized, which afforded us the opportunity to remain comfortable in the position in which we find ourselves.”

Slive said the conference would not rule out expansion in the future but he was satisfied with the current lineup of teams.

Saban: Outlaw agents compared to pimps

Alabama coach Nick Saban took agents to task again on Wednesday, comparing those who work outside the rules as “pimps.”

“I hate to say this but how are they any better than a pimp?” Saban said. “I have no respect for people who do that to young people, none. I mean, none. How would you feel if the did it to your child?”

Florida coach Urban Meyer, when asked about Saban’s comments, distanced himself from the statement but agreed with the former coach of the Miami Dolphins that something must be done soon.

“Ooh. I did not say that, make that clear,” he said when asked about Saban’s comments. “He has much more awareness about the NFL than I do after coaching there. I’m not sure what else you can call it, though. I use the term ‘predator’ because they’re there. Since my first day at Florida, I’ve never seen anything like it.

“We have security for one reason, and that’s to make sure that people are away from our players. That’s only when they’re with us, however.
The comment I made before is if you’re allowed to go do things that you’re not supposed to do without punishment, you’re going to continue doing it. As a matter of fact, you’re rewarded for it. That’s not just talking about agents.”

Both Florida and Alabama have players under investigation for alleged contact with an agent in the state of Florida in recent months.