I just think a lot of good basketball is being played throughout the country. Without getting into specific teams or specific conferences, you see it and you do your best to monitor it, and in...

The MVP program will raise awareness about issues that can adversely affect our student athletes. It is important for the SEC to be aware of the challenges facing our student-athletes so that we can assist...

It is very gratifying to see, as so much of the media pronounced us dead in November.

It’s important now that this loophole be looked at nationally, … In 2000, when the N.C.A.A. decided to move away from some critical analysis, it opened the door and people moved ahead with it.

To make it a BCS issue devalues the conversation. It is not a BCS subject but an issue for the Division I commissioners to address. It has clearly moved from the back burner to the...

So there are several format and administrative issues that are not necessarily newsworthy, but that will take some time and some thought and some consideration.

(This) could certainly serve as a structure for a different format.

This policy is designed to create a safe environment for everyone who participates and attends our athletic contests. I understand the exuberance of the moment but the security and protection of our student-athletes, coaches, officials...

After reviewing all of the information, I felt this was the best decision for the game, … The safety of our student-athletes, coaches and fans is our priority.

It doesn’t do me any good to speculate.

I think one of the things that we need to be doing over the next several months is explaining the double-hosting model, which is in effect the national championship game rotating through the four bowls....

Coach Vaught certainly was one of the great icons in SEC football. If you look at the list of names (of) great all-Americans from here that played for him … you just get a sense...

That’s what makes this conference like it is – they’re icons. And coach Vaught was certainly a great icon of SEC sports.

Right now, there is peace in the valley. We hope to keep it that way for a little while.

This is brand new for me so I didn’t think about it at all. It’s interesting that it has not come up before. If such an issue were to arise … it’s one that we...

At the end of the day, each committee member has to make a subjective judgment about the teams.

When we pick the final few teams, you couldn’t slide a piece of paper between them.

A lot of our discussions [this week] will be about how to manage this situation.

Coaches develop relationships with these students, and if they come to believe in them as people, not just athletes, they want to give them the benefit of the doubt if they can. Not all of...

I was very impressed with the culture of the committee. You leave your hat at the door, so to speak, and do the best that you can with the material that’s in front of you....

The Saints expect to play there so we think by the time the Sugar Bowl comes there won’t be an issues. We’re really looking forward to getting back to New Orleans.

Just the fundamental format, I think, needs explanation.

It’s good to have him back in the league.

What’s happened in our league is what I think a lot of us anticipated. Young league teams have gotten better as the season has moved forward. As a result, we’re much deeper and more competitive...

One of the great things about the Southeastern Conference is our fans and our support — the importance of college football. On occasion that exuberance goes over the top. What we’d ultimately like to do...

The hostile atmospheres when you play on the road in this league are incomparable. If you can go through that [undefeated] and win this game, you deserve to be in the national championship game.

I’m the commissioner and I wanted everybody here on my media day. I’m disappointed he is not here.

I don’t want to deal in the world of speculation. But I don’t see any significant changes. Then again, it’s early in the day.

We’ll evaluate everybody. But in terms of the work ethic and the commitment of our officials, I think it’s very strong.

We really don’t have any concern about that. One thing this tragedy taught us is that we all need to be flexible.

It creates a situation that would tolerate that format.

The fascinating thing about the committee is that in the final analysis, you have to exercise your own subjective judgment. It’s so easy to just latch onto numbers. You could have watched a team play...

What I think you should know is that I’m not wedded to any particular format.

The conference didn’t have to take any action of any kind,

I will have discussions with our athletics directors soon and will recommend that we eliminate the subjective element of the tiebreaker and replace it with objective criteria,

I used to go to more games than I do now. Every game you see in person you probably miss somewhere between five and 10 games.

Hurricane Katrina has devastated the lives of victims in four of the SEC’s states, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, and may continue to do so for months and years to come,

He has resigned and will no longer officiate in the Southeastern Conference. If he had not resigned, he would have been prevented from officiating in this league.

I can’t think that far ahead. Just having two of our teams at the Final Four is quite an accomplishment in itself.