For years, summer has been known as Talking Season in college football—the July conference media days produce a river of rhetoric from coaches and administrators that prime the pump for the blocking and tackling to come. But the past two summers have become Plundering Season as well, with the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten making blockbuster expansions at the expense of the Big 12 and Pac-12. That has, in turn, affected the nature of Talking Season.
Lately, the speeches from conference commissioners have been more anticipated, scrutinized and second-guessed than anything the coaches have to say.