Was there any question who won SEC Media Days?

Mississippi State and Arkansas, teams in need of momentum against the likes of preseason darlings Auburn and Alabama within their own division, hit home runs with runners on base in Hoover and left the Wynfrey Hotel as conversation pieces.

Dan Mullen was loose, quipped about his team’s seventh-place projection and brought his Yeezys while Bret Bielema “respected his elders” and got comically personal with his memory of kneeing the football inside the 5 against Texas.

These two made media days fun, as did others.

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Here’s how we would rank each team’s “performance” at the grand spectacle of preseason hype parties:

14. Vanderbilt — Outside of Ralph Webb’s watch, what was newsworthy from the Commodores? You have to feel for coach Derek Mason, who very well may have attended his last SEC Media Days. He left his post as Stanford’s defensive coordinator for a top job and then went in over his head in Year 1. If his team doesn’t improve this season, Mason will enter free agency.

13. Ole Miss — Note to Hugh Freeze for future SEC Media Days scheduling: If you can help it, don’t go last. By the time Freeze took the stage on the final day, some media members had already left the hotel for the road back home.  Then, Freeze went mum on his quarterback situation. Tight end Evan Engram was solid at the mic and said his sister Mackenzie, a basketball player at Georgia didn’t stand a chance on the hardwood. Nothing else the Rebels said was memorable.

12. Kentucky — The Wildcats are tired of being picked to underachieve in the East, but that’s what happens when you lose six straight games to end the previous season following a 5-1 start. What say you, A.J. Stamps? “We don’t like to talk about the past.” Kentucky’s trying to avoid repeating the past this fall, but few are buying it based on order-of-finish projections.

11. Texas A&M — Kevin Sumlin refrained from joining the coaching banter, taking a page out of his wife’s book on proper media days etiquette. We’re still angry Myles Garrett, Kyle Allen and Speedy Noil weren’t available to speak, hence the ranking.

10. Georgia — The Bulldogs embraced expectations with well-spoken Jordan Jenkins and John Theus, unveiled Mark Richt’s new hair cut with confidence and debuted Malcolm Mitchell’s book for children. Quite a talented bunch, those preseason East favorite Bulldogs. They didn’t bring arguably the SEC’s best player and still kept us interested — quite a feat.

9. Mizzou — Is anyone else tired of the lingering “disrespect” narrative associated with Tigers football? We get it already — no one picked Mizzou to win the Eastern Division either of the past two seasons. Great. I’d rather harp on the appreciation for Gary Pinkel’s ability to develop low-stars and talk schedule than read another column with “underrated” in the headline. Kenya Dennis was a solid interview and Maty Mauk didn’t trim his mullet before boarding the plane to Hoover and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind to a reporter who mentioned his embarrassing QBR in four career losses. Swag.

8. Alabama — Nick Saban talked with his hands and repeated himself as coaches often do during speaking engagements, but he did stir the pot a bit with comments pertaining to the NFL’s early draft grades, deemed as an excuse by some.The best part wasn’t Saban or Alabama’s players, it was the Crimson Tide fans who crowded the lobby awaiting autographs, a contingent that included Bear Bryant and ring-hat guy. We chatted about the Crimson Tide’s ongoing quarterback competition with a middle-aged fan who brought his son armed with a mini-helmet and a Sharpie. For a moment, we thought he was an Alabama insider thanks to his detailed description of David Cornwell.

7. Florida — Unintentionally, Jim McElwain sent the internet meme generator into overdrive before lunch when he showed with a Sunshine State sunburn in Alabama. It wasn’t as bad as photos indicated in-person, though. Floria players were enjoyable interviews, especially two-time All-SEC corner Vernon Hargreaves. He sounds ready to prove doubters wrong this fall. My favorite interaction of the week between media member + coach was a “writer” in the small room who asked McElwain “how do we fix this?” during a brief, 10-minute Q&A session. McElwain looked at the Gators fan rocking a UF cap wondering what to say before going into a long-winded answer that sounded much like Saban’s process. Good times.

6. Tennessee — The Vols’ all-business approach was a nice touch for a program into transition. Returning to relevancy has been a difficult task to achieve for Tennessee, but finally, we’re talking about the Orange & White in July. Butch Jones responded to Steve Spurrier’s cartwheel punch, but let his players do most of the talking. Represented by Cam Sutton, Curt Maggitt and “CEO” Josh Dobbs, the Vols’ voice was well-heard. This team has the talent to compete for an Eastern Division championship this season and most importantly, believes it can do so.

5. South Carolina — Spurrier didn’t exactly make us believe the Gamecocks should be considered a contender in the Eastern Division with his “stranger things have happened” remarks, but the jovial Head ‘don’t call him Old’ Ball Coach did toss a hilarious jab in the direction of league rivals Arkansas and Tennessee. It wasn’t one of his best all-time knee slappers, but you wouldn’t know it watching other media members fawn over his time at the podium. He even answered several retirement-related questions, too. Junior linebacker Skai Moore provided some interesting soundbites, as did Pharoh Cooper and kicker Elliott Fry, who made his best rooster crow impression.

4. LSU — Plus one for sophomore Leonard Fournette. The new father and preseason Heisman candidate was in his element at the podium, calling Nick Chubb the SEC’s best running back while comparing himself to a six-figure Bugatti. He brought energy to a sleepy stage outside the main ballroom and gave us all fashion details on his red pants.

3. Auburn — It didn’t reach Johnny Manziel levels, but Jeremy Johnson’s Heisman entourage was noticeable in Hoover. Not only was he the most important interview on Day 1, but he welcomed the exposure and appeared comfortable in his surroundings despite entering his first season as Auburn’s starting quarterback. The pressure was maximized Thursday when SEC media picked Auburn to win the league championship. Gus Malzahn seemed excited, talked Will Muschamp a bunch and gave Arkansas beat legend Bob Holt the first question in the big room. The Tigers returned to the Plains with momentum.

2. Mississippi State — Sneaker knowledge and sock swag … Mullen won the “cool factor” again, which means a lot in the shareable age. In all seriousness, Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs couldn’t care less about being labeled the West’s worst team entering August despite pushing all the way to No. 1 midway through the previous season. It’s a good time to be a Mississippi State fan and this team is anxious to surprise some folks this fall.

1. Arkansas — Bielema’s glittery response to Mullen’s sneakers didn’t ‘Win The Day’ for Nike, but his confidence amidst a turnaround at a West bottom-dweller did. He makes you want to buy a t-shirt with #NeverYield plastered across the front, doesn’t he? The offensive lineman at heart who put the Razorbacks’ big uglies on the cover of this year’s media guide seems to genuinely love Fayetteville and has truly found a home at Arkansas. A little personality goes a long way from a coaching standpoint in the SEC and the clever Bielema is well on his way. Even the players were likable. Brandon Allen looked sharp, Jonathan Williams tried his hand at interviewing and Keon Hatcher strengthened our belief that this offense will be fun to watch this fall.