As we move into the dog days of the offseason, it’s time to take a lighthearted look ahead to the 2017 campaign and developments and headlines we don’t expect to see this season.

We don’t think the administrators or marketing folks in the athletics departments across the SEC would borrow these ideas, but you never know.

Georgia creates special Mark Richt fan section at Sanford Stadium

Bowing to the pressure to recognize the vocal minority of fans who wish Mark Richt were still coaching the Bulldogs, Georgia announces a special section for that faithful fraternity.
Those fans will reminisce about the SEC championships in 2002 and 2005, how Georgia played for the title five times overall, and how Richt won at a higher rate — .740 (145-51) — than any other coach in Georgia history. And how about those 2007 and 2012  seasons where Georgia was on the door step of a national title matchup?
No word yet if the stadium video screen will show live cut-ins of ACC action to keep up with Richt and the Hurricanes.

Extended invitation to SEC, Bob Stoops, Oklahoma decline citing talent mismatch

Chatter in recent months connecting Oklahoma with a possible move to the SEC came to a head with an offer from Commissioner Greg Sankey, but Oklahoma President David Boren and coach Bob Stoops have declined.
Stoops, who has discussed the SEC’s championship prowess for more than a decade, will have to refocus his attention on expanding and/or strengthening the Big 12, or checking on the Pac-12’s availability for expansion.
While Stoops has made his name with the Sooners, he recalled his SEC experience at Florida and decided “no mas.”

Saban, Harbaugh partner on Louisville satellite camp

Looking for a midpoint city between Tuscaloosa and Ann Arbor, Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh bury their bylaw hatchets and partner on a satellite camp in newly minted (and neutral) ACC territory, Louisville, Ky.
They agreed on something that would simultaneously help the SEC and Big Ten, but also college football as a whole and, most important, high school athletes.
While they haven’t agreed on a czar to oversee the camps and other related issues, Saban and Harbaugh said they’d let bylaws be bylaws and come together for the good of the game.

Butch Jones schedules motivational speech tour

Looking to build on scheduled Big Orange Caravan stops in the Tri-Cities, Memphis and the Midstate, Butch Jones makes room on his calendar for a series of motivational talks to school groups and chambers of commerce.
With a working title of “How To Be Champions in Life,” Jones plans to expound upon such tried and true motivational quotes as “leaders eat last” and how to build a program — or business, in this format — “brick by brick.”
By explaining how he identifies talent — whether it be defensive ends, quarterbacks or a solid mid-level manager for a regional manufacturing company — Jones echoed his thoughts from the 2017 signing class: “The only 5-star we concern ourselves with is a 5-star heart.”

Ed Orgeron signs energy drink endorsement

The new LSU coach, who recently revealed he drinks eight to 10 energy drinks a day, worked out a revision to his contract to make Monster the official energy drink of LSU athletics.
While talks broke down at putting the ads on LSU’s sideline headsets, Orgeron said he wouldn’t mind being doused with the caffeine drink with confetti falling from the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
While other coaches have been known to down heavy amounts of caffeine throughout the season, Orgeron also stopped short of an SEC Media Days challenge of all 14 coaches in the lobby of the Wynfrey Hotel.