—The boring, politically correct era of relationships between SEC coaches appears to be over. And that’s a great thing. Nothing comes off as more contrived or dull as one coach talking about how much he respects his rivals when it’s clear he really doesn’t. This is college football; you’re supposed to loathe each other. One cheer for every coach, and even commissioner, that had some snide comments Wednesday for the departed Lane Kiffin. Two cheers to Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen, who quickly rebutted a statement made by Nick Saban earlier in the day that insinuated players in a spread offense have their pro potential hindered. Mullen noted he’s had more quarterbacks drafted in the first round — a true statement. And three more cheers for Mullen, who repeatedly referred to Ole Miss as “The School up North.”

—There isn’t a faster talker in the SEC than Mullen. His opening statement was about 10 percent the length of Saban’s but had nearly as many words.

—Has the SEC reached the top of the mountain yet? That’s debatable, but it’s certainly reached its maximum bandwidth. Despite providing four times the bandwidth it provided for last year’s media horde, Internet access was a cause of major frustration among the hundreds of media members Wednesday. SEC spokesman Charles Bloom was forced to address the media twice during the day with Internet updates. Neither of which provided much of a resolution.

—First-year Kentucky coach Joker Phillips definitely took notes from his mentor, Rich Brooks, when game-planning for his first Media Days. Like Brooks, Phillips brought a great sense of humor and a much-needed burst of energy when he took the stage. He even told a terrible joke, just to wake the ballroom up with groans. When you go on the same day as Florida and Alabama, especially when you’re a football-second school like Kentucky, you have to do whatever it takes to get some time under the spotlight.

—Auburn swimmer Jordan Anderson received a well-deserved hat tip from commissioner Mike Slive during his “State of the SEC” address Wednesday. Slive saluted Anderson, who was awarded a Rhodes scholarship at the end of 2009, when highlighting the numerous positive achievements within the conference during the 2009-10 academic year.