Southeastern Conference Football Media Days began Monday at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover (Ala.). Here is a roundup of the events of the first day.

AUBURN

At this time a year ago, Auburn was considered a co-favorite with Alabama in the Western Division.

However, the Tigers failed to live up to those expectations. Auburn won just two SEC games – against Kentucky and Texas A&M – while stumbling to a 7-6 record. The Tigers needed a victory against Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl to avoid a losing season.

Now, there is no talk about Auburn being a championship team. There is more talk about coach Gus Malzahn being on the hot seat.

“We had high expectations last year and we weren’t about to reach our goals,” Malzahn said. “It was humbling. After last year, we were able to take a look back and evaluate everything. The biggest thing is that we lost close games last year after being one of the best in the country the previous two years.”

Auburn played seven one-possession games in 2015 and came away with a victory just three times. The Tigers were 1-4 in such games against SEC opponents. In the preceding two seasons, Auburn had an 8-3 record in one-possession games – including a 7-1 record against SEC teams.

The Tigers scored the fewest points per game under Malzahn last season. Auburn averaged 28 points per game after scoring an average of 36 points and 40 points the previous two campaigns. Malzahn knows that his offense must be better.

“We have to get back to playing with pace and we have to execute at a high level to get this offense turned around,” Malzahn said. “Everybody on the offensive staff either play for me or worked under me with this offense.”

Of course, Auburn must determine a starting quarterback. The three candidates are Florida State transfer John Franklin, Jeremy Johnson and Sean White. Johnson and White divided the quarterback responsibilities last season. Malzahn hopes a Nick Marshall emerges like what happened in 2013.

“We have three guys who can execute,” Malzahn said. “So, we have to identify who gives us the best chance to win. We have one of the toughest schedules in the country (beginning against Clemson). We are going to have the approach we had in 2013 when we took it one game at a time.”

FLORIDA

The Gators surpassed expectations in Jim McElwain’s first year as coach as they ended up playing Alabama in the SEC championship game.

Despite losing starting quarterback Will Grier at midseason, Florida won the SEC East with just one defeat – against LSU in Tiger Stadium. The Gators won five of six games decided by seven points or less. But, the way the season concluded weighs heavily on McElwain.

Florida dropped its final three games – against Florida State, Alabama and Michigan – by an average of 24 points. The Gators threw for no more than 165 yards in any of those three games.

“It was a lot of fun to get to Atlanta (for the SEC championship game) last year,” McElwain said. “But, we are very disappointed in how we finished the season. That was an opportunity for us to see how to learn.

“You can never be satisfied. We exceeded expectations and we did good. But, that wasn’t good at the end. Now, we are excited to build on what happened last year.”

The Gators are considered to be the third choice in the Eastern Division behind Tennessee and Georgia. Florida lost almost half of its defensive starters, but it is well stocked on that side of the ball with players like linebacker Jarrad Davis, cornerback Jalen Tabor and safety Marcus Maye.

The quarterback position is unsettled. Grier left the program, while Treon Harris is now a wide receiver. McElwain has yet to name a starting quarterback. Oregon State transfer Luke Del Rio and Purdue transfer Austin Appleby are at the top of the depth chart. Del Rio presently leads the way.

“I’m excited to see us at that position in camp,” McElwain said. “It will be fun at two-a-days to see who has taken that step.”

The Gators have not won a SEC championship in eight years. That span of time is too long for Florida football.

“I have always been driven to find a way to win,” McElwain said. “To win a championship is something you have to live every day as you try to get better. Understanding what it takes to be successful is a pretty big deal.”

VANDERBILT

Derek Mason had no easy task replacing James Franklin as Commodores coach.

Franklin took Vanderbilt to bowl games in three consecutive years. In two of those seasons, the Commodores won nine games and finished the season ranked among the top 25 teams in the country.

Mason, a defensive coordinator at Stanford, had a horrible initial campaign when Vandy won just three games – all against non-SEC teams. But, Mason made some changes – starting with naming himself as defensive coordinator.

The Commodores were a much improved defensive team in 2015 when opponents averaged 351 yards and 21 points per game. In the previous season, Vanderbilt yielded 402 yards and 33 points per game. However, that defensive improvement translated into just one more victory because of the offense.

The Commodores reached the 20-point mark just three times in 12 games last season. For Vanderbilt to get back to six victories, the offense must now make huge strides. At least, Mason has already named a starting quarterback – sophomore Kyle Shurmur.

“We have a No. 1 and a No. 2 (quarterback) and that’s not moving now,” Mason said. “(Second-year offensive coordinator) Andy Ludwig now has a better understanding of his personnel. He had some missing pieces last year. We have the building blocks on offense.”

Of course, for the Commodores to be a bowl-eligible team, their defense must continue to improve. Mason will have seven returning starters – led by linebacker Zach Cunningham.

“We want to set a standard for what good defensive football looks like,” Mason said. “If you listen to the great defensive coaches like Bill Parcells and Nick Saban, they say it takes consistency and preparation. You have to get a team which understands what you have to do to play fundamental football.”

“We are not just competing any more. It’s about winning. This team has gone through the fire and the maturation process. They know what it has to do to compete in this conference.”

COMMISSIONER GREG SANKEY

There were very few words from Sankey specifically about what will transpire on the football fields in 2016.

Sankey announced the slogan for the SEC for the 2016-17 academic year – ‘It means more.’

“We want to win every championship, but we expect to be victorious in absolutely the right way,” Sankey said. “The expectations of our student-athletes are enormous. They embrace those. We can’t allow the actions of a very few to overshadow the great things many of our athletes have done.”

The recent killings in Baton Rouge, St. Paul (Minn.) and Dallas certainly has had an effect upon Sankey, who started his address by commenting on these events.

“The sadness from the past few days remain in all of our minds,” Sankey said. “As (former South Africa President) Nelson Mandela said, ‘sports can bind the world.’

“In church Sunday, there was the question ‘have you done enough.’ The answer is likely no. Sports can bring people together. We need to mindful of that reality.”

Sankey was proud of the fact that for the first time since 1984 no SEC school is on NCAA probation. However, he did acknowledge that investigations are now on-going at two conference schools – Ole Miss and Alabama.

Sankey played it close to the vest as regards sexual assault charges on transfer students and incoming freshmen. The SEC put a rule in place which prevents a school from accepting a transfer who had these issues in the past. The same guidelines are not in place for high school recruits.

“I am cautious of judging anyone on ten seconds of a video,” Sankey said. “When someone has been enrolled in college, he is generally an adult. We have more access to information about that individual than someone coming out of high school.”