The following is a sample of what each coach can expect from the media. Each coach is rated on how intense his appearance will be, with four microphones for the most promising, and descending to the least interesting subjects.

Today

Urban Meyer, Florida

• This is the only coach who will be less interesting than one of his players. Everyone will try to ask Tim Tebow a variation of these questions: Can you repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner, will you leave after this year for the NFL, and how cool is it to be you? When Meyer speaks, half of his time may be spent on Tebow. Otherwise, media members may yawn and ask Meyer about his team's national title chances, Percy Harvin's heel injury or Meyer's golf game.

• Microphones: 2

Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State

• Croom's job security has been put to rest, at least for this season, so more mundane subjects figure to be on tap. Maybe someone will ask about Barack Obama. (Don't laugh, it's probably a 50-50 shot). More likely, Croom will be asked about taking the next step at Mississippi State, the loss of Ellis Johnson, and how much time he spent in the offseason begging the football gods to give him a passing offense.

• Microphones: 2

Les Miles, LSU

• Miles had better come prepared not to be annoyed. He will be asked about trying to repeat as national champion. He will be asked several times about Ryan Perrilloux. And oh yes, he will be asked about not taking the Michigan job. Miles, not exactly Mr. Patience, will be tempted to point out how many times he has addressed these questions before the local media. But SEC and national college football writers have their shot today, and they don't tend to care about who's going to be the long snapper. Someone might also ask Miles to expound on his recent dig at Alabama. ("Lots of teams in Louisiana beat that team.") Oh, this should be pretty good.

• Microphones: 4

Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt

• Typically, the biggest activity during Johnson's presentation is at the beginning, when media members scramble out of the room. That's too bad, because the Columbia native can be one of the most entertaining and humorous coaches in the league. You have to be to keep non-Vanderbilt folks interested, and even then, it's tough. Johnson should face the usual round of Vanderbilt questions: So, how close to getting to a bowl do you think you are? How tough is it to win at a school you need a 24,000 SAT score to get in? Why aren't you winning when your basketball and baseball programs are? Actually, that last one might work.

• Microphones: 1.5

Thursday

Nick Saban, Alabama

• It seems that each year, at least one SEC coach faces a series of questions about his players' off-field behavior. Nick Saban, step right up. Just last month, starting linebacker Jimmy Johns was kicked off the team after a cocaine arrest, but Saban was criticized for not booting him earlier. This also followed a series of arrests of other players. Saban also figures to get pleasant questions about why his team went 6-6 last year, whether he gave Bobby Petrino any advice on bailing early from an NFL job, and what he thinks of his "Nicktator" nickname.

• Microphones: 3

Mark Richt, Georgia

• Pretty much every question Richt will get will be a form of, "So, you're supposed to be one of the top teams in the country, can you live up to it?" Richt has been there before, in 2004 when his team was a consensus No. 3 pick. But this year the Bulldogs might be No. 1 and have a sophomore Heisman candidate (running back Knowshon Moreno). Richt, the offensive guru, will probably get asked a lot about quarterback Matt Stafford, and whether as a junior, Stafford is ready to take the next step and lead Georgia all the way.