Ramblin' around ...

What will be the most interesting position battles when Auburn opens preseason football practice next week?

Other than the obvious one at quarterback, I look forward to seeing who emerges to join Emory Blake as go-to receivers and who gets the most carries at tailback. Can Trent Fisher, a walk-on and the son of St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, be a starter at safety? What will the defensive tackle rotation look like? Who will win the race at guard between Eric Mack and Christian Westerman? All those things should be interesting to watch. ...

Speaking of running backs, Auburn will have five of them - Onterio McCalebb, Tre Mason, Mike Blakely, Corey Grant and Jovon Robinson - who were 4-star recruits or better. Not many teams will match that. ...

In an online ESPN chat Monday, Auburn coach Gene Chizik was asked what is the key to competing in the shark-infested waters of the SEC.

"I think consistency," Chizik said. "Consistency in message. What your message is. Consistency in concepts and what your expectations are and standards are and never coming down from that. The X's and O's may change year to year, but the expectations and consistency cannot change if you want to have a winner in this league." ...

There's not much doubt LSU football was a mess shortly before Nick Saban arrived. I watched Gerry DiNardo's last LSU team get blown out 41-7 at home by Tommy Tuberville's first Auburn team in 1999. LSU players were squabbling with each other before halftime.

But it's astonishing that NCAA president Mark Emmert would, in an interview, make a statement that is wholly untrue. He said the graduation rate was among the worst in the nation under DiNardo and Saban basically came to the rescue. As columnist Scott Rabalais of the Morning Advocate in Baton Rouge points out, that's just wrong. DiNardo took to Twitter to make his point.

It's not the biggest deal, but Emmert really should apologize.

As NCAA president, Emmert is a breath of fresh air for reporters. He actually talks, unlike his predecessors. But sometimes he needs to be more careful what he says. ...

I give Penn State coach Bill O'Brien credit for setting his jaw and refusing to whine about the unprecedented sanctions faced by Penn State football. But there's not enough toughness and loyalty to save Penn State football from the bad, bad times to come. ...

Has it been a great offseason for Wisconsin football or what? With Penn State and Ohio State being hit by postseason sanctions, the Badgers must beat only Illinois, Indiana and Purdue to win the Leaders Division and play in the Big Ten Championship Game. ...

You have to love this time of year, when coaches take to podiums at Media Days across the country. As best I can tell by listening and reading, every team in college football is going to be good. ...

Since losing his top two signees to the professional ranks, Auburn coach John Pawlowski has had a pretty good summer. All-SEC centerfielder Ryan Tella decided to return and put his professional career on hold. Tuesday, pitcher Kevin Davis from T.R. Miller High School in Brewton, committed to the Tigers.

Davis, a two-time 3A Pitcher of the Year, is one of the top prospects in the South. He chose the Tigers over offers from Florida, LSU, Florida State, Alabama and South Carolina.

Until next time ...