HOOVER, Ala. — SEC commissioner Mike Slive had hopes of leading programs in the SEC to a probation-free era when he took the job five years ago. Today, there’s just one smudge on that goal.

“ We came close, ” Slive announced in the opening remarks of SEC Media Days on Wednesday.

The University of Arkansas track program is currently serving a three-year probation that stemmed from improper benefits provided by former Arkansas assistant Lance Brauman in the summer of 2003.

“ While I take some solace in the fact we are better off than we were six years ago, there is disappointment when we were so darn close, ” Slive said.

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In addition to the UA’s self-imposed penalties that included a reduction of scholarships, the NCAA Infractions Committee subsequently stripped Arkansas of two national titles — in outdoor track in 2004 and 2005 — last fall. The UA also lost two SEC championships.

UA officials are scheduled to appear before the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeal Committee on Friday in Chicago, said Scott Varady, the university’s associate general counsel.

The UA is hoping to reinstate their two national championships and clear up the probationary period it is currently serving, Varady said in a phone interview Wednesday.

The UA self-imposed a three-year probation in December 2006, but the NCAA did not recognize the probation until it handed down its decision last October. If served to the current NCAA’s thinking, the UA will serve three years, 10 months even though the NCAA agrees with the idea of Arkansas’ self-imposed, three-year penalty.

Arkansas officials will have 45 minutes to present their case to the committee Friday, followed by a 45-minute presentation by the committee and 15-minute rebuttals by each side.

The committee will write up its decision at an unspecified time after the hearing.

“ We’re most likely not going to know their decision when we leave [Friday ], ” Varady said.

At the heart of the probation is Brauman, who the UA investigated after he was convicted on felony charges of theft and embezzlement. An internal investigation by the UA revealed that the former Hogs assistant provided housing, tutoring and transportation during the summer of 2003 to sprinter Tyson Gay, who had yet to enroll at the UA.

Gay was an athlete for Brauman’s squad at Butler County (Kan. ) College before Brauman was hired by Arkansas in 2002. Mississippi State

a contender ? Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom has aspirations of building off the program’s first eight-win season since 2000 with an SEC Championship in 2008. Really ? “ Well, they give a championship trophy. We play in the Southeastern Conference, ” Croom said. “ I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t want to compete and shouldn’t work toward competing to get that done. Why else do you play the game other than to win it all ?

“ I think we have a chance to do that this year. ”

The Bulldogs won the Liberty Bowl last year and Croom, who received a new contract in the offseason, was named the SEC Coach of the Year. Sophomore quarterback Wes Carroll, who started last season and was the lone sophomore at SEC Media Days on Wednesday, said close games last season could prove to be beneficial this fall. “ I definitely believe we can play with teams like Auburn and Alabama, ” Carroll said. “ Last year we played well against Tennessee and South Carolina, but I felt like we let those games get away from us late. We believe we can be better and win those games this year. ” Miles backtracks on

‘ Bama potshot LSU head coach Les Miles took a shot at Alabama last weekend, but backed off his comments in the Crimson Tide state at SEC Media Days on Wednesday.

Miles told fans last weekend at an LSU booster club meeting in New Orleans “ not to make too much of that [Alabama ] game, as it seems like a lot of teams in Louisiana beat that team. ”

Louisiana-Monroe beat head coach Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa last November, 21-14. Miles, who replaced Saban at LSU in 2005, also beat Alabama last season.

“ I want you to know something, ” Miles said Wednesday. “ I have great respect for the University of Alabama, the history they have presented to college football, the competition that they put on every time they take the field. I promise you that any fun and entertainment that I have with supporters is very respectful. ”