The times, they are a changin'.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said that several times during his press conference Monday to open SEC Media Days. That has certainly been true over the past year or more, as he's overseen the league's response to, among other things, Covid-19 and social injustice issues.

Here are some of the highlights from Sankey's comments on Monday morning.

In 2020, the league rescheduled a handful of games due to Covid issues. The SEC built open weeks into the calendar to accommodate potential schedule shuffling.

That doesn't sound like it'll happen this fall.

"You’re expected to play as scheduled," Sankey said. "That means your team needs to be healthy to compete. If not, that game won’t be rescheduled. Thus, to dispose of the game, the forfeit word comes up at this point."

There are no extra weeks built into the schedule. As usual, teams just have one open week.

Sankey also said he has brought up the idea of eliminating roster minimums for teams to compete. If a team doesn't have enough players to play, the game will be forfeited by the team with the issues.

The conference wants to avoid that scenario. Sankey mentioned in his comments that six of the league's 14 teams have reached the 80 percent vaccination threshold, a number that he said needs to "grow rapidly."

Fans also factored in to Sankey's remarks. He implored all fans to receive their Covid-19 vaccination, noting that now is the perfect time with the season six weeks away.

"When people are fully vaccinated, we all have the ability to avoid serious health risks, reduce the virus’ spread and maximize our chances of returning to a normal college football experience, to normal life," Sanker said.

It's been nearly three weeks since players were allowed to profit from their name, image, and likeness. Currently, each state is operating under its own legislation.

Sankey noted Monday the need for more overarching legislation to govern NIL.

"Those interim policies are no substitute for a uniform, national standard," Sankey said. "We all will benefit from a standard that supports the interests of student-athletes while preventing exploitive practices. A policy that can be understood and administered by universities and colleges at every level while also providing prospective student-athletes with clarity as they’re recruited nationally across state lines."

While it's a complex and challenging task, Sankey said, "we need a federal solution" when it comes to NIL laws.

Sankey noted that over the past two seasons, none of the new football coaching hires in the SEC have been from "underrepresented" communities.

"It’s a reality that has changed before, and it must change again," Sankey said.

In June, the league's presidents and chancellors approved an initiative to address that issue. Schools will now share information about prospective minority candidates. Once a year, programs will also be required to submit written proof to the league office of their attempts to include diverse candidates in the hiring process.