Destin, Fla. — There are times when it is a lot of fun to be the commissioner of the SEC. This, said Mike Slive, is one of those times.

Coaches, athletics directors, presidents and a host of other administrators are gathering here this week for the annual SEC Spring Meetings. It is a time to attend to the business of the conference but it is also time to celebrate what has been another banner year for the league.

And for the last few years, the SEC has had plenty to celebrate.

"Someday we're going to look back and realize that this has been one of the most competitive eras in the history of our conference," said Slive, who is completing his sixth year as commissioner. "It has really been something to watch."

The SEC arrives in Destin having won two straight national championships (Florida in 2006, LSU in 2007) in football. The SEC has won two of the past three national championships (Florida in 2006 and 2007) in men's basketball. Thanks to the coaching legend that is Tennessee's Pat Summitt, the SEC has won the past two national championships in women's basketball.

Last year the SEC won eight national championships. This season that total is four with baseball, men's golf, and track and field still yet to be contested. The SEC got more good news Monday when nine of its 12 teams were picked for the 64-team NCAA baseball tournament. That's more than any other conference, as the ACC and Pac-10 had six each.

"Our goal has always been to compete at the national level in every sport we sponsor," Slive said. "That is the strength of our conference."

Financially, it has also been another good year for the SEC. After placing nine teams in bowls, including two (LSU, Georgia) in the BCS, the league is expecting another record setting year when it comes to revenue sharing. The league pools all of its income from football television, bowls, the NCAA Tournament, and other revenue sources. At the end of these meetings on Friday each school will receive a check for its share of the revenue. A year ago the 12 SEC schools shared a record $122 million. That record is expected to fall.

There are a few legislative matters that will be discussed, such as LSU and Mississippi State wanting to sponsor NCAA legislation to increase baseball scholarships from their current 11.7 to 14.

The SEC's various television contracts for football expire after the 2008 season. Those negotiations are ongoing but are not expected to be concluded until late summer or early fall. The coaches, athletics directors and presidents will be briefed on those negotiations. They will also be briefed on the possibility of the SEC forming its on television network as the Big Ten and Mountain West have already done. No decisions about television, however, will be made at these meetings, conference officials have told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"These meetings are to sort of assess where were are as a conference and then figure out where we are going," Slive said. "We feel good about both those things."