SEC seeking authority to expel LSU from league
- Thread starter sclawman77
- Start date
I think Kiffin probably wins here. The SEC obviously is not going to kick out LSU. Lane knows that.
That would be a mistake. The league is just pulling their pants down to show everyone what they have.
There’s less than a 0% chance this happens, but if it actually did, I could see them getting picked up by the Big Ten pretty easy.
The Big 10 is the current alpha in college football, with 3 straight titles and payout around $7 million more/school than the SEC. Maybe LSU forces the SEC's hand, gets kicked out, decides to stop pursuing former NFL players and joins the Big 10 for more money than they are currently getting.
That's a devious plan. And after joining Big 10, Kiffin again pursues former NFL players! Sounds like Kiffin.
I don't think they would. Big Ten has also already stated they wouldn't allow players that have played in the NFL to play. I also think the Big Ten wants their members to be AAU schools. Nebraska is currently the only school not meeting that standard because they lost that status a little after they joined the conference.
In this scenario, LSU would drop its pursuit of NFL players to join the Big 10. Academics don't matter in college football any longer, unfortunately. LSU is a massively massive brand. The Big 10 wants to expand but there are not 5 other schools they could get that would collectively add up to the value of LSU. Plus it gives them a foothold right smack dab in SEC territory. It's really a dream scenario for the Big 10.
The SEC is bigger than one school. If Kiffin and LSU can’t toe the line with Sankey then everything goes to ****. You gotta have conformity or it doesn’t work. But clearly this is a shot across the bow to LSU.
The BIG 10 is all about integrity as demonstrated over the weekend.
They ain't gonna kick out LSU. LSU is a legacy program and one of the battleships of the SEC fleet. They ain't gonna give up LSU. It's an absurd notion.
That's the broad assumption. It begs the question then: what's the point? If everyone in the country knows beyond a shadow of doubt that you're not going to do it, then what's the point of bluffing the move? Either you back down and look even weaker. Or you try it and don't get the vote, in which case your power is completely stripped away.
You have to know who you're dealing with. Lane is not going to back down just to make friends.
The point? Posturing? A public threat to drop the pursuit if NFL players.
I agree with King. LSU is not going anywhere. Both sides know it.
I think it all comes down to whether or not the SEC is willing to admit it has no power over any of its members actions. If they aren't really willing to follow through with this, what would they be willing to stand up for? This is Kiffin challenging a fundamental tenant of college sports, no professional athletes. If the SEC doesn't see this through until the end, whatever that may mean, they will never be able to force a member school to do anything.
Kiffin may be the football equivalent of Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur thought he was bigger than the president of the United States and he was fired over it. The bigger question might be, is LSU, the school, willing to be kicked out of the SEC to go along with what Kiffin, the football coach, wants to do? No matter how good Kiffin may end up being as head football coach, he is a temporary employee. LSU will be around long after Kiffin moves on to his next high paying job. LSU being kicked out of the SEC would be a permanent situation.
One aspect I hadn’t considered is the impact the tv deal if the SEC actually kicked LSU out. ESPN wouldn’t pay the same amt for a conference without LSU in it.
I really, really think thisbis all talk and posturing.
Its fun to imagine the nuclear scenario, but its not going to happen.
That's the general sentiment, but again it raises the question of why the SEC is going through the posturing if there's no actual belief they'll do anything?
A threat is only effective if there's a reasonable belief the party will follow through on it.
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True. But imo, this just puts it back in LSU's court. "Do this and it gets ugly" type of comment.
Then Lane backs off and we all live happily ever after. Till he or someone else pushes the next boundary.
Jmo
I was wrong about the SEC even standing up to him.
LSU doesn't have the academics to get in the Big10. They'd be Big XII bound.
They will until it's time to renegotiate the contract. The contract doesn't state the number or which schools are involved for the media rights deal. The deal is with the SEC, who distributes the funds.
Oh, the Big Ten would make an exception for someone of LSU‘s status. And getting a flag planted in the middle of SEC territory? No-brainer.
Well, maybe it worked. Just reported that LSU will add two other players to the roster, bringing them to the limit, thus eliminating the possibility that they could add those players from the NFL.
I would assume at this point the SEC considers it point has been made and backs off. Too bad. I was hoping for a show.
Oh, I get the desire for the drama. If you want any sort of "reset" or reigning in of the NIL debacle, then you need an implosion. You need drama and mayhem.
Im with you on that.
One of the best road trips in the conference, perish the thought.
It's not being driven by the SEC front office. It's being pushed by league members. That puts some oomph into it.
Just a hypothetical situation.
What if SEC notifies LSU they will delay the expulsion vote, with the caveat being, they are willing to take care of the "Lane Situation",
With the SEC dictating terms.
Every Sports writer/tv personality would be nonstop on the airwaves.
What if SEC notifies LSU they will delay the expulsion vote, with the caveat being, they are willing to take care of the "Lane Situation",
With the SEC dictating terms.
Every Sports writer/tv personality would be nonstop on the airwaves.
I doubt that. The B1G takes a lot of pride in their academics, and I applaud them for it. They would gladly take Florida, Texas or maybe even UGA, all three are pretty highly regarded academically. Vanderbilt would fit well in the B1G, but I doubt they have any interest in Vanderbilt.
Also, I seriously doubt the B1G would want to take on Kiffin and all of his drama. They have already taken a firm stand on the NFL player thing. They aren't going to bring in Kiffin, knowing he would challenge them immediately on it.
That would be fantastic, of course. Nothing would bring me greater joy than seeing Kiffin's ego lead to his nearly immediate demise at LSU.
But I suspect all parties will stand down after this.
I don't even know why Kiffin pursued these 2 players, except to stir pot and generate an "us against the rest of the league" narrative to motivate his team.
I really don't know. LSU would be a huge brand for the Big 10 to pass on. For an extra $7 million/year, I think the LSU admin would tell Lane to drop it.
Although it would be interesting if the SEC persisted in their current course of action, rejecting LSU's decision not to roster the NFL players as a bad faith gesture.
As another poster noted, this isn't necessarily Sankey-driven. Other conference ADs are fed up with it.
The SEC is not kicking LSU out. It would create a nightmare for all parties involved with the disruption to schedules and money etc.
But I did see someone provide a concise list of all of LSU's run-ins dating back to about 2013. They've been fairly consistent in running afoul or very nearly running afoul of the rules.
But I did see someone provide a concise list of all of LSU's run-ins dating back to about 2013. They've been fairly consistent in running afoul or very nearly running afoul of the rules.
The B1G has a select set of schools that 1) Are AAU members and 2) are deep within the SEC footprint that are under consideration for the next round of expansion.
There would be no need to absorb an unmitigated and litigious mess that currently describes LSU.
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