Lane Kiffin
LSU To Be Ousted From SEC?
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Welcome to college football in 2026.
On Saturday night, LSU looked like one of the best teams in America, dismantling Clemson 51-10 in Lane Kiffin’s debut.
By Tuesday, the Tigers had climbed to No. 8 in the AP poll. And on that same day, the Southeastern Conference was preparing for a meeting that could potentially result in LSU being kicked out of the league. You can’t make this stuff up.
The dispute centers around Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, two former Ole Miss players who signed NFL contracts and spent time with professional teams this summer before attempting to return to college football at LSU.
The SEC says they shouldn’t be eligible. A Louisiana judge has ruled, at least temporarily, that they can play. LSU didn’t use either player against Clemson, but the fight has continued anyway.
And naturally, Lane Kiffin couldn’t resist having a little fun with it.
With LSU leading Clemson 31-3 at halftime Saturday, Kiffin joked during his television interview, “Imagine if we had pro players.”
I’m guessing SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey didn’t find that nearly as funny as Kiffin did.
Now the situation has escalated to the point where SEC presidents and chancellors are scheduled to meet and potentially consider LSU’s future in the conference.
We’re talking about LSU here. A founding member of the SEC. One of the biggest brands in college football; Tiger Stadium, national championships and generations of SEC history.
Personally, I think kicking LSU out would be a massive overreaction. But I also understand the SEC’s position.
A conference has to be able to make rules and expect its members to follow them. If the schools agree on an eligibility rule and one member can simply go to court and have that rule blocked, how does the conference govern itself?
But that’s also why this story is about much more than LSU. College football has changed almost everything about itself in a remarkably short period of time without developing a system capable of governing what it has become.
NIL changed the financial landscape. The transfer portal changed roster building. Revenue sharing changed the relationship between players and schools. Eligibility rules continue to be challenged in court.
And every time the NCAA or a conference tries to draw a line, someone seems ready to file another lawsuit.
So, who’s actually in charge of college football? The NCAA? The conferences? The schools? The courts? I’m not sure anybody knows anymore.
I don’t blame the players for taking advantage of every opportunity available to them. I don’t necessarily blame LSU for challenging a rule it believes is wrong. And I certainly don’t blame the SEC for believing membership in its conference should require following conference rules.
But college football desperately needs some consistency. That’s the bigger story here.
The crazy part is that LSU might actually be really good. The Tigers just embarrassed Clemson and suddenly look like a legitimate playoff contender.
Yet only a few days later, we’re barely talking about football.
Instead, we’re wondering whether one of the SEC’s founding members could actually be thrown out of the conference.
That’s college football in 2026. LSU may be ready to compete for an SEC championship.
First, apparently, the Tigers have to make sure they’re still in the SEC.
The Kiffin Effect
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If you are looking for the team that could shake up college football in 2026, look no further than the Bayou Bengals of LSU.
The Tigers did not just hire a new football coach this offseason. They made one of the biggest moves in college football by bringing Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge.
At LSU, the expectation is never just to have a winning season. The expectation is to compete for SEC championships and national championships.
Based on what Kiffin has already accomplished this offseason, I believe the Tigers are built to do exactly that.
Kiffin has won everywhere he has coached. He turned Florida Atlantic into a winner, made Ole Miss a legitimate College Football Playoff contender, and now takes over one of the most talent rich programs in America.
This is the first time in his career that he has inherited a roster and resources capable of competing for a national title from day one.
The biggest reason for the excitement is the transfer portal. LSU landed what many believe is the top transfer class in the country, and almost every addition fills a major need.
After finishing 7-6 last season, the Tigers needed a complete makeover on offense, and Kiffin delivered.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt could be the key to everything. If he stays healthy after recovering from a foot injury, he is an ideal fit for Kiffin’s offense.
He also has plenty of weapons around him. Receivers Jayce Brown, Tre Brown, Jackson Harris, Winston Watkins, and Eugene Wilson III give LSU one of the deepest and fastest receiving groups in college football.
Just as important is the rebuilt offensive line. Colorado transfer Jordan Seaton may prove to be the most valuable addition on the roster.
LSU struggled to protect it’s quarterback and establish a running game last season.
Seaton and several experienced transfers should completely change that. If the Tigers can simply become a respectable rushing team, Kiffin’s offense has the potential to become one of the best in the nation.
The defense should be every bit as impressive.
One of Kiffin’s smartest decisions was keeping defensive coordinator Blake Baker in Baton Rouge. Baker already had LSU playing solid defense despite the offense often putting the unit in difficult situations.
Now he has even more talent to work with. The addition of edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen strengthens the defensive front, while linebacker.
Whit Weeks returns as the emotional leader of the defense. When Weeks was sidelined by injury last year, LSU simply was not the same football team. His return gives the Tigers one of the best linebackers in the SEC leading an already talented group.
Even with all the excitement, the schedule will certainly test LSU. Clemson, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Ole Miss are all capable of making life difficult. But championship teams do not shy away from challenging schedules.
Several of LSU’s biggest conference games will be played in Death Valley, where few opponents enjoy success.
There may be a few growing pains early with so many new faces learning a new system, but I do not expect them to last very long. Kiffin has consistently built explosive offenses throughout his coaching career, and now he has the roster to match his creativity.
Everything appears to be in place. LSU has upgraded the quarterback position, rebuilt the offensive line, added explosive playmakers, strengthened the defense, and hired one of the brightest offensive minds in college football.
I believe the Tigers will not only return to the College Football Playoff this season, but they will be right in the middle of the SEC championship race from start to finish.
If they stay healthy, do not be surprised if LSU is playing for the national championship when the season comes to an end.
Coaching Carousel
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When I realized earlier this year the SEC had no turnover within their head coaching ranks after last season, I reacted like you do when you get a perfect pump at the gas stations- I was caught by surprise, immediately told anyone around me what had transpired, and knew that it would be a while before it happened again.
So, while it was a nice story that no head coach lost their job, you knew a few wouldn’t be so lucky this time around.
Of the three coaching changes that have taken place, one you could see coming before the season even started (Arkansas), one made sense even though it wasn’t a foregone conclusion (Missouri), and the other seemed to take place in part due to a poorly timed, even though well executed, end zone celebration (Ole Miss).
Regardless of why any of the changes were made, the only thing that matters is “will their respective replacements be an upgrade?” That’s where things get a little more interesting.
If the adage about not hiring the same type of coach you just fired was ever engraved on a plaque, I imagine you’d see it placed sporadically throughout the hallways of the Ole Miss athletic facility.
In the span of three years the Rebels football team will have been coached by Hugh Freeze, Matt Luke, and now Lane Kiffin, who is basically Hugh Freeze on a steady diet of Red Bull, Jägermeister, and Birthday Cake Oreos.
As far as what Ole Miss can expect to see on the field, it’s a good hire. I think Kiffin is an above average coach, who will recruit well for the program.
The problem is you have no idea what’s going to happen off the field. It’s like driving 120 in a 35mph zone- it’s a great thrill ride, if you make it to the end, but more than likely you’re going to run off the road, drive head first into a tree, and die in a spectacular explosion. Welcome to the Lane Kiffin era, Oxford, I hope you have good airbags.
I can’t blame Eliah Drinkwitz for leaving App. State to go to Missouri- you can’t pass up a 400% raise in salary- but I do question why the Tigers are paying him that much ($4 million) to come to Columbia.
Drinkwitz was in the precarious situation in Boone where he inherited a very talented team and was able to lead them to a very successful season.
Was he the reason for the success, or just in the right place at the right time? Like most things, the answer is a mixture of the two, but that’s still an awful lot of money to pay a coach with one year of head coaching experience, especially when it didn’t seem like there was much competition for his services, outside of Missouri.
As for Arkansas, I don’t know much about Sam Pittman, except he seems to be popular among his peers and was an impactful recruiter at Georgia.
Pittman was the backup plan to the backup plan on the Razorbacks list of coaches, but it doesn’t matter how or why he got the job, only what he does with it now that he has it.
There may still be another coaching casualty after the bowl games, but for right now this is the new crop of SEC head coaches.
It may be a while before the conference goes a year without having any turnover; my bet is at least two of these coaches will be contributors as to why.
Lane Kiffin’s Twitter Account
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Over the past few years my adoration for Charles Barkley has increased exponentially.
For the most part it has very little to do with his actual NBA career or his analytical ability when it comes to breaking down the NBA. I enjoy watching Barkley because he is pure entertainment. The anti-Skip Bayless, if you will. I could watch him discuss just about anything.
As much as it pains me to admit this, because I really don’t care a lot for this guy as a person or coach, but I am really starting to enjoy Lane Kiffin. More specifically, I love Lane Kiffin’s Twitter account.
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