SEC Round-Up: Finding dishonor in defending the SEC's honor

Considering the state of college athletics these days, it makes perfect sense that the Southeastern Conference turns to the dishonorable to defend its honor.

Once the superior league of college football, the SEC has — fairly or not — fallen behind the Big Ten in national prominence.

It’s bad enough the Big Ten boasts the last three national champions. But the SEC didn’t even make the championship game in that span.

Further, last season the SEC was 12-14 vs. other Power Conference programs. Perhaps even more alarming, the SEC finished 6-8 vs. the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Surely, the SEC hasn’t fallen below the ACC.

Detractors love to claim the SEC is in decline. Obviously, they have ammunition.

Some team has to defend the SEC’s honor. And this week that team is No. 11 LSU, which faces Clemson.

It’s true that, based on rankings, No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss on Sunday should be a better opportunity for the SEC to prove its mettle.

But Clemson, with its two national championships within the last decade, still has a higher profile.

The SEC might not even want LSU to win, though.

Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

No SEC team has won the national title since Georgia claimed back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022.

Surely you know the story. LSU wants to add tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris to its roster. Both played for LSU coach Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss last year. Both entered the NFL Draft and signed professional contracts. Both went to NFL camps.

Both want to return to college football, presumably to pick up NIL paydays rather than pursue more education.

The door was opened when NCAA rules were changed to allow athletes to participate in five seasons in five years. A U.S. District judge ruled that athletes who started their careers in 2022 are now eligible.

An appeals court reversed that decision. However, some athletes then sought local judges to grant injunctions allowing them to return to college.

Kiffin jumped at the chance to add Wright and Harris and a couple of others.

“A group of players were granted a fifth year of eligibility around the country in multiple sports,” Kiffin said on Monday. “And through them winning their injunction and entry into the (transfer) portal, they are available to recruit. And so ourselves, like many places around the country, are recruiting them.

“At the end of the day, because of these rulings, they’re either going to play for you, or they’re going to play somewhere else around the country. So, we’ve made the decision to recruit them like probably most people are.”

Interestingly, Kiffin never named any of these other programs. He pointed out that other players in recent years have been made eligible through injunctions.

None, though, had ever signed NFL contracts.

Last year, Alabama’s basketball team brought back Charles Bediako, who had played professionally in the NBA G League.

Despite SEC objections, Bediako played four games before being ruled ineligible. But the SEC did not penalize Alabama for the games in which Bediako played.

Now, the SEC is taking a harder stance. The league announced that any team using players who had signed with professional leagues would face harsh penalties, including heavy financial fines, suspensions of head coaches and revocations of voting privileges on conference matters.

Then, a Louisiana judge ruled the SEC cannot enforce its own rules.

The argument is going back to a Baton Rouge courtroom today.

The whole mess has led to suggestions of extreme consequences. There has been talk that the SEC could oust LSU from the conference if former NFL players are used.

That’s highly unlikely. LSU was one of the SEC’s 13 charter members when the league was created in 1932.

Yet, in today’s college sports, seemingly anything is possible, especially when such an emotional issue is at stake.

Heck, even Kiffin said NFL players shouldn’t be able to come back to college.

Callie Garner, TexAgs

When (if) he debuts on Saturday, Lane Kiffin will add LSU to a growing list of SEC schools he has been the head coach at. Tennessee and Ole Miss are already on that list.

“In general, should NFL players come back to college?” Kiffin said. “It doesn’t matter necessarily what I believe. That answer would be no.

“I think every circumstance should be looked at differently. This is a very unique circumstance.”

Because of what’s going on, the SEC may be rooting for Clemson over LSU.

That seems ridiculous. But as Kiffin said, this is a very unique circumstance.

Around the SEC

Mike Huguenin contributed to this section.

This week’s games: Missouri State at No. 8 Texas A&M; Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 25 Missouri (Thursday); UTEP at No. 10 Oklahoma (Friday); East Carolina at No. 13 Alabama; Kent State at South Carolina; Youngstown State at Kentucky; Tennessee State at No. 3 Georgia; Texas State at No. 5 Texas; Baylor vs. Auburn (Atlanta); Austin Peay at Vanderbilt; Clemson at No. 11 LSU; Louisiana-Monroe at Mississippi State; Florida Atlantic at Florida; No. 25 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (Sunday in Nashville).

Who’s hot: South Carolina coach Shane Beamer enters the season on the old hot seat. There were high expectations for the Gamecocks last season, but they face-planted.

First of all, Beamer promised South Carolina would be in the College Football Playoff this year. But just getting to a bowl game will be tough, especially if the Gamecocks somehow lose their opener to Kent State.

A bowl-less season would mean Beamer, who is 33-30 in six seasons in Columbia, is looking for a new job. Indeed, an unimpressive showing from new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles against the Golden Flashes likely would make things uncomfortable for Beamer.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

In SEC games, Shane Beamer is 16-24 at South Carolina.

Who’s not: Arkansas enters this season having lost 10 in a row, which is the second-longest streak nationally behind UMass’ 16. New coach Ryan Silverfield and his rebuilt roster should snap that streak easily against FCS member North Alabama.

The joy likely will be short-lived: The next two games are at Utah and at home vs. Georgia.

Keep an eye on: Some rate Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss as the nation’s top returning quarterback, but there is some intrigue about Ole Miss’ offense this season because Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. are in Baton Rouge. There are two new starting tackles and three new starting wide receivers.

Ole Miss opens against Louisville, which is generally considered the second-best team in the ACC. OK, that doesn’t mean much but…

Louisville has a stud edge rusher in Clev Lubin and a high-level corner in Tayon Holloway. If Ole Miss has issues controlling Lubin, that could make things mighty interesting for Chambliss. Regardless, what does Chambliss look like with a new offensive staff?

Under pressure: That would be Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown. Auburn coach Alex Goulash brought Brown and 13 others with him from USF to the “Loveliest Village on the Plains.” Eleven of them are offensive players. Brown led the nation in total offense last season at 347.2 yards per game. But in two games against Power Four opponents last season, he managed just 529 total yards and the Bulls scored only 30 points.

Opening opponent Baylor went heavy – like, real heavy – into the portal for new defenders, especially in the front seven. What kind of numbers will Brown put up?

Best matchup: LSU rushing offense vs. Clemson rushing defense. LSU finished last in the league in rushing in each of the past two seasons. The Tigers totaled 2,865 rushing yards in those two seasons combined.

By comparison, Ole Miss rushed for just shy of 2,300 yards under Kiffin last season.

Clemson woefully underachieved last season, but the orange-and-purple Tigers were stout against the run. Granted, Clemson lost a number of key defenders to the NFL and to transfers, but stud LB Sammy Brown is back. The Tigers also have what looks to be a physical group of safeties/nickelbacks, and there is bulk in the defensive interior.

Kiffin’s rushing attack generally has been one of the best in the nation, not just the SEC, and it’ll be interesting to see how productive it is in his LSU debut.