Miramar Beach, Florida – Lsu Coach Brian Kelly greatly approved a rumor planning alliance between the Big Ten and the SEC on Wednesday.
And he is not alone.
“Our first goal would be to want to play Big Ten teams as trainers,” Kelly said on Wednesday. “I can speak for the room. We want to play Big Ten teams but you must have a partner. You must get a partner who says that we are also for that. So we explained our voice, our sports directors know that we would like so well.” Our commissioner obviously heard us.
Kelly said the reasons for wanting to play big ten per year in the regular season are quite simple.
“The Big Ten is currently holding it on the dry,” said Kelly. “They have won the last two national championships, it is reality. We want to be challenged in this regard and we would like to be able to do so. It depends on the commissioner and the advertisements, but that is the wish of the room.”
The LSU coach said that the dry football coaches wanted nine conference games plus an annual Big Ten match. However, Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman later said that he would in fact prefer eight conference games and maintain the status quo, but if he had to add a ninth game, his preference was for it to be a big ten opponent.
“Fans would appreciate seeing the dry and the big ten play in a game type game or playing a ninth game every year,” said Pittman. “I think that was another option from which Kelly was talking other than playing nine games from the dry. I think the League wants us to go at nine, so we go at nine years or perhaps to invite another conference to play.”
Although Kelly said he spoke for the room, Pittman’s preference for eight dry games and a Big Ten planning agreement are real preference for the majority of dry coaches, according to sources familiar with the discussion. During their annual SEC Spring Spring meetings this week, the league coaches supported eight conference games and the transition to a 5 + 11 University football Format of the playoffs if it extends to 16 teams rather than at the conference receiving several automatic offers, according to sources.
Of course, coaches do not make these decisions. SEC announcements were much more GUNG-HO on the transition to nine conference games, acknowledging that there is additional money to win when each athletics department is looking for additional income to pay the imminent ceiling of $ 20.5 million with the house’s regulations.
There would also be challenges inherent in planning an alliance with Big Ten if the two conferences do not have the same number of conference games. (Big Ten already provides nine conference competitions.)
Preserve rivalries
Another factor is the SEC schools which have annual rivalry games non -conference. South Carolina (Clemson), Kentucky (Louisville), Florida (Florida State) and Georgia (Georgia Tech) already have nine Power Four games scheduled each year before adding a 10th possible with another dry game or even an 11th with a Big Ten planning agreement.
Florida coach Billy Napier said this week that Florida State’s rivalry match did not take place now while Shane Beamer of South Carolina told CBS Sports this spring that he had no interest in losing the Rivalry match of Clemson.
Beamer told CBS Sports on Wednesday that he agreed to spend nine conference games and adding a Big Ten match, but that he would like to see his peers from dry do the same.
“I’m worried about South Carolina, but Texas, ok, you play a big ten team that is great, it’s nine dry games, a Big Ten team and then if you wanted to plan two FCS teams, you could,” said Beamer. “Ours is different because we say no more Clemson plus a big ten alliance. Great, I am absolutely for that, but it would be like the Chiefs of Kansas City playing Green Bay Packers in an 18th regular season game when the other teams are not. I don’t know if it makes a lot of sense.”
