LSU head coach Brian Kelly isn’t hiding where his loyalties lie—or who he thinks belongs in college football’s inner circle.
Speaking at the SEC spring meetings this week, Kelly told reporters that he supports a future scheduling model that would deepen ties between the SEC and the Big Ten. The plan? Nine SEC games, a high-profile nonconference showdown against a Big Ten team, and two additional games at each school’s discretion.
“We want to play Big Ten schools,” Kelly said.
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported that officials formally discussed such a proposal this week, with Kelly echoing support for a model that sidelines broader parity in favor of powerhouse consolidation.
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“LSU coach Brian Kelly says officials this week did discuss a regular season scheduling arrangement with the Big Ten, including adding a ninth SEC game,” Dellenger wrote. “Would be 9 SEC games + B1G game + 2 others.”
He also went on to say that the SEC wants to show that it has real depth, from top to bottom, and says that scheduling regular season games against the Big Ten would help them do just that.
LSU’s Brian Kelly said SEC coaches want a scheduling agreement that would see them each play one non-conference Big Ten school every season, then play 9 conference games, plus 2 others. pic.twitter.com/pCf29C2vdQ
“Look, the Big Ten right now holds it on the SEC,” Kelly added. “They’ve won the last two national championships. OK, that’s the reality of it. We want to get challenged in that regard, and we’d like to be able to get that done.”
The implications are clear. As playoff access, revenue sharing, and realignment reshape college football’s hierarchy, Kelly’s comments reflect what many suspect: the SEC and Big Ten are no longer pretending to share the sport. They’re planning to dominate it.
Left out of this vision are the ACC, Big 12, and the Group of Five—conferences already fighting for inclusion in a proposed 16-team College Football Playoff that could hand four automatic bids apiece to the SEC and Big Ten.
Kelly’s suggestion doubles down on that divide. It’s less about great matchups and more about drawing a line around who “matters” in college football.
And if that line leaves the Big 12 and ACC on the outside looking in?
