Lane Kiffin isn’t happy with what college football is becoming, and he isn’t holding back about who he blames. The LSU coach pointed to the SEC’s pursuit of more money as a major reason the conference’s championship game is reportedly headed for the chopping block. The College Football Playoff’s move to a 24-team format has put conference title games in jeopardy, leaving the SEC with what could be its final edition on December 5 in Atlanta. For a game the league introduced in 1992, the end would mark a major change to the SEC’s identity.
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Jon Blau reported on X that Kiffin was asked about the death of the SEC title on his show. Kiffin said that money drove the decision and that the consequences have spun off from there. He also wondered how many people would vote to go back to a four-team playoff and “erase all the changes that happened” since.
The playoff started with four teams in 2014, went to 12 in 2024, and now goes to 24 teams in 2027. The new field takes the four Power 4 champions, the top Group of 6 team, and 19 at-large bids. ESPN signed a five-year, $1.7B deal for it. The title games were the casualty, since the first round needs that December weekend. Reports mentioned that ESPN gets back $140M from not having to pay for the SEC, ACC, and Big 12 games.
The SEC pushed for a 16-team field, and by all means, that was about protecting its title game. Commissioner Greg Sankey also argued that any bigger format made the revenue the SEC would lose by canceling it. Kiffin’s point seems to be that every step had a dollar sign on it, and the sport got worse at the end.
The list of things Kiffin doesn’t like is getting long. The season now starts the week before Labor Day, with the regular season ending on Thanksgiving weekend, with playoff games starting on the second weekend of December. The SEC went to non-conference games, and that’s one other reason why LSU and Alabama won’t play in 2027.
Kiffin was also an early supporter of a 24-team field. A report from one of his Sunday calls says he backed it because the nine-game schedule makes it necessary. But he also questioned whether another SEC fight right before the playoff helps anyone’s national title chances.
Earlier this month, while talking about the league scheduling the Alabama game in the afternoon, Kiffin said that anyone who thinks the SEC wants LSU to win “must’ve just been on Mars the last four months.”
LSU is 6-3, and 3-3 in the SEC, in Kiffin’s first season. The Tigers beat Clemson in Week 1 and won at Auburn. Then they lost to Ole Miss 32-24, to Kentucky 35-34 in overtime, and to Alabama 31-13 at home.
Against Alabama, they outgained the Crimson Tide 457-285 and went 0-for-4 on fourth down. Kiffin is 0-6 against Alabama in his career, while LSU is also in a federal lawsuit with the SEC over its attempt to roster ex-NFL players.
No. 6 Texas comes to Tiger Stadium on Saturday, before LSU heads to Tennessee and closes its SEC schedule against Arkansas. At 3-3 in conference play, the Tigers have already fallen out of the SEC Championship picture, leaving their College Football Playoff hopes dependent on winning their final three games.