For weeks, one question has quietly grown louder across college football: Is LSU’s future in the SEC actually in danger? The answer remains unclear, but the tension surrounding the Tigers continues to build. Now, SEC head coaches are also pitching in on the ongoing feud between their conference and LSU.

A fan’s question about LSU’s potential SEC exit sparked a humorous exchange on Mike Elko’s weekly radio show. Asked whether the Tigers might go independent or even join the NFL, the Texas A&M coach fired back with a witty analogy, as per On3.

“This is a little bit like the son figuring out where the limits are until dad comes home and raises his voice, and then the son goes, ‘I was just kidding, I didn’t mean any of that,'” Elko said. “I think that’s what you’re seeing.”

LSU’s potential expulsion from the conference was once serious enough for the SEC to consider a meeting of its presidents and chancellors to discuss the so-called “nuclear option.”

However, that possibility was removed from the table after the Tigers chose not to roster former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, a major point of contention.

Meanwhile, Elko does not expect the situation to escalate further, anticipating that LSU will remain in the conference and that Texas A&M will proceed accordingly.

“LSU will be in the SEC,” he said. “LSU will be fired up when we go to Baton Rouge in a couple of weeks. All of those things are going to happen. This is just a little bit of parenting going on right now.”

Well, Elko’s analogy might not be that far off. For the past few weeks, LSU has been in chaos over its attempt to bring former NFL players onto its roster and has even engaged in a heated battle with the SEC. The conference even passed a rule to ban any former pro from returning to college football.

However, the players sued the SEC and even won a temporary injunction. But Lane Kiffin didn’t put Wright and Harris on his 105-man roster to play Clemson. His team still went on to demolish their Week 1 opponent. During the halftime, as LSU was leading 31-3, Kiffin even made a joke at the SEC’s expense, saying, “Imagine if we pro players.”

That only escalated the matter. However, after facing threats of severe fines and a chance of being pushed out of the conference, the Tigers finally backed down.

Interestingly, LSU President Wade Rousse wrote a letter to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on Wednesday, stating that the university had complied with the league’s rules and that the dispute over former professional players was over.

“LSU filled its two remaining roster spots with eligible student-athletes,” Rousse wrote. “The roster is now locked for the season. LSU complied with SEC rules. The point is moot.”

While LSU remained steadfast in its efforts to minimize the damage, the fallout had already spilled over into the entirety of college football.

SEC insider blasts LSU and Lane Kiffin for their latest stunt

Since Lane Kiffin joined LSU as head coach, the university has been making headlines, and for the most part, not for good reasons. The fiasco with the SEC and the back-and-forth with the NCAA have cast LSU in a bad light.

One SEC administrator told ESPN’s Dan Wetzel, “they are unserious,” when describing LSU. “It’s impossible to deal with LSU right now,” the administrator added.

While Kiffin’s push to add former professional players to LSU’s roster fueled much of the tension between the program and the SEC, Wetzel suggested that the controversy ran much deeper than that. He wrote that the Tigers have a reputation for “forever pushing the envelope,” pointing to both Kiffin and men’s basketball coach Will Wade.

“Who is in charge there?” one SEC administrator told Wetzel. “And how do you ever trust them?”

Well, despite the backlash, LSU has been playing well under Kiffin as head coach. Moreover, has Elko given the Tigers some bulletin-board material before their matchup? Kiffin won’t hesitate to use his words to motivate LSU players.