The SEC has filed an amended federal lawsuit against LSU, seeking authority to expel the university from the conference after a dispute over player eligibility. Head coach Lane Kiffin has been the most criticized coach since the season started as he continued to defend his pursuit of former NFL players, and his peers look to end the debate.
Last week, Judge William Jorden, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, granted a preliminary injunction “that prohibits the NCAA and SEC from punishing any school” that fields former professional players. Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris were “cleared to return to college football after brief stints in the NFL…setting up a dramatic showdown between the SEC and LSU…” Dean Murphy of ESPN said. LSU chose not to roster Wright and Harris in last weekend’s game and still defeated the Clemson Tigers, 51-10. But they can add them at any point for future games this season.
The political nature of NCAA football this early in the season has left the door open for several media outlets to voice their concerns and thoughts and for some to share their allegiance to either side of the argument. Media personality and host of The Herd, Colin Cowherd, gave his perspective on Lane Kiffin and the state of LSU on a recent airing of the show.
“LSU cares about one things: winning football games… Lane Kiffin is a mercenary but so is LSU. They are perfect for each other.”@colincowherd reacts to LSU’s 51-10 beatdown of Clemson pic.twitter.com/mOwJykVZ9D
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 8, 2026
“Lane Kiffin and LSU, the coach everybody loves to hate, the only football coach, college or pro, that enjoys being a troll, they beat Clemson 51-10. The SEC today, the conference Lane Kiffin and LSU are members of, filed an amendment to its federal lawsuit against the school; his own conference doesn’t like him! And you know what Lane Kiffin matters to college football….and in the South he’s a rockstar,” Cowherd said.
Cowherd shared an in-person encounter he had with Kiffin that strengthened his support for the LSU coach, as Kiffin questioned the hypocritical nature of college football.
“LSU cares about one thing: winning football games. And Lane Kiffin does not romanticize the sport. I shared a cocktail years ago at Manhattan Beach, and he said, ‘Why is it that coaches have to be loyal? Fans aren’t, AD’s aren’t, donors and boosters aren’t, the sport isn’t, but the coach has to be….He’s a mercenary, but so is LSU. They are perfect for each other….”
Cowherd credited Kiffin with two of the world’s biggest powerhouses, and claimed the group’s tenacious disposition separated them from the masses.
“You don’t have to like Lane Kiffin, but you can’t shame him because he doesn’t care, and he’s told me that…He’s not stubborn; he’s a little cocky. You can’t shame him; he’s a hell of a football coach. I don’t think he needs to be the similar troll he was at Ole Miss at LSU, but it doesn’t matter if it’s a guy named Musk, Zuckerberg, or Lane Kiffin; disruptors are never well-liked, and they wear it as a badge of honor because they make you uncomfortable; Lane always has.”
As the matter intensifies daily, Kiffin and LSU’s next move heading into Week 2 remains heavily anticipated.
About Barry Hunter