There’s some real Game of Thrones poke and dagger moves brewing here. At first glance, Wednesday’s College Football Playoff talks in Florida looked like another run-of-the-mill debate about automatic bids and expanded formats. But once you dig past the surface, it’s clear: this is a high-stakes chess match between the SEC and Big Ten. With the SEC still clinging to an eight-game conference schedule and the Big Ten eyeing a 5+11 CFP model (five automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large bids), the tension is palpable. And many Big Ten voices are reportedly ready to block the format unless the SEC plays ball. Or, more precisely, plays more games.

Coaches like Kirby Smart and Brian Kelly have kept a diplomatic face in public, pushing for clarity on the transfer portal and embracing a potential SEC-B1G scheduling alliance. But behind the curtain, frustration is boiling over. “All the SEC coaches are pissed and they’re not talking about it publicly cuz I think they don’t want a damn war with the Big 10,” said Mike and Shane on That SEC Football Show. “Apparently the Big Ten is trying to screw with transfers to where they cannot transfer in January. The Big Ten players cannot transfer to the SEC, but they are doing it to where SEC players can transfer to the Big Ten. That’s what they’re trying to get away with. And the coaches are pissed.” And really, who wouldn’t be? That’s a one-way door with a blinking red light labeled unfair advantage.

Kirby Smart isn’t exactly whispering in the halls either. “That’s what Kirby’s telling people down here, not off the record, that that’s the biggest issue,” the insiders continued. “The Big Ten’s trying to pull one over on the SEC.” What’s made this tug-of-war more glaring is the silence from the Big Ten commissioner’s office. “Greg Sankey’s talking every day,” they said. “He’s doing press conferences every day. He’s doing the Paul Finebaum Show. He’s talking to reporters in the hallway. And you don’t hear anything from the Big Ten commissioner. Literally, they just had their meetings. He hasn’t spoken. I don’t think the guy’s done an interview in like three months.” That silence, in this moment, feels loud. But this isn’t just politics; it’s logistics.

The ACC and Big 12 are backing the 5+11 format, and there’s chatter around the “4-4-3-3-1+1” model too, but those configurations haven’t gotten much traction among the Big Ten or SEC brass. Instead, the SEC athletic directors have started rallying around a “4-4-2-2-1+3” plan—a blend of fairness, flexibility, and schedule integrity. This isn’t just about playoff tickets; it’s about preserving balance across a college football landscape that’s rapidly centralizing around the “Power Two.”

Kirby Smart, in classic, measured-but-firm fashion, turned his attention toward the portal window when asked at spring meetings. “I’m so glad you asked,” he said. “The biggest decision that has to be made in college football right now, by far to me—by far-is when is the portal window and is there one or two.” He stressed the importance of having just one clear transfer window, ideally in January, and noted the American Football Coaches Association is behind that model.

“The House Implementation Committee — made up of power conference ADs — will receive guidance from the conferences on how to go forward,” Smart added. It’s a technical issue, but in the world of roster construction, it’s seismic. The most recent portal cycle ran from December 9 to December 28. That’s 30 days of roster roulette in the middle of bowl prep, early signing period chaos.

Kirby Smart says what everyone’s thinking about the transfer portal: ‘No crying from the yacht’

Kirby Smart was the fourth SEC coach to step up to the mic at the Sandestin Hilton during Day 1 of the league’s spring meetings, and let’s just say—he didn’t sugarcoat a thing when it came to the transfer portal.

With the portal open from April 16–25, after Georgia wrapped up spring practices, Smart made it clear that the timing just isn’t it. “There is an outcry, there are schools, different conferences that feel like it should not fall during the playing season,” he said. “I would love that. I would love to be able to play the season without it.”

His gripe? The academic calendar messes with each program differently, and some schools are hit harder than others. “We’ve had to deal with that,” Smart added. “It’s not fun. It’s really hard to be playing in a championship setting and having to deal with that.”

But do you know what happened when he tried to raise concerns? Smart got hit with a mic drop-worthy comeback: “When I brought that up as a complaint or a problem, I was told there’s no crying from the yacht.” In other words, deal with it if you want to compete at the top. Still, Smart’s not anti-portal or anti-NIL. He said he’s “great with the money” players earn and their right to transfer. He just wants the timing fixed. After all, Georgia’s using June for its critical 10-day camp window.