LSU’s fight with the SEC has moved well beyond two former pros. What started with Lane Kiffin trying to find a way to keep Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris on his roster has turned into an argument about who controls college football, what counts as a professional athlete, and how far a conference can go when one of its members challenges the rules. Prominent ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith weighed in on SEC’s latest action in the matter.

“Lane Kiffin pushed the envelope in my eyes anyway,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take on September 8. “It’s not a crime. You brought them there to try to win. The 102,000 people showed up there Saturday night. They didn’t get in for free. They paid. They paid the university. SEC got paid for that. What are you talking about?”

LSU left both former NFL players off its roster for the season opener against Clemson, even after a Louisiana judge granted them a preliminary injunction that appeared to clear the way for them to play. The Tigers then went out and crushed Clemson 51-10 without either player. But the SEC did not simply move on.

The conference scheduled a meeting for Thursday to consider whether LSU should be expelled. A two-thirds vote from SEC presidents and chancellors would be needed to remove the Tigers from the league. The SEC has also filed a federal lawsuit arguing that LSU’s conduct violated conference rules and raised institutional-control concerns. However, according to Stephen A. Smith, the conference is misguided in its assumptions.

“And oh, by the way? Notre Dame, and we got love for Notre Dame; they’re independent. LSU, you want to throw them out. The SEC, go ahead and do it. They ain’t gonna lose. [They’ll be just picked up off the waiver wire], especially in the age of Lane Kiffin. Could you imagine Lane Kiffin as an independent out there in the open market for work?”

The idea of LSU playing football outside the SEC sounds strange because the Tigers have been part of the conference since 1933. If LSU gets kicked out, the Tigers would have one obvious option. Go independent. That sounds terrifying until you look at Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish have their own media rights through the NBC deal, have an ACC schedule in place, and regularly make the playoffs. No harm done, right? However, there’s an obvious downside. And fans are calling out Smith for just that.

“Right, LSU won’t miss that SEC TV money at all…. Stephen A is on the loud dumb— Mt. Rushmore,” a user wrote on X. Another user called out ESPN for Smith’s polarizing opinion. “Remember when ESPN had decent programming?” wrote the user.

There’s a truth here; LSU would have to build its version almost immediately. Whereas Notre Dame spent almost a century building that ‘independent’ model. The Big East, for instance, voted to expel Temple in 2001, citing problems that included competitiveness, attendance, and facilities.

Temple negotiated a longer stay and remained in the conference through 2004. The Owls then spent 2005 and 2006 as independents before joining the MAC in 2007. Temple survived. But surviving and staying among the biggest programs in the country are two different things.

“AKA: ESPN is telling the SEC not to kick out LSU,” a user wrote, reacting to Smith. Another user pointed out that LSU has more to lose than people might predict. “You see, they didn’t roster the NFL guys. They need the conference more than the conference needs them.”