LSU head coach Brian Kelly isn’t hiding where his loyalties lie—or who he thinks belongs in college football’s inner circle.
Speaking at the SEC spring meetings this week, Kelly told reporters that he supports a future scheduling model that would deepen ties between the SEC and the Big Ten. The plan? Nine SEC games, a high-profile nonconference showdown against a Big Ten team, and two additional games at each school’s discretion.
“We want to play Big Ten schools,” Kelly said.
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported that officials formally discussed such a proposal this week, with Kelly echoing support for a model that sidelines broader parity in favor of powerhouse consolidation.
s“LSU coach Brian Kelly says officials this week did discuss a regular season scheduling arrangement with the Big Ten, including adding a ninth SEC game,” Dellenger wrote. “Would be 9 SEC games + B1G game + 2 others.”
He also went on to say that the SEC wants to show that it has real depth, from top to bottom, and says that scheduling regular season games against the Big Ten would help them do just that.
LSU’s Brian Kelly said SEC coaches want a scheduling agreement that would see them each play one non-conference Big Ten school every season, then play 9 conference games, plus 2 others. pic.twitter.com/pCf29C2vdQ
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) May 28, 2025
“Look, the Big Ten right now holds it on the SEC,” Kelly added. “They’ve won the last two national championships. OK, that’s the reality of it. We want to get challenged in that regard, and we’d like to be able to get that done.”
The implications are clear. As playoff access, revenue sharing, and realignment reshape college football’s hierarchy, Kelly’s comments reflect what many suspect: the SEC and Big Ten are no longer pretending to share the sport. They’re planning to dominate it.
Left out of this vision are the ACC, Big 12, and the Group of Five—conferences already fighting for inclusion in a proposed 16-team College Football Playoff that could hand four automatic bids apiece to the SEC and Big Ten.
Kelly’s suggestion doubles down on that divide. It’s less about great matchups and more about drawing a line around who “matters” in college football.
And if that line leaves the Big 12 and ACC on the outside looking in?
That’s not Kelly’s concern.
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The New York Knicks imagine themselves as a championship contender, and those dreams looked like they may be rapidly approaching reality in last season's run to the Eastern Conference Finals. They've spent much of this offseason patching holes in their roster, requiring significantly more firepower from their bench to scare their opponents with a well-rounded rotation that they lacked in 2024-25. They're not looking to burst at the seams with reserve bucket-getters, but have done plenty to consolidate their backup guards and bigs with a summer of moves that's still continuing. Though their most recent on-court developments have provided the Knicks' hopes with real wind behind their sails, those wishes to bolster the frontcourt aren't new. New York reportedly tried to woo a veteran center in Daniel Theis over to last season's situation, but failed to seal the deal. Theis, now playing for AS Monaco, could have joined the Knicks mid-season last year before opting for a European return, according to BasketNews.com. He spent the first leg of the 2024-25 campaign with the New Orleans Pelicans, the sixth team that the 33-year-old's suited up for in the last five seasons. New York's offer gave Theis yet another chance to fill in as a role-playing big on another contender, but he chose to bet on himself. "I could have gone to the Knicks, for example, but it was more for insurance that Mitchell Robinson came back from a long injury," Theis said on a recent Euro Insiders podcast. "And then I talked to Tom Thibodeau and he said, 'Yeah, you will be like insurance in case he can't play and this and that.' It's like what I did with P.J. Tucker. "For me, it was like, 'Okay, if I sit for the rest of the year, what are my chances in the summer?' So if I’m like, 'Okay, I go overseas to Europe and play great, I might have a better chance.' That was my whole intention and thought behind it — just consider Europe and see what it is." Robinson did indeed manage to remain healthy when it counted, seeing the floor in all 18 Knicks playoff games after playing in just 17 during the regular season. His reliability as a defender and rebounder up front would have negated Theis' presence, as he would have spent all but a few garbage time minutes occupying the same seat on the bench that Tucker took in the postseason. Though he would've likely been constrained to a minimum contract that would've expired at season's end alongside other role playing veterans like Landry Shamet, Cameron Payne and Precious Achiuwa, he'd have been a little more playable than some other deep-cut Knicks as a rim-rolling center, and that's the sort of job that New York's looked to fill in the months since. Theis chose his path, and the Knicks stayed young in building a roster that's expected to blow every other 21st century Knicks team out of the water.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is in peak off-season mode, enjoying his time off while staying ready for his upcoming 23rd season in the NBA, eighth with Los Angeles. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists for the Lakers last season. On a separate note, his youngest son, Bryce James, is preparing for his first collegiate season with the Arizona Wildcats, where he committed early in 2025. Before this new chapter, he spent most of his high school basketball career playing for Sierra Canyon, where he won a State Division 1 title in his senior year. Meanwhile, upon Bryce's first trip back home since leaving for college, James was taken aback by his appearance. In the Lakers star's latest Instagram story, he welcomes home his youngest son after his first stint away at Arizona. Within the video, James is overcome with excitement as he points out Bryce's latest physical change to his 159 million followers: his beard. "Y'all see his beard? Oh my goodness!" said James. Born in 2007, Bryce is just 18 years old and stands 6'6 tall ahead of his first season with the Wildcats. Primarily playing the shooting guard position, he's poised for a bright future under legendary coach Tommy Lloyd, who is entering his fifth season with the team. Lloyd's 61 wins in his first two seasons with Arizona are an NCAA Division 1 record. The Wildcats will open their season on November 3 against the defending champion Florida Gators at a neutral site in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first preseason game of 2025 on Saturday, and the organization was able to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 31-25. The offense looked surprisingly good in the game, although it was mostly backups playing in the contest outside of the offensive line. The passing game was efficient, and both Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson looked good in the game. Logan Woodside came in at the end, but he didn't attempt a pass. The offensive player of the night was certainly Thompson, who was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart before Will Howard got hurt. Thompson is certainly on the outside looking in when it comes to the final roster, but his impressive performance during the first week of the preseason likely caught the eyes of some other teams around the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger spoke about the game on the most recent episode of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger, and he shared that he thinks the quarterback could end up elsewhere. "I don't think the Steelers are going to keep four quarterbacks," Roethlisberger said. "Let's be honest. I think he is playing himself into like a really legit chance for a backup job somewhere on a team. Which is what you want." Thompson is going to need to continue to stack good performances in the preseason, and if he does, the Steelers may have the chance to trade him before cutting down to the final roster at the end of August. It is known that the top two quarterbacks on the roster are Aaron Rodgers and Rudolph, with Howard being right behind them. Thompson will likely end up elsewhere, it just depends on how that comes about. Other teams across the league probably know that the Steelers do not have the intention to keep Thompson around for the regular season, and that could make navigating a potential trade difficult. However, if there are multiple teams that are going to be interested in Thompson's services, one might be willing to trade a Day 3 draft pick in order to get him. The Steelers would not get much in any deal surrounding Thompson, but an additional sixth or seventh round pick for the 2026 NFL Draft would not hurt. No organization would trade for Thompson based off just one good preseason performance, especially with how the rest of the quarterback's career has gone when he was with the Miami Dolphins. He has struggled when he has been asked to start in games, but maybe he has turned over a new leaf that might make him valuable as the top backup for another organization. Another strong performance or two should definitely put him on the radar of quarterback-needy teams. Steelers' Skylar Thompson Could Have A Few Potential Destinations When looking around the league and trying to figure out what teams might be interested in bringing in Thompson, it is hard to ignore a team like the New Orleans Saints. The entire quarterback room in New Orleans has limited experience with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener barely ever seeing the field. Rookie Tyler Shough is an interesting prospect, but there is no telling how he will play. The Saints may want to consider Thompson, at the very least to bring in someone who has legitimate playing experience. Another team to consider would be Thompson's former team, the Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa has struggled with injuries, and neither Zach Wilson or Quinn Ewers looked great in the team's first preseason game. A reunion could be in play as Thompson has a handle on the offensive system and has a decent amount of game experience playing in Miami. Another option is the New York Jets, as Tyrod Taylor is going through an injury and the rest of the room has a lot of question marks.
The 2024-2025 NBA season belonged to the Thunder. Not only did the OKC team finish No. 1 in the West with a dominant record, but they finished their story by winning the franchise’s first title. It easily catapults this Thunder team above ones of the past, pushing aside legends like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, who got the squad close in 2012, but not past the finish line. Robert Horry at least thinks so. The seven-time NBA Champion gave his thoughts on the Rockets‘ opening game being against the Thunder for the 2025-2026 season, and how Durant, now on the Rockets, will have to watch the banner be raised. “It’s almost like, ‘See, if you’d have stayed here, you could have been the first to put up a banner, but you wanted to go on to greener pastures,'” joked Horry on his Big Shot Bob podcast. The Lakers legend was clearly poking fun at the fact that KD couldn’t get it done in OKC despite finding success elsewhere. “He got his two,” stated co-host Rob Jenners, referring to the future Hall of Famer’s two rings with the Golden State Warriors. He’s not wrong either. Sure, KD didn’t get the job done for the Thunder, but he does still get to call himself a champion. However, this led to an Horry rant about how important it is to be a part of a team that brings a city its first title. “It’s always something special when you get the first for a franchise that has never won anything. Because now, you got to think about it, you the first,” stated Horry, who gave an example of his time on the Rockets in the mid-90s. “In Houston, they ain’t won a championship since we left in ’95. But the guys that were on that team, those eight main guys, are still loved by that city because you brought the first championship to that city.” It’s true. Ask any Rockets fans. The Texas basketball fans fondly remember the era of Hakeem, Vernon Maxwell, and Big Shot Bob. Horry had more jokes. He implied that KD is now getting washed away in OKC’s history, but not just by superstars like SGA or Chet Holmgren, but also role players like Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Even before the title win, OKC fans already had bad blood with Durant, given how he left them for the Warriors in 2016. Sure, it was the best move for his career, but to the fans who loved and cheered for him every day for 8 years, it felt like a betrayal. “Even though they probably loved Durant, he’s getting pushed aside by Caruso, SGA, and Hartenstein.” This made Horry’s co-hosts laugh since Caruso was mentioned over the league’s reigning MVP. That’s not to insult Caruso. The defensive fiend, like Durant, is also a two-time champ. Obviously, KD is a little bit more proficient scorer than Caruso, but at the end of the day, a ring is a ring. Horry’s point does sort of make sense, though. When looking at the history books, everyone will likely pinpoint the first Thunder title in 2025 and overlook the Thunder team that featured Harden, Russ, and Durant. It’s sad, but it’s the truth. Regardless, we’ll see if Durant can continue to cement his own legacy in 2026.
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