Lane Kiffin was “shocked” when LSU’s home game against Alabama on Nov. 7 was not designated for a night kickoff.
Then he thought about his school’s recent troubles with the Southeastern Conference, and his surprise quickly faded.
“Well, obviously the SEC wanted to change this year from what it had been to give LSU less of an advantage in terms of how LSU plays on a nightly basis and how intimidating it is to play here,” Kiffin told reporters Wednesday during the SEC’s monthly teleconference.
The coach, who is a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the SEC over his attempt to add athletes who had already signed NFL contracts, then recalled the aftermath of an exchange he said he had with LSU football sports information director Michael Bonnette about the Tigers’ 2:30 p.m. kickoff with Alabama.
“I was like, well, if anyone thinks the SEC wants us to win this year after what’s happening, they must have been on Mars for four months,” Kiffin said. “So I guess when I look at it that way, I’m not surprised.”
The conference’s TV partner, ESPN, sets the kickoff times, not the conference itself. But Kiffin has found a way to repeatedly bring up LSU’s ongoing issues with the SEC in recent weeks.
After a 31-0 win over Mississippi State, he said he had no “pity” or “empathy” for the Bulldogs who were missing star players in the game due to the Tigers’ own injuries, as well as “damn broken orders.” The latter referred to former Ole Miss stars Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who were eligible for a fifth NCAA season because of a Baton Rouge court order but were not enrolled by LSU after the SEC threatened sanctions.
Last week, Kiffin was asked about on-field attacks in college football. He referenced the SEC’s insistence that its other rules be followed, in contrast to the lack of follow-through by some institutions to prevent fans from flocking to the field.
The decision not to play LSU-Alabama at night provided another opportunity for Kiffin to address SEC tensions. Kiffin said he just assumed the game between the 6-2 SEC teams, both chasing a College Football Playoff berth, would be played at night — as have 14 of their last 15 regular-season meetings.
“Especially for 16 years, this game was always in the evening here,” Kiffin said. “I never even thought it wouldn’t be nighttime. So I guess it’s probably naive of me.”
LSU is 30-3 at Tiger Stadium since 2022, which marked the start of Brian Kelly’s tenure as coach.
In Kiffin’s first season, LSU outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 225-44 in its five home wins. The first four games the Tigers played at home this season were night kickoffs, with the only exception being an 11 a.m. homecoming game against Mississippi State.
LSU’s today’s game against Alabama resulted in a three-game streak for the Tigers, who just beat Auburn 38-17 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in another 11 a.m. kickoff.
The weekend of November 7, Georgia vs. Ole Miss has been selected as a night game on ABC, while Kentucky-Tennessee will air as a night game on ESPN. These two games will face the Miami-Notre Dame game on NBC.
Kiffin would prefer any advantage he could get for No. 15 LSU against No. 10 Alabama, who he considers the most talented team the Tigers have faced this season.
“When you combine offense and defense, these guys are really loaded,” Kiffin said. “Looks like the old Alabama teams. Really long, fast receivers. Really special, unique defensive players. So it’s going to be a really big challenge for us to prepare really well and play really well.”
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