SEC Could Split Over NIL and Scheduling

Kirby Smart is igniting a firestorm in college football by warning the SEC could break away from the rest of the sport if scheduling disputes aren’t resolved—claiming the conference is strong enough to stand alone. He’s pushing for independence not just over game scheduling, but also to protect student-athletes in the new NIL era, arguing it could prevent a “race to the bottom” in athlete compensation. But critics see this as a reaction to the Big Ten’s recent dominance since NIL went legal, while the SEC’s own history of aggressive recruiting and player compensation may have set t...