SEC weighs ending LSU membership amid eligibility fight
A Thursday, Sept. 10, meeting could bring sanctions affecting Lane Kiffin, LSU’s finances, voting rights and SEC season.
The Pate StateWhat Happened SEC presidents and chancellors are scheduled to meet Thursday, Sept. 10, to consider ending LSU’s membership as the conference fights in court for the authority to enforce eligibility rules governing players who previously played professionally.
The meeting is formally documented in an amended SEC filing, but Pete Thamel said he does not expect LSU to be expelled.
> “Look, Greeny, the expectation is they are not going to throw LSU from the league,” Thamel said. “But the fact is that Greg Sankey testified for three hours in a state court hearing.”
A two-thirds vote of SEC presidents is required to remove a school, and a vote to terminate LSU’s membership would not immediately take the Tigers out of the conference. But LSU’s SEC schedule and playoff path are in play while the league tests whether it can enforce its own eligibility rules against a member school.
“But the fact is that Greg Sankey testified for three hours in a state court hearing.”
Pete ThamelA federal hearing in the SEC’s lawsuit against LSU was postponed Wednesday, with no new date or time announced.
Why This One Matters LSU beat Clemson 51-10 on Saturday, Sept. 5, after going 7-6 overall and 3-5 in the SEC in 2025. The Tigers host Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Sept. 12, then begin SEC play at Ole Miss on Sept. 19.
Any penalty affecting Kiffin, LSU’s finances or the school’s ability to participate normally in conference business would arrive before the Tigers play an SEC game. The league’s available penalties include a fine worth half a team’s operating budget, a half-season suspension for the head coach and the loss of SEC voting rights.
The SEC sued Kiffin, LSU president Wade Rousse and athletic director Verge Ausberry in federal court. The conference seeks to establish that it can apply its eligibility rules and alleges LSU failed to exercise institutional control over Kiffin.
What Most People Are Missing Thursday’s meeting appears to be leverage in the eligibility fight, not a mechanism for LSU’s immediate departure. It remains unclear whether presidents will take a termination vote, reach the required majority or instead pursue lesser sanctions.
The dispute began in Louisiana court, where an order prevented the SEC from applying the challenged eligibility rules and granted Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris eligibility. The SEC’s federal case followed.
The unanswered question extends beyond LSU: whether a conference can discipline a school that follows a state-court order at odds with conference rules. LSU’s membership, schedule and postseason status could depend on the courts’ answer.
Next Man Up The case already has affected LSU’s roster decisions. Wright and Harris were left off the Tigers’ final roster before the Clemson opener despite receiving eligibility in Louisiana court. LSU was preparing to add two other players, Pete Nakos reported.
LSU has not identified those players or said whether Wright and Harris could join the roster later.
The Pate State Read Expulsion may be unlikely, but the SEC has placed the option in its filing and put LSU’s leadership under direct pressure. A failed termination vote would not end the dispute if presidents choose financial penalties, a suspension for Kiffin or stripped voting rights.
For LSU, the court fight has already moved from a legal argument to its roster. Thursday could make it a conference-season problem, too.
What to Watch Next The meeting: Whether SEC presidents formally vote on termination and whether two-thirds support it.
The penalty: Whether the league pursues sanctions short of removal, including a Kiffin suspension, a major fine or lost voting rights.
The roster: Whether Wright, Harris or the two players LSU reportedly planned to add appear after the Clemson opener.
The court: When the postponed federal hearing is reset and whether a judge limits SEC action against LSU.
01 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Will SEC presidents take a termination vote, and can it reach two-thirds?
A two-thirds vote of SEC presidents is required to remove LSU, and a termination vote would not immediately take the Tigers out of the conference. The Thursday, Sept. 10, meeting comes before LSU’s SEC opener at Ole Miss on Sept. 19. A formal vote and its count would show whether the filing is leverage or a direct membership threat.
Will the courts let the SEC enforce its eligibility rules against LSU?
A Louisiana court order prevented the SEC from applying the challenged rules and granted Wright and Harris eligibility. The SEC then sued Kiffin, LSU president Wade Rousse and athletic director Verge Ausberry in federal court, but the federal hearing was postponed without a new date or time. The ruling could shape LSU’s membership, schedule and postseason status.
Can Wright and Harris return to LSU’s roster?
Both players received eligibility in Louisiana court but were left off LSU’s final roster before the Clemson opener. LSU has not identified the two players it reportedly was preparing to add or said whether Wright and Harris could join later. Any roster change after Clemson would show how quickly the legal fight is affecting LSU’s available players.
02 · The Watch ListWhat to Watch Next
Do Wright or Harris appear on LSU’s roster?
Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris were left off LSU’s final roster before the Clemson opener despite receiving eligibility in Louisiana court. LSU has not said whether either could join later.
Does LSU add the two reported players?
Pete Nakos reported LSU was preparing to add two other players. LSU has not identified them.
Is Kiffin available for SEC play?
The SEC’s available penalties include a half-season suspension for the head coach. LSU begins SEC play at Ole Miss on Sept. 19.
Does LSU keep its SEC voting rights?
Loss of SEC voting rights is among the league’s available penalties short of removal. Presidents could pursue lesser sanctions even if no termination vote succeeds.