'Wish of the room': SEC coaches want to play B1G

DESTIN, Fla. -- LSU's Brian Kelly connected Wednesday said SEC coaches favour adding 1 nonconference crippled against a Big Ten hostile successful a scheduling agreement, but they "need a partner" to bash it.

"We privation to vie against the Big Ten," Kelly said, pursuing the past time of coaches' meetings astatine the yearly SEC outpouring meetings. "Look, the Big Ten close present holds it connected the SEC. They won the past 2 nationalist championships. That's the world of it. We privation to get challenged successful that regard, and we'd similar to beryllium capable to get that done.

"That is up to our commissioner and the ADs to spot if that tin hap oregon not, but that's the privation of the room."

SEC scheduling has been a large taxable of speech this week arsenic the league works to find if it wants to enactment astatine 8 league games oregon determination to nine.

Kelly said helium would favour playing 9 SEC games and adhd the further Big Ten opponent. The anticipation of a scheduling concern betwixt the 2 leagues developed from aggregate in-person meetings of the Big Ten-SEC advisory group, but 1 SEC root said the taxable was "dead successful the water" astatine the commissioner level.

Still, Kelly said the coaches made their "voices clear" this week to their respective diversion directors and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

"You've got to get a spouse who says we're successful for that, too," Kelly said.

Arkansas manager Sam Pittman said the decisions should beryllium made connected what would beryllium breathtaking for tv and what the fans would astir enjoy. Pittman said the "SEC wants america to spell to nine" league games.

"So however are we going to bash it?" Pittman asked. "Are we going to spell to nine, playing ourselves, and possibly invitation different league to play america connected a fixed weekend?"

There's an overwhelming consciousness this week from some coaches and diversion directors that they'd similar to cognize what the aboriginal playoff format volition look similar earlier making immoderate scheduling decisions.

South Carolina manager Shane Beamer said the coaches didn't ballot connected thing this week. He said that portion helium would beryllium consenting to play a Big Ten hostile on with rival Clemson, helium inactive prioritizes the in-state rivalry implicit different scheduling options.

"For me, I deliberation it's ironclad," Beamer said of the South Carolina-Clemson game. "There's radical supra maine who marque that decision, but I would ne'er privation that crippled to spell away. Rivalries and rivalry play are what marque this athletics great. ... I cognize however important that crippled is to the radical of South Carolina, and I don't privation that crippled going anywhere."

Missouri manager Eli Drinkwitz said the Big Ten has caught the SEC's attraction with Michigan and Ohio State winning the nationalist rubric the past 2 seasons.

"It bothers america arsenic competitors," Drinkwitz said. "We consciousness similar we're the champion league successful assemblage football, and we privation to marque definite that the eventual prize astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth is that nationalist title trophy.

"We haven't been capable to bash that the past 2 years, and I deliberation we're each competitory capable that's often what we're competing for. I don't cognize if 2 years is simply a information constituent yet oregon a trend. Obviously, we person to instrumentality a look and spot what we tin bash better."