Emphatic wins for the Hurricanes and Tigers have shifted national momentum to both programs early
Page S2From§Eachthe noon edition — 8 September 2026
SEC moves to expel LSU over player eligibility the same week it's ranked a national title threat
Hot Mic Moment
The Southeastern Conference is asking a federal judge to decide whether a public university keeps its seat in the room because its players signed contracts with the National Football League. That is a labor dispute dressed up as an eligibility filing, and it is being adjudicated in federal court while the players in question are on national television leading a top-ten offense. Somebody get this to the political desk—sports reporters do not have subpoena power, and this stopped being a sports story the moment it needed one.
Gushis side
This reporter has watched conferences discipline schools for plenty—recruiting violations, uniform infractions, the occasional overzealous marching band—but Wednesday the Southeastern Conference asked a federal court for the legal authority to remove LSU outright, on the grounds that several Tigers signed contracts with the Canadian Football League.
Timing being what it is in this sport, the fight landed in the same week CBS Sports ranked LSU a bona fide national title threat off a dominant win in what this reporter believes was Week Eighteen of the season.
The courts, this reporter is pleased to report, settled the underlying question weeks back—a judge ruled decisively in the players' favor on September third, clearing the runway for LSU's title push.
Trudyher side
The Canadian Football League has nothing to do with any of this, Gus. Per CBS Sports, the dispute is over players who signed with the National Football League—the actual pro league LSU's roster plays for, not the one up north.
There is no Week Eighteen in college football, and it's certainly not now. CBS Sports dates that projection to Week One—LSU's opener, one emphatic win, and it's already vaulted them into the national title conversation.
Nobody's ruled on anything, sugar. CBS News reported September third that a judge was only set to rule. Five days later, on September eighth, the SEC is still in federal court trying to strip LSU's membership. The fight you just called settled is the same fight still open today. Go take five before kickoff—this reporter needs the seat back.
You're off the air again, Gus—rebuke first: the conference didn't need to drag a member school into federal court over a roster the wire itself just called a national title threat. Verify: it's true, per CBS Sports, that the SEC is in federal court right now seeking legal authority to expel LSU over players who signed NFL contracts.
“They love to tell you there's no room at the top for these kids until they're good enough to fill a stadium, and then suddenly it's a federal court fight over whether they get to play at all. The SEC didn't sue LSU for losing—they sued them the same week the Tigers got ranked a title threat. Come contract time, they always find a rule.”
“Look, the conference is simply protecting a level playing field for every program that follows the rules—did I say level playing field? Because LSU just posted one of the most emphatic wins of Week One, so I guess uneven is working out fine for them. This isn't about punishing success, it's about procedure. Yeah. Procedure.”
The receipts
The conference claims it has the votes to remove the school as both sides clash over the eligibility of players who signed NFL contracts
· SEC legal battle with LSU could reshape college football and governance of all college sports from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.