By: Dionte Daniel, Assistant Sports Editor 

Southeastern Conference fans don’t mind controversy. Recruiting scandals, SEC-wide coaching beefs and conference realignment are all par for the course. 

Kicking LSU out of the conference, however, would be different. 

The ongoing war between LSU and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has opened a can of worms about how much power a conference has to enforce its rules when one of its members disagrees with them. LSU’s desire to create a new avenue for former NFL players to play college football was never going to end well, but the Tigers saw a threat to competitive equity the way the SEC outlined punishments. 

The conference has every right to stand by its rules, and if LSU broke those rules knowingly, there should be penalties. 

Expulsion is too harsh of a penalty, though. 

LSU isn’t your typical SEC school that gets to voice its opinion. The Tigers have been around since the conference began in 1933 and are one of the more prominent athletic brands in the country. 

Imagine SEC football without GameDay coming to Death Valley every year. 

Imagine not having Alabama-LSU play a role in determining who wins the national championship. LSU-Florida. LSU-Ole Miss. So many great games that helped make the conference what it is today would be ripped away. 

The SEC would be hurting just as much as LSU would if they got expelled. 

Sankey could very well be punishing himself if he kicks LSU out. 

There is already a scary precedent here. If LSU can be ousted for going against the SEC on something as significant as eligibility and conference power, what happens if another school challenges SEC policy in the future? 

College sports are evolving quicker now than it ever has. Name, Image, Likeness, the transfer portal, revenue sharing and new questions about who is eligible to play college sports are blurring the line between amateur and professional quicker than ever. There are going to be times when schools and conferences disagree on where that line should be drawn moving forward. 

Athletic conferences expelling schools over major disputes is not the solution. 

Saying that, don’t give LSU a pass just because of their legacy. 

If LSU broke SEC rules on purpose, then LSU should be fined by the SEC. Pull the coaches’ “titles” if that’ what the rules prescribe. Take away bowl game selections or whatever else the SEC deems necessary. There are plenty of penalties to dole out if LSU is in the wrong that don’t end with the school getting kicked out after being a part of the conference for over nine decades. 

LSU also must realize that just because they are in a conference with other schools doesn’t mean they get final say in everything. You can’t pick and choose which rules you like and protest the ones you don’t when it becomes unfavorable. 

The SEC needs LSU just as much as LSU needs the SEC. 

LSU gets a nice paycheck each year to stay in the SEC. They play in the best conference in college sports and receive competitive and financial benefits by doing so. The SEC needs LSU because they are one of football’s biggest brands. They play in one of the best stadiums. They have one of the most welcoming fanbases that travels to any team they play. The Tigers bring a lot of attention to the SEC wherever they go. 

Sankey and the rest of SEC leadership can demand respect and make it known that no school is bigger than the SEC 10 times a day if they want. That does not change the fact that the SEC would not be the SEC without LSU. 

Punish them if needs be. Fine them. Make rules crystal clear so this situation does not arise again. Make sure every school that is part of the SEC knows there are repercussions when you go against conference motives. 

Just don’t kick them out.  

Doing that would be a mistake that would hurt the SEC more than LSU. The SEC without LSU just wouldn’t be the SEC.