Friday was an explosive day on and off the field for the SEC.
The Sooners got their season started off right with a dominant victory at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Most importantly, in Norman, quarterback John Mateer looked healthy and ready to right the wrongs of the 2025 season this fall.
Meanwhile, Lane Kiffin may have either successfully taken a troll as far as it could go or backed down from the SEC, which has been threatening lawsuits if the Tigers added any players who were with an NFL camp this summer.
Here's the latest SEC gridiron headlines:
Oklahoma shows out against UTEP in Week 1
Brent Venables couldn't be happier about his team's first game of the season. UTEP never stood a chance in the 51-0 rout at OU's hands.
While the game was a shutout because the Miners' special teams squandered three field goal chances, one from 50 yards out, one from 41 yards out, and one from 33 yards out, the Sooners were able to score on their first eight drives.
The defense was never much in question, though the two fumble recoveries and four sacks definitely helped further the current narrative that Venables' squad is once again a problem on the point-prevention side.
Oklahoma steps up in competition next week at the Big House against Michigan on FOX's Big Noon Kickoff.
LSU doesn't add Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, "LSU has not added Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to the team’s roster for the Clemson game. They could potentially be added later in the year, as both are enrolled in school. LSU has 103 players on the roster submitted, and that leaves them two spots."
So, it's not over then. Great.
Kiffin backed down at the last minute from adding two players who spent time with NFL organizations, but it sounds like there are going to be more legal decisions in the state of Louisiana that protect LSU's ability to add such players. How far the SEC goes in response is anyone's guess.
Everyone is sick of this, though. The updates are hard to follow and are so far removed from what college football headlines were even six years ago that it's disorienting.
Granted, if Kiffin's team still beats Clemson, it'd be quite the statement. It can't be easy for these LSU players to deal with these kinds of headlines on the daily. Some guys lower on the depth chart don't know if their promised spot is going to remain or if it'll be filled by basically a pro.
If the tight end Wright and the nose tackle Harris eventually return, LSU would be getting two rotation-worthy players on both sides of the ball from Kiffin's Ole Miss roster last year. It's unclear what actions Greg Sankey and SEC school presidents would take to prevent that, but expelling LSU has at least been discussed.
Kiffin's mission to become the main character in the sport hinges on his program's ability to win. After leaving the Rebels mid-CFP run -- the first CFP run in Ole Miss program history, no less -- he's now completely blurred the lines between college sports and the pros. He's not alone, but no one has been more brazen about it than Kiffin.
If nothing else, Kiffin is definitely the sport's biggest antagonist. Dr Pepper's Fansville ads definitely nailed that narrative.
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