‘Wish of the room’: SEC coaches want to play B1G

Published

6 months ago

May 29, 2025

admin

DESTIN, Fla. — LSU‘s Brian Kelly on Wednesday said SEC coaches favor adding one nonconference game against a Big Ten opponent in a scheduling agreement, but they “need a partner” to do it.

“We want to compete against the Big Ten,” Kelly said, following the last day of coaches meetings at the annual SEC spring meetings. “Look, the Big Ten right now holds it on the SEC. They won the last two national championships. That’s the reality of it. We want to get challenged in that regard, and we’d like to be able to get that done.

“That is up to our commissioner and the ADs to see if that can happen or not, but that’s the wish of the room.”

SEC scheduling has been a major topic of conversation this week as the league works to determine if it wants to stay at eight conference games or move to nine.

Kelly said he would favor playing nine SEC games and adding the additional Big Ten opponent. The possibility of a scheduling partnership between the two leagues developed from multiple in-person meetings of the Big Ten-SEC advisory group, but one SEC source said the topic was “dead in the water” at the commissioner level.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said there are three ways that a scheduling partnership can work: stay out of it, and let it happen naturally like it does now through athletic directors; try to facilitate more; and agree to mandate to play.

“That third one’s incredibly difficult,” Sankey said. “So I understand the position. That’s a long row to hoe to get to the end of that particular row.”

Still, Kelly said the coaches made their “voices clear” this week to their respective athletic directors and Sankey.

“You’ve got to get a partner who says we’re in for that, too,” Kelly said.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said the decisions should be made on what would be exciting for television and what the fans would most enjoy. Pittman said the “SEC wants us to go to nine” conference games.

“So how are we going to do it?” Pittman asked. “Are we going to go to nine, playing ourselves, and maybe invite another conference to play us on a given weekend?”

There’s an overwhelming sense this week from coaches and athletic directors that they’d like to know what the future playoff format will look like before making any scheduling decisions.

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said the coaches didn’t vote on anything this week. He said that while he would be willing to play a Big Ten opponent along with rival Clemson, he still prioritizes the in-state rivalry over other scheduling options.

“For me, I think it’s ironclad,” Beamer said of the South Carolina-Clemson game. “There’s people above me who make that decision, but I would never want that game to go away. Rivalries and rivalry weekend are what make this sport great. … I know how important that game is to the people of South Carolina, and I don’t want that game going anywhere.”

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said the Big Ten has caught the SEC’s attention with Michigan and Ohio State winning the national title the past two seasons.

“It bothers us as competitors,” Drinkwitz said. “We feel like we’re the best conference in college football, and we want to make sure that the ultimate prize at the end of the year is that national championship trophy.

“We haven’t been able to do that the last two years, and I think we’re all competitive enough that’s often what we’re competing for. I don’t know if two years is a data point yet or a trend. Obviously, we have to take a look and see what we can do better.”

Sports

Foligno takes puck off hand, will miss 4 weeks

Published

3 mins ago

November 16, 2025

admin

Foligno takes puck off hand, will miss 4 weeks

Ryan S. ClarkNov 16, 2025, 12:28 AM ET
Close

Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno will miss four weeks after injuring his hand Saturday in his team’s 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, coach Jeff Blashill said.

Foligno, 38, suffered the injury with 90 seconds left in the second period when he was skating near the top of the Blackhawks’ defensive zone and Jake McCabe‘s shot on net deflected off Foligno’s hand.

Foligno immediately hunched over and favored his hand while skating back to the Blackhawks’ bench. Foligno, who did not return for the third period, finished with three shots on goal and logged 10:41 in ice time.

The absence of Foligno, who has six points in 15 games, means the Blackhawks will be without their fourth-line center who was anchoring a combination featuring Sam Lafferty and Landon Slaggert. His injury is also the second to impact the Blackhawks’ forward group with winger Jason Dickinson currently on injured reserve.

After finishing last season with the second-fewest points in the NHL, the Blackhawks (9-5-4) have emerged into one of the biggest surprises through the first quarter of the regular season. With their win against the Maple Leafs, they enter Sunday third in the Central Division and a point ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken in the Western Conference wild-card race.

Sports

Devils’ Hughes out 8 weeks after finger surgery

Published

3 mins ago

November 16, 2025

admin

Devils' Hughes out 8 weeks after finger surgery

New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes had successful surgery on his finger Saturday, the team announced. The expected recovery time is eight weeks, though he will be reevaluated in six weeks.

According to sources, Hughes injured his hand in a “freak accident” that involved getting cut by glass at a team dinner Thursday.

Hughes’ procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Hotchkiss at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

The 24-year-old was off to a terrific start for New Jersey, which is 12-4-1 and atop the Metropolitan Division entering Friday. The American-born star has 10 goals and 20 points in his first 17 games.

The injury will create an interesting predicament for Team USA ahead of the 2026 Olympics in Milan. Hughes’ brother, Quinn, has already been named to the team while the Devils star was expected to be a front-runner for the roster. Federations must submit rosters by Dec. 31. The Devils’ projected return-to-play timeline is around the second week of January. The Olympic men’s hockey tournament begins Feb. 11.

Olympic rosters feature 25 players, which is two more spots than teams had at Four Nations.

Sports

Canucks sign ex-Leaf Kampf to one-year deal

Published

3 mins ago

November 16, 2025

admin

Canucks sign ex-Leaf Kampf to one-year deal

Ryan S. ClarkNov 15, 2025, 06:36 PM ET
Close

Center David Kampf signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, just a day after the Toronto Maple Leafs terminated his previous deal.

Kampf, whose deal with the Canucks will carry a $1.1 million cap hit, was entering the third year of his four-year contract with the Maple Leafs that was worth $2.4 million annually.

The Leafs waived Kampf before the season, and he began the year with their AHL affiliate. Kampf played four games in the AHL before taking a voluntary leave of absence, which wasn’t sanctioned by the Leafs, to evaluate his options.

Kampf, who scored 5 goals and 13 points in 59 games last season, gives the Canucks a two-way center who has logged more than 110 short-handed minutes in seven straight seasons.

The Canucks have faced defensive challenges under first-year coach Adam Foote, who already has had to navigate injuries to Filip Chytil, Thatcher Demko, Derek Forbort, Filip Hronek and Quinn Hughes, among others.

Entering Saturday, the Canucks were allowing 3.53 goals per game, which is the fifth most in the NHL, while their penalty kill is the worst in the league at 66.1%. The Los Angeles Kings set the NHL record for the worst penalty kill in league history with a 68.2% success rate in the 1979-80 campaign.

Kampf also provides a veteran presence at center for the Canucks, who entered the season with questions at the position. Those concerns have intensified with Teddy Blueger and Chytil on injured reserve.

Entering Saturday, the Canucks (8-9-2) had the second-fewest points in the Pacific Division but were two points behind the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets for Western Conference wild-card spots.