ATLANTA — Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin believes that in an ideal world, there would be an NFL-style system for name, image and likeness in which a head coach or a general manager would have the ability to facilitate funds from collectives and donors , and every program would be held to a salary cap.

But because there’s no salary cap and because coaches can’t be involved in directing NIL funds, Kiffin said, “You’ve got a whole other set of problems.”

“If you got boosters out there deciding who they’re gonna pay to come play and the coach isn’t involved in it, how’s that work?” Kiffin said Monday at SEC media days. “Do they just go pick who they want? … And then when they don’t play, how’s that gonna work out?

“So again, this was not thought out at all, in my opinion. And it’s created a massive set of issues.”

Kiffin has been unafraid to talk about the impact of NIL on recruiting.

On signing day in February, Kiffin joked that Texas A&M, which signed the top class, “was going to incur a luxury tax in how much they paid for their signing class.”

“NIL is the most important thing in the kids’ decision-making process right now,” Kiffin said Monday. “It is. It’s their salary. So that’s for most people, let alone when you’re 17 and a lot of ’em not coming from money.”

Leveraging what Ole Miss’ donors have offered and the appeal of the football program overall, the Rebs have been active in the transfer portal, landing several high-profile players such as former TCU star running back Zach Evans and USC quarterback Jaxson Dart.

“On paper we may look like we should be decent because we filled a lot of holes with transfer portals,” Kiffin said. “… [But] we have to put them all together. It’s a blended family. So that is challenging.

“In fall camp, it should be about teaching X’s and O’s like it always is, but we have a lot of culture work to do that you don’t really have to do as much when it’s established because your best players normally have been in your program for a year or two. So we look forward to that challenge.”

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In his opening news conference at SEC media days, first-year LSU head coach Brian Kelly pushed back against the idea that the school is underfunded and said LSU is “as competitive as anybody else.”

“I don’t feel like we’re being outbid by anybody,” Kelly said. “I don’t think that’s the place of NIL anyway. So if we were being outbid, then we’re going to be outbid if we have $50 million in our collective.”

Kelly, who was hired by LSU in November, said the timing was right for his departure from Notre Dame after 11 years at the school.

“We had an incredible president, President Tate, an athletic director that I had history with in Scott Woodward, and a rich history and tradition with LSU football,” he said. “So for me, it was then taking on that great opportunity in front of me to be part of restoring championship-quality football to LSU.”

Kelly referenced his ability to “run a program at the highest level” as to why he fits in at LSU, as well as his 32 years of coaching experience across the country.

“I’ve had success at Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Central Michigan, wherever I’ve been,” he said. “So running a program and then player development, I think those are the most important things. I don’t think that needs to be geographical in a sense.”

Kelly, who went viral in January after seeming to have a Southern drawl when addressing an LSU basketball crowd, was also asked about his favorite food he’s tried since moving to Louisiana and referenced his viral moment.

“Understand now, I have a Boston, Midwestern, Louisiana accent now,” he said. “It’s three dialects into one. It’s no longer family, I got all kinds of stuff to throw at you. … You know, it’s probably the crawfish étouffée. I don’t know how you top that.

“I would say also the grilled oysters. If you haven’t had grilled oysters, try that. That will get your cholesterol level up high pretty quickly.”

LSU opens the 2022 season Sept. 4 against Florida State in Baton Rouge.

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Throughout the SEC East in 2022, there is plenty of familiarity.

Florida is starting over yet again: Billy Napier will be the Gators’ fourth head coach in nine seasons, their seventh including interims. We could soon be playing another rousing rendition of everyone’s favorite game, Tennessee Versus Big Expectations. Missouri looks destined for a fourth straight year of .500-ish ball, Vanderbilt looks destined for a fourth straight year at .250 or lower, and we all appear destined to spend another fall raving about Mark Stoops’ performance at Kentucky. Sure, South Carolina is a little tricky to figure out at the moment, but this all feels pretty safe, pretty normal.

The biggest storyline in the division, however, is completely unfamiliar.

From 1981 to 2020, Georgia finished in the AP top 10 16 times, finished ranked 26 times and won or shared five SEC titles. The Bulldogs were one of the most consistently strong programs in the country over an extended period of time. But after winning the 1980 national title, they could never quite secure another one. They came close on many occasions — 1981, 1982, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017 — but never quite got it done.

They got it done last season. Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs began the 2021 season 12-0 before falling to Alabama in the SEC championship game. But they still reached the College Football Playoff, where they pummeled Michigan in the Orange Bowl semifinal, then scored 20 points in the last eight minutes of the national title game to take down Alabama, 33-18. It was Georgia’s first title in 41 years, it was Smart’s first win over former mentor Nick Saban … it was as cathartic a win as you’ll see in this sport.

Now what? Of all the ways Saban has redefined college football, his ability to avoid hangovers is at the top of the list. Of the past 10 national champions that weren’t coached by Saban, only half have finished in the AP top five the following year. Three finished unranked (all SEC teams), and the teams’ cumulative win percentage fell from 0.958 (13.7 wins per year) to 0.788 (10.4).

Saban’s Crimson Tide, on the other hand, have just continued to roll after title runs. They racked up a win percentage of 0.952 in his six title seasons in Tuscaloosa, and in the next season their win percentage fell only a bit, to 0.882 with six top-10 (and four top-two) finishes.

Smart spent 11 seasons as a Saban assistant and is as close to Saban 2.0 as college football has seen. If that remains true, then Georgia will reload defensively, play at a top-three level and plow through the SEC East once again. If the Dawgs suffer a hangover … well, they might still plow through the East, but they could lose two or three times and open up a CFP spot.

Regardless, this is unfamiliar territory. Let’s preview the SEC East!

Every week through the offseason, Bill Connelly will preview another division from the Group of 5 and Power 5 exclusively for ESPN+, ultimately including all 131 FBS teams. The previews will include 2021 breakdowns, 2022 previews and burning questions for each team.

Earlier previews: MWC West | MWC Mountain | AAC (Nos. 6-11) | AAC (Nos. 1-5) | MAC East | MAC West | Sun Belt West | Sun Belt East | Conference USA (Nos. 6-11) | Conference USA (Nos. 1-5) | Independents | Pac-12 South | Pac-12 North | ACC Atlantic | ACC Coastal | Big 12 (Nos. 6-10) | Big 12 (Nos. 5-1) | Big Ten West | Big Ten East

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Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson said in a statement Sunday that he will no longer use the nickname “AR-15” as part of his personal brand because he doesn’t want to be associated with the semi-automatic rifle by the same name, which has been used in mass shootings.

An AR-15 style rifle was used in the shooting deaths of 19 children and two adults at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school in May.

“While a nickname is only a nickname and ‘AR-15’ was simply a representation of my initials combined with my jersey number, it is important to me that my name and brand are no longer associated with the semi-automatic rifle that has been used in mass shootings, which I do not condone in any way or form,” Richardson said in a post to his official website. “My representatives and I are currently working on rebranding, which includes the creation of a new logo and transitioning to simply using ‘AR’ and my name, Anthony Richardson.”

Taking advantage of college athletes’ newfound ability to generate money from name, image and likeness deals, Richardson started an apparel line last year that included jerseys, long-sleeve shirts, wristbands and temporary tattoos.

Richardson said he will also discontinue use of the scope reticle logo.

Richardson emerged as a fan favorite and gifted playmaker as a freshman at Florida last season.

Despite backing up starting quarterback Emory Jones for most of the season and dealing with a knee injury that kept him off the field late in the year, Richardson managed nine total touchdowns — six passing and three rushing.

Jones transferred to Arizona State in the spring, clearing the way for Richardson to become the front-runner to start for the Gators this season under new coach Billy Napier.

Richardson, with only one career start, debuted at No. 13 on ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board of prospects in May.

Florida opens the season on Sept. 3 against Utah.

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A college football player is stepping away from the game after attempting earlier this year, he announced suicide.

Thomas Cole, an offensive lineman at UCLA, announced his decision on social media while breaking down his demons with mental health that led to his attempt to take his own life.

“I haven’t been present at the Wasserman facility for the past six months. This is because at the start of 2022 I made an attempt to take my own life,” wrote Cole, who didn’t play this past season. “At first I was regretful that I survived my attempt, but thankfully due to the people at the UCLA hospital, Paradigm residential treatment, and my therapist Meg, I have come to a much brighter outlook for my own future.

“After many months of thorough consideration I have come to the conclusion that football is not conducive for my mental health, and there is more to my life than the game of football,” he continued. Cole then acknowledged the impact of his former coaches and teammates, thanking fellow O-linemen Benjamin Roy, Garrett DiGiorgio, Noah Puleali, and Taka Mahe for bringing him “so much joy and laughter in a time of immense personal suffering.”

The San Luis Obispo, Calif. native, a four-star prospect, capped off his statement by saying he would always root for UCLA and hoped his words may help others with similar problems.

“I will forever cheer on the Bruins and wish the football program nothing but success,” he said. “Everyone I interacted with at UCLA, from coaches to teachers, tutors and more thank you so much! You all have had a great impact in my life. For all of those who may be struggling, you are not alone and you are loved. It is ok to ask for help. Thank you to my family for being so loving during this process of learning to live again.”

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

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At his first conference media days this week, new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark declared “the Big 12 is open for business.” Conference realignment is normally a clandestine operation, but Yormark all but advertised that he’s proactively pursuing potential expansion candidates.

It’s no great secret who he’s likely courting: Pac-12 schools Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.

It would be understandable if some or all of that group is panicking in the wake of USC and UCLA’s recent defections. But it’s not obvious they’d be improving their lot by joining the post-Texas/Oklahoma Big 12. While that conference has stabilized itself nicely, the 10-team Pac-12 still holds more TV leverage. Its new deal comes up a year sooner (2024); it has the two biggest TV brands in Oregon and Washington, who do not appear to be coveted by the Big Ten; and it’s got Pac-12 After Dark, a major selling point for ESPN in particular, which loves filling those late-night slots with quality games.

But there’s at least one viable scenario in which both the Big 12 and Pac-12 could leverage the latter’s current instability: They could merge.

Jon Wilner of The Mercury News wrote an excellent piece earlier this week explaining why this radical idea actually makes a lot of sense in the new world order. A combined Big 12/Pac-12 wouldn’t be on par with the newly turbo-charged Big Ten and SEC, but it would become the clear No. 3. It would boast three College Football Playoff participants in Oregon, Washington and Cincinnati, and 12 schools that have appeared in a New Year’s Six bowl since 2014. By comparison, the ACC has two CFP participants (Florida State and Clemson) and has had six New Year’s Six participants.

Perhaps most pertinently, the combined leagues — with the help of a couple of expansion adds — would boast 10 of the nation’s top 30 TV markets. And consolidating their upcoming TV deals into one would likely create more competition among bidders, be it traditional partners ESPN and Fox or streaming services like Apple and Amazon.

“Both leagues would make more by working together than they would separately,” former Fox Sports executive Patrick Crakes told Wilner.

I read Wilner’s story this week while sitting poolside with my family while on vacation in France. Being the realignment sicko that I am, I immediately got on my Notes app and started jotting down how such a thing would work. And I’ve got to say: It’s a lot more workable than I initially thought.

First off, we turn what would currently be a clunky 22-team lineup into 24 by adding San Diego State and SMU. The Aztecs are far-and-away the most compelling Pac-12 expansion candidate. They regularly field both Top 25 football and men’s basketball teams, as they restore at least some footprint in Southern California. SMU is admittedly redundant with TCU, but it’s never a bad thing to have more presence in a huge football market like Dallas.

Having done that, we can now split the league into four “pods” of six teams each. While not exact, they do divide rather closely into four time zones.

Big 12/Pac-12 Merger

As you can see, travel shouldn’t be nearly as difficult for most of these schools as it will be for USC and UCLA in the Big Ten — especially in the non-revenue schools — as they’ll still be able to play most games within one time zone of their own. East-West crossovers will be minimal.

Here’s how that would work in football:

• Nine conference games in total, eight of which are prescheduled.
• Those games follow a 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 model: Five games within your pod, and one each against the others.
• Cross-pod foes rotate every year.

Now here comes a twist:

• The four teams that finish first in each pod will have their ninth game become a conference championship semifinal on Thanksgiving weekend.
• The winners advance to a regular-season title game the first week of December.

The other 20 teams get paired off in cross-pod matchups based on similar records — for example, the second-place Pacific team plays the second-place Mountain team for their regular-season finales. Assuming a 12-team Playoff is coming, this will guarantee the league more late-season games with CFP ramifications — candy for TV networks.

It’s anyone’s guess what kind of dollar figures this configuration would fetch, but the laws of leverage suggest it would be higher per school than if the current leagues negotiate separately. ESPN would have one chance, not two, to retain rights to these 24 programs, which between them produced four of the top-12 teams in last season’s final AP poll (No. 4 Cincinnati, No. 5 Baylor, No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 12 Utah).

And rather than bidding on a league knowing its interest is largely limited to one region — either the West Coast or Great Plains — you’re getting a truly national product. An early-November game between 7-2 Washington and 6-3 Arizona State that previously mattered only to other Pac-12 fans now has consequences for fans in Texas, Ohio and Florida as well.

Figuring out the logistics proved much easier, though, than coming up with a name for this new creation. I welcome your suggestions.

(Top photo of Jonathan Smith and Mike Gundy: Troy Wayrynen / USA Today)

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