LSU vs. the SEC: Could College Football’s Biggest Money War Blow Up the Conference?

Could one of college football’s biggest brands actually be kicked out of the SEC—and what would that mean financially for LSU and the most powerful conference in college sports?

On this episode of Franchise Value, Shana Orczyk Sissel, CEO and Founder of Chicago-based Banríon Capital Management and author of the forthcoming Tough Minded, joins co-host Todd M. Schoenberger to follow the money behind some of the biggest stories reshaping the business of sports.

At the center of the conversation is the escalating confrontation between LSU and the SEC. Conference leaders are scheduled to meet Thursday to consider whether to expel LSU following the dispute over players who previously signed NFL contracts returning to college football. LSU ultimately filled its 105-player roster without the two former NFL signees at the center of the controversy, but SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has indicated the broader membership dispute remains unresolved. Expulsion would require a two-thirds vote of SEC leaders.

Todd and Shana debate the question Wall Street would ask: What is LSU's SEC membership actually worth? Shana argues that the SEC's enormous media-rights ecosystem makes leaving the conference an extraordinary financial risk. Todd challenges that thesis by asking whether the LSU brand could eventually monetize itself independently through its own media operation. Their disagreement becomes a larger discussion about whether the most powerful college athletic brands are becoming media companies in their own right.

Then it's on to the Los Angeles Clippers, where the NBA imposed a $30 million fine, stripped the franchise of five consecutive first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 and suspended owner Steve Ballmer for a year following an investigation into salary-cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers reject the league's findings and plan to challenge the sanctions through arbitration.

Shana and Todd examine a fascinating valuation question: What's more damaging to a multibillion-dollar franchise—the $30 million fine or losing five years of first-round draft capital?

The conversation also turns to Roger Goodell, whose new four-season extension keeps him as NFL commissioner through the 2030 season and ends March 31, 2031—the same month the league's current collective bargaining agreement expires. That timing puts Goodell in position for another potentially transformative period involving labor negotiations, the possibility of an 18-game regular season and future media-rights negotiations.

Finally, Franchise Value examines the economics behind NHL expansion and why adding a new franchise can create a fundamentally different financial outcome for existing owners than simply relocating a team.

From conference membership and media rights to draft picks, franchise valuations and expansion fees, this episode asks the question at the heart of Franchise Value:

What are sports' most valuable assets really worth—and what happens when the rules governing those assets suddenly change?

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