Brian Kelly shares feel of ACC title game compared to expectation for SEC title game

It’s pretty rare that Notre Dame is going to play in a conference championship game. However, in the program’s only season in a conference, Brian Kelly took Notre Dame to the ACC title game. Now, in his first year at LSU, he’s got the Tigers in the SEC title game. However, he’s expecting a bit of a different experience this time around.

Brian Kelly was asked how the ACC title game compared to the College Football Playoff, having coached in both.

“No, I don’t know that it felt like a playoff,” Brian Kelly said. “The Playoffs are so unique and different in the venues they’re in.”

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“I think the championship felt different than a regular-season game, but it didn’t feel like a playoff. I think this SEC championship in Atlanta is going to feel maybe a little bit closer to that. But I think that’s kind of what we’re expecting,” Brian Kelly explained.

Part of why the ACC title game wouldn’t have felt like the ACC title game is the year Brian Kelly went there. It was the pandemic-shortened season, which affected crowd sizes. Naturally, the atmosphere wasn’t going to be great.

At the same time, it’s easy to see why Brian Kelly is expecting an atmosphere more akin to a Playoff game in the SEC Championship. It’s typically an intense atmosphere where at least one Playoff team is competing.

“Again, getting to an SEC championship game I think is going to have a different feel than maybe any other game that I’ve been in, so it will be exciting.”

Brian Kelly on Jayden Daniels’ injury

Quarterback Jayden Daniels has been dealing with an injury leading into the SEC Championship Game. Brian Kelly spoke about the injury to his ankle. However, Kelly kept things vague overall about Daniels’ status moving forward.

“He’s got an ankle,” Kelly said. “The ankle was the last one. The first hit, I think he bounced back from that. The second one was more of an ankle.”