Big Ten bans NFL returnees, putting LSU and Lane Kiffin on collision course with the SEC

The Big Ten has taken steps to prevent athletes who have signed NFL contracts from joining the conference this season — and in the future.

Following recent developments that have seen former college players enter the professional ranks, only to regain college eligibility through court orders, the conference voted Tuesday to bar those athletes moving forward.

Under the new Big Ten policy, any athlete who has signed with a professional team, declared for the NFL Draft or participated in any type of professional training camp will be ineligible for conference competition.

NFL TO NCAA? COURTROOM CHAOS IS GIVING PRO ATHLETES A BIZARRE PATH BACK TO COLLEGE, AND IT'S ONLY JUST BEGUN The decision comes after players in several states were granted injunctions or temporary restraining orders allowing them to play this season.

Most of the lawsuits stem from the NCAA’s new eligibility guidelines, which give athletes five years to play five seasons of college athletics.

Since June, there have been a plethora of lawsuits filed in state courts that have granted athletes an additional season of eligibility , with multiple judges ruling in favor of plaintiffs that argued the NCAA's new rules should have included them being grandfathered into the process.

In recent days, LSU head coach Lane Kiffin has taken a beating in the court of public opinion, and from many within the SEC, for bringing back players who have already gained NFL experience.

This includes former Ole Miss football players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris , who are both set to join the LSU roster thanks to a ruling from the 19th District Court of Louisiana that granted them an additional season of eligibility.

LSU’S LANE KIFFIN FIRES BACK AT NFL RETURNEE BACKLASH: BLAME THE NCAA, NOT US FOR RECRUITING PRO ATHLETES But, there have been plenty others who have gone down this route, winning cases in state courts that allow them to return this season.

Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson is another, who sued the NCAA in a Texas court for an additional season.

In the SEC, there are meetings taking place over the next 24 hours that include Presidents, Chancellors and athletic directors.

They are discussing their path forward, with a number of them in favor of the conference implementing the same rule as the Big Ten.

OREGON COACH DAN LANNING LAYS OUT MULTIPLE REASONS WHY NFL PLAYERS RETURNING TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS 'UNFAIR' The problem is that LSU sees its own way around the conference ruling, thanks to a Louisiana court order.

If the conference were to start governing themselves more than normal, we could end up seeing a school like LSU testing the legal strength of a court order, by including the SEC in a lawsuit against the NCAA .