LSU coach Brian Kelly told ESPN on Monday that he wants to continue to play Alabama each season, days after Nick Saban expressed displeasure to Sports Illustrated about the SEC’s proposed new scheduling model that would still include an annual Alabama game against LSU.

Under the nine-game format under consideration since last year, Alabama would play three permanent opponents and six rotating opponents each season. Saban told Sports Illustrated those three annual opponents would be Auburn, Tennessee and LSU. Even though Alabama already plays each of those three teams each season, Saban believed that draw would be unfair relative to other SEC schools under the new model.

Kelly told ESPN he was unaware of Saban’s comments last week.

“I want to play the best,” Kelly told ESPN. “I came down here to the SEC because I wanted to play against Alabama. I want to play A&M. I want to play Auburn, the great teams, and in our new scheduling we get to play Alabama every year, Ole Miss every year and A&M.”

LSU’s three permanent opponents under the proposed model would be Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, NOLA.com reported last week. The SEC has not publicly released or finalized its arrangement of permanent opponents for each team under the proposed model.

“I think everybody has their take on the schedules,” Kelly told ESPN. “Nick has never backed down from a challenge. I’m not too worried about whether Nick Saban is going to have his team ready when he plays LSU. He’ll be ready.”

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The new model would take effect in 2024, when Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC to create a 16-team league. The conference is expected to finalize a scheduling model later this spring.

Saban told Sports Illustrated is using a 10-year success metric to balance teams’ permanent opponents, but Saban questioned whether that reflects the current reality of the conference.

“Well, some of those years, Tennessee wasn’t as good as they’ve been in the previous 10 years, but now they are as good as they used to be before those 10 years,” Saban said, later adding, “They only did it over 10 years. Now you’ve got name, image and likeness, which changes that whole dynamic, because it’s who has the most money to pay players, until they change the rules.”

The historic nature of Alabama’s rivalries with Auburn and Tennessee makes it likely both would be included among the Tide’s three permanent opponents. There has been greater debate about the third, with some proposing Mississippi State instead of LSU because of Starkville’s proximity to Tuscaloosa.

The SEC focused its attention last offseason on two scheduling models: one remaining at eight games with one permanent opponent, and the other increasing to nine games with three permanent opponents. Multiple reports in recent months have pointed to the SEC favoring the nine-game model. Both would eliminate divisions entirely, with simply the conference’s two best teams by winning percentage advancing to the title game.

LSU defeated Alabama in overtime last November in Baton Rouge, in Kelly’s first game as Tigers coach against Saban. The two teams meet again Nov. 4 in Tuscaloosa in the final season of the SEC’s existing scheduling format.

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.