Sankey Resists 24-Team CFP Rush as SEC Splits and Dec. 1 Deadline Looms
Updated
Updated · ESPN · May 26
Sankey Resists 24-Team CFP Rush as SEC Splits and Dec. 1 Deadline Looms
14 articles · Updated · ESPN · May 26
Greg Sankey said SEC spring meetings are unlikely to produce any College Football Playoff decision, downplaying pressure to back a 24-team field before the Dec. 1 deadline.
The SEC commissioner said internal disagreement does not bother him, even as the Big Ten and the other three power-conference commissioners have publicly favored expansion.
Sankey said the league is weighing 12, 16, 20 and 24-team models, with his main concern whether a much larger playoff would dilute the value of SEC regular-season games and TV appeal.
He pointed to last year's debate over a 16-team format with automatic qualifiers as evidence positions can shift, and stressed the SEC is still gathering information rather than taking a public stand.
Beyond the playoff fight, Sankey also sought to cool talk of an SEC breakaway, saying conference-specific rulemaking is not new as college sports keeps reshaping its governance.
As playoff expansion threatens title games, is the SEC's $100 million championship about to disappear?
With the NCAA, CSC, and White House now involved, who truly holds power over college sports?