The SEC spring meetings are taking place in Destin, Florida this week, and it’s no surprise that the future of the College Football Playoff is a hot topic.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was asked Monday night how he balances wanting what is best for the future of college football with what is best for the future of the SEC. According to Sankey, the league was watching out for other conferences when the CFP went from four teams to 12 teams ahead of the 2024 season.
“Look at the track record – we didn’t need 12. Had we stayed at four we would’ve had half the four last year,“ Greg Sankey said.
“I thought the 12-team design was really well considered at the time. We never had a unanimous vote to support the 12-team playoff. Even though I was involved in that work, that didn’t mean everybody in this league, when we were at four teams, thought it was the best idea. But you engage in that type of problem solving.”
Greg Sankey also fired back at ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips and Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark after recent comments they made about the College Football Playoff moving to a straight seeding model.
According to ESPN, Phillips declared that doing what is best for the good of the game is a “responsibility I take very seriously,” while Yormark added that he hopes what is best for college football is “the priority” moving forward.
The comments clearly didn’t sit well with Greg Sankey.
“I don’t need lectures from others about good of the game. I don’t lecture others about good of the game,” he said. “And coordinating press releases about good of the game, you know, OK, you can issue your press statement, but I’m actually looking for ideas to move us forward.”
Sankey added that he expects there to continue to be plenty of discussions about the future of the College Football Playoff moving forward.
The 2025 playoff format is set with 12 teams seeded 1-12. But the format for 2026 and beyond is to be determined.
“I think I have a responsibility to push, as well, and I think my membership has a responsibility and the desire to push me. And that is a hard issue. You wanna go inside what it’s like to sit in this role? I think about the responsibility I have here, and I think about the responsibility more broadly all the time,” Sankey said. “Yesterday I said we don’t apologize here.
“When I go back to the College Football Playoff, I’m open to ideas, there’s just not a lot of incoming. My phone’s not ringing off the hook with, ‘Hey, here’s another way to look at it.’ And so we’ll continue to be thoughtful. We’ll continue to try to provide perspective and information to our members and help them guide the decision. And ultimately I recognize I’m the one who ends up typically in front of the podium explaining not just myself but ourselves. So good luck to me.”
