SEC Commissioner Is Wrong With Latest Bold Claim
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is arguably the marquee conference in college football, but that could soon change.
The SEC and Big Ten have talked for years about breaking away from the NCAA to form their own leagues. However, the best thing for college football is all the conferences working together under one umbrella to find a true champion.
Yet, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has grown frustrated with the NCAA and the potential playoff expansion. Sankey wants the SEC guaranteed a certain number of spots, given the revenue they generate and how tough the conference is.
The NCAA doesn't want to do that, so at SEC media days in 2026, Sankey once again made a bold claim: he wants to make the SEC its own league, not part of the NCAA.
"You phrased the question, ‘How real?’ So I’ll take that as, like, real or not. So they’re real,” Sankey said at media day on Monday. “People have talked about that. They’ve opined about the frustrations that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly different.”
Sankey, however, claims breaking away from the NCAA is not leverage amid the ongoing playoff expansion.
More college football:
- SEC Preview: The Conference Is Wide Open and Everyone’s Lying to Themselves
- Utah Utes Head Coach Has Intriguing Idea To Fix Bowl Games And It Makes Sense
- Surprising Big 12 Team Named ‘Legitimate Playoff Threat’ By Analyst
- Bill Belichick Leads Five CFB Coaches Who Could Be Fired
"I do not believe that is a leverage point — I think that’s just honest communication,” Sankey said. “I would prefer that stay in a meeting room or on a video conference and not be part of the D1 ticker the next morning, but I don’t control all of that.”
Although the SEC is the marquee conference in college football, breaking away from the NCAA only does more harm than good.
The SEC would crown their own champion, while the rest of college football would crown a national champion, and every year, fans would wonder if the SEC champ would beat the national champion.
Meanwhile, the SEC would be forced to only play each other, which could lead to stale matchups year over year. Right now, SEC teams can book high-profile matchups, like Texas vs. Ohio State and Michigan vs. Oklahoma, but if they break away, college football fans wouldn't get to see those great matchups, which is bad for the sport.
So, as Sankey continues to threaten to leave the NCAA, it's a bad choice, as it will do more harm than good for college football fans.
Kirby Smart Also Likes Idea of Leaving NCAA
Greg Sankey also isn't the only person who wants to see the SEC leave the NCAA.
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart also echoed Sankey's comments, saying he's been pushing for the SEC to be its own league for years now.
Related: Returning Heisman Contenders Worth Believing In (And Two You Shouldn't)
"Yeah, I've actually been saying that for a long time to our president and our administrators," Smart said to Get Up. "So many times I've sat in meetings; I learned this 11 years ago, my first SEC head coaches meeting, a coach told me, we will not get anything done in these meetings because we have no power or control.
"We can sit and say whatever we want, but that doesn't come to fruition. I've learned that until we get governance and actually have power to make decisions, we aren't going to have much control. If that is the best alternative to get everyone playing by the same rules, I would want to do that."
Just as Sankey said, Smart wants the SEC to have more control and power in college football, which isn't right.
Instead, Smart should just focus on winning football games, since the SEC hasn't even sent a team to the national championship game in three years.
This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Jul 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos