Greg Sankey reiterates skepticism on expanded CFP: ‘You want to be careful about how far you go’
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SEC commissioner Greg Sankey remains wholly skeptical about expanding the College Football Playoff, and reiterated his viewpoint during a press conference at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida on Monday.
Taking questions from reporters, Sankey explained why the SEC is exercising a level of caution when it comes to agreeing to an expanded College Football Playoff, which the three other power conferences appear in favor of.
“We need to understand the marketplace,” Sankey said, per NBC Sports reporter Nicole Auerbach. “December and January are crowded months relative to football, particularly on days where you’d be seeking to play college football games in a Playoff that could be expanded — and what happens to the regular season.”
The football calendar in late-December and January becomes a difficult jigsaw puzzle as the NFL allots certain games to Saturday starting with the third Saturday in December. Just two years into the 12-team College Football Playoff, and it’s clear that college football competing head-to-head with the NFL is a losing proposition. Expanding to 24 teams would either necessitate more competition with the NFL, or a dramatic change in college football’s postseason scheduling procedure.
That level of expansion would also likely require the elimination of conference championship games. So far, that’s been a non-starter for the SEC, which values its championship game at around $100 million per year. On Monday, Sankey said the conference was “pretty committed” to keeping the SEC Championship Game on the calendar.
“We have contracts, so pretty committed,” the commissioner said when asked about how the SEC views its title game. Pressed by a reporter whether this is a “philosophical” commitment to the game, Sankey reiterated the conference was philosophically “pretty committed.”
A common refrain from those against expansion centers on a potential devaluing of the regular season. Per Auerbach, Sankey believes there is a way to quantify what games would be impacted based on how large the bracket gets.
“What’s the tipping point?” Sankey asked. “Four to 12 was monumental but I think it was justifiable. You want to be careful about how far you go.”
It’s clear that Sankey’s opposition to a 24-team format hasn’t changed, but it’s perhaps fair to say he’s softened his rhetoric a bit as other conferences signal support for the idea, and even SEC head coaches are chiming in to advocate for doubling the current field.
That said, any expansion will have to be agreed upon by both the SEC and Big Ten, which still seems to be a ways away.
“I don’t anticipate any decisions on the College Football Playoff [this week], just so you’re clear,” Sankey told reporters. “We’ll have an informed discussion.”
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