SEC commissioner Greg Sankey attempted to quiet any notions on Monday that the league would vote on expansion of the College Football Playoffs during its spring meetings this week in Destin, Fla.
Sankey favors expanding the current field of 12 to 16, but the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 prefer a 24-team field.
A week ago, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said that the schools in his conference are ready to vote on a 24-team field and would be willing to wait if the SEC does not concur.
The two commissioners must come to an agreement by Dec. 1 for any playoff expansion for the 2027-28 season.
In addressing reporters, Sankey said that the league would not “have a unanimous vote right now on a number.”
Instead, Sankey said the league would study all aspects of the 24-team bracket this week, including what the risks would be.
“Four to 12 was monumental, I think it was justifiable, and you want to be careful about how far you go,” he said.
An expansion to 24 would almost certainly eliminate conference championship games, something Sankey is completely averse to. He cited current SEC television contracts as being an impediment to the expansion, in addition to the major revenue drain the loss of an SEC championship game would cause.
Last week, Georgia president Jere Morehead came out against the expansion to a 24-team bracket.
“I was OK with going to 16,” he told The Athletic. “I thought that was a good number. But 24 scares me, particularly jumping from 12 to 24. If we went to 16 and tried that for a few years, see how it goes, and then we can evaluate whether we should go to 24. And from my standpoint, I would just stay at 12 then, if we can’t get an agreement on 16.”
However, he deferred the decision to Sankey, and a concurrence between the two leaders became apparent on Monday.
Frustration with any movement in Washington, D.C. by the College Sports Commission (CSC) regarding NIL enforcement and governance will also be among the discussions by SEC presidents, athletics directors and coaches this week.
–Field Level Media
