SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on CFP Expansion: "This conference will thrive at four"
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — While speaking at the APSE Southeast Regional Meeting on Monday afternoon, Southeastern Conference Greg Sankey's demeanor was as cool as a cucumber.
And why shouldn't it be? The SEC just had not one, but two teams participate in last year's College Football Playoff in Alabama and Georgia, South Carolina just won a national title in women's basketball, and the success of the conference seems to just improve year in and year out.
Last summer, negotiations for expansion of the CFP were an oft-discussed issue. Ultimately, those negotiations failed, with the discussion being tabled for a later date and the option for expansion remaining unrealized until at least 2025.
During the discussions last year, Sankey revealed himself to be an advocate of either expanding to 12 teams or remaining with the current four-team model. On Monday, Sankey doubled down on his beliefs in expanding to 12 teams, but also noted that regardless of the outcome of expansion discussions, his conference will remain perfectly fine.
"We can stay at four," Sankey said. "This conference will thrive at four. Period. That's not healthy for the rest of FBS college football, but we can stay at four."
With the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs participating in the 2021 College Football Playoff, the SEC is the only conference to have at least one representative in every year of the playoff's existence dating back to 2014. The dominance of teams routinely being selected for the playoff — like Alabama — has led to an outcry from both fans and media alike calling for an expansion to allow more teams the opportunity to compete.
Sankey said that ahead of the 2021 season, he had stated to the CFP committee that the SEC was perfectly fine with keeping the field at four teams. He said that he was met with a response that left him feeling that he wasn't taken seriously.
When he was watching the Alabama-Georgia title game, though, it was ultimately Sankey that had the last laugh.
"People apparently didn't take me seriously when I said we can leave it at four," Sankey said. "So I sat there watching that (Alabama-Georgia) game, thinking they just thought I wasn't serious."
Two weeks ago, Sankey met with the CFP management committee. During the meeting, he was asked if he and his conference were concerned about the lack of expansion and its impact on the SEC due to the announced additions of Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma, which will increase the conference's size to 16 teams.
Sankey's response to the question? An astute "Why?"
Sankey continued to elaborate on the question.
"I don't think people heard me, but I'll say it clearly today," Sankey said. "We can stay at four. Now looking at all of the factors involved, which is: We have regions that don't access the playoff; trying to enhance the meaning of conference championships; provide access for independents in a way that would be, I think, equitable; engage fanbases in a different way with some games at home. (Expansion) seemed a really reasonable approach.
"But at the end of the day, there were enough who said no that we didn't move forward. Which brings me back to my first thing: We're fine staying at four. In fact, if you back and look at why we went into the format, it wasn't because this conference asked for the format. We just felt the responsibility to be a contributor in the conversation."
Sankey concluded his discussion on the topic by reminding the reporters present that he views the world through the lens of the SEC, but reiterated that his beliefs in expansion are not rooted in benefitting the conference. Objectively, the four-team format would benefit his conference. However, an expansion to 12 teams would be the best course of action in order to benefit all parties at stake.
At least, that's what Sankey believes and is why he continues to push for either maintaining the four-team format or jumping all the way to a 12-team field.
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