SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey Wants Uniform Start to College Football Schedule

Greg Sankey has seen enough - the SEC Commissioner wants everyone to kickoff on the same weekend.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey before the Texas A&M-Florida game in 2025. (Maria Lysaker- / magn Images) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ATHENS - Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey wants a uniform opening day to start college football.

This weekend’s slate of games do not include any teams Sankey oversees as commissioner. He told Dawg Post in November that he wanted to see all of college football kicking off at the same time.

“I'm not familiar with a professional league, amateur league or Little League down the road that has all kinds of different teams starting on different dates,” Sankey told Dawg Post. “It’s Opening Day for a reason. We should have a common start date, and there should be a few exceptions. I think all the waiver nonsense around giving Week Zero games should stop.”

The NCAA grants waivers for teams to play so-called Week Zero games. This year seven power four conference members, North Carolina, Texas Christian, USC, North Carolina State, Virginia,
Stanford and Florida State, start the season before everyone else.

“That is a competitive impact, and we should have a common start date,” Sankey said. “The number of Week Zero games in FBS, and the pursuit of waivers because somebody has a good idea - that should stop. We should start on a common date.”

Sankey, who is a key figure in the midst of massive change in collegiate athletics, said there are games that make sense to be played early. North Carolina’s matchup with TCU midday Saturday in Dublin, Ireland is one exception to Sankey’s objections.

“There should be a few exceptions,” he said. "I think the Dublin thing's neat. I've explored the Dublin thing.”

Luckily for Sankey, the NCAA adopted new bylaws earlier this year that push the calendar earlier into August - likely slowing so-called Week Zero games. The commissioner said he’s certain to hear complaints about August temperatures when that happens. That he can’t control, but he maintains his stance of a uniform start to the college football season.

“It's not like opening week and some teams play here and some teams play there,” he said. “I actually feel pretty strongly that we should have the conversation, but the first thing should be the stopping of this constant waiver process.”