Josh Pate Believes SEC Commissioner Won't Escape Criticism Amid CFP Debate

College football is heading into a new era, and not everyone is on board.

SEC Is Against the 24-Team Playoff

The sport has changed drastically over the last few seasons with NIL and the transfer portal. The College Football Playoff also expanded from four teams to 12 teams before the 2024 season.

However, one of the biggest offseason conversations revolves around more changes to the College Football Playoff format.

The Big Ten and other conferences would love to expand the playoff to 24 teams. However, the SEC, led by commissioner Greg Sankey, wants to expand it only to 16 teams. The Big Ten agreed to go to 16 if there is a promise that it will eventually expand to 24. However, the SEC does not want to make that commitment.

For good reason, because expanding to 24 would extremely water down the regular season. You'd now have three loss teams for sure, and maybe even some four or five loss teams, depending on how their season finishes.

For example, the Duke Blue Devils lost five games last season, but won the ACC. Now, they weren't ranked in the final rankings, but it would be hard to believe that the College Football Playoff committee would keep them out if it were 24.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey speaks to the media during the SEC Media Day at Omni Atlanta Hotel. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Josh Pate Believes Greg Sankey Is One of the Biggest Villains in College Football

Despite the SEC being on the right side of this argument, college football analyst Josh Pate feels that Sankey is still one of the biggest villains in the sport. He said on "Josh Pate's College Football Show" that he doesn't see the villain label going off of him any time soon.

"I don't think the villainization of Greg Sankey is going anywhere," Pate said. "No. 1, he's the commissioner of the SEC, and the SEC is largely despised outside the South. He is right smack dab in the middle of the playoff debate. While I think he's on the right side, he's alone right now."

Sankey's Reputation Goes Beyond Playoff Discussion

Sankey's reputation as a villain in college football likely will not change anytime soon, regardless of whether his decisions are popular. Being the leader of the SEC automatically puts him under a microscope, especially during a time when the sport is undergoing major changes.

However, the playoff expansion debate is one where his position has merit. Expanding too far could take away some of what makes college football unique: the importance of every regular-season game.

While Sankey may continue to draw criticism, protecting the value of the regular season is an argument many fans can understand.

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