For years, the SEC has been at the forefront of pushing for College Football Playoff expansion, helping to engineer a system that will grant the conference more guaranteed access and influence over the postseason.
But in a bizarre turn, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey recently claimed that if it were solely up to him and his conference, he "would still have it at four teams."
“If I was just representing the SEC, we’d still have a four-team playoff,” the SEC commissioner said, via Yahoo's Ross Dellenger.
That’s a strange statement coming from the leader of a conference that has been instrumental in not only expanding the Playoff to 12 teams in 2024 but also laying the groundwork for an eventual 16-team field. If Sankey truly preferred the four-team model, the SEC could have fought harder to keep it, rather than leading the charge for expansion that will ultimately reshape the sport.
The SEC’s Push for More Power
Sankey’s comments come as the SEC and Big Ten continue their push to control the future of the CFP. The two conferences have already flexed their muscle in expansion talks, and according to reports, they are advocating for a 16-team format that would include multiple automatic bids for their own leagues. While Sankey might claim he liked the four-team system, the SEC has done everything in its power to move beyond it, ensuring that its teams will have even more postseason security.
Additionally, the SEC and Big Ten have been advocating for a "straight seeding" system in the 2025 Playoff, which would do away with guaranteed byes for conference champions and instead rank teams solely by the CFP committee’s rankings. That idea has already been met with resistance, as many believe it would further tilt the postseason in favor of the SEC and Big Ten while devaluing other conferences.
Any kind of change to the 2025 College Football Playoff has to reach a unanimous vote, which isn't likely to happen, so we wouldn't expect changes to the system for next season.
The 2026 College Football Playoff and What’s Next
Sankey was notably vague when asked about the CFP format beyond 2025, declining to discuss specific changes for 2026 and beyond. However, reports indicate that the SEC and Big Ten will continue pushing for a format that locks in multiple automatic bids for their conferences while giving the ACC, Big 12, and Group of Five much less guaranteed access.
It’s clear that Sankey and the SEC are not bystanders in this process—they’re driving the changes. So why the sudden claim that he would have been fine with just four teams? Perhaps it’s an attempt to distance himself from the controversy surrounding expansion. Maybe it’s a way to maintain goodwill with more traditionalist fans who believe the Playoff is becoming too big.
Either way, actions speak louder than words. The SEC has been one of the biggest proponents of CFP expansion, and the coming changes will only cement its grip on the sport. Sankey can say he wanted four teams all he wants, but under his leadership, the Playoff is growing, and the SEC’s influence is growing with it.