At the SEC’s spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Florida, commissioner Greg Sankey said he doesn’t anticipate decisions on the College Football Playoff this week and signaled deep reservations about expanding to 24 teams. While the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten have a
In Miramar Beach, Florida—where rain-soaked weather met the sober tone of playoff talks—SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stood at a news conference and made one thing clear: this week won’t bring a breakthrough.
He didn’t sound isolated in his own convictions so much as firm in them. When asked about the College Football Playoff expansion to 24 teams, Sankey told reporters, “It doesn’t bother me,” describing himself as the lone holdout even as other major conferences push for more teams.
Sankey said the SEC will not be signing up for any immediate decisions as officials gather for the league’s spring meetings. “I do not anticipate any decisions on the College Football Playoff, just so we’re clear,” he said. “We’ll spend time looking at a range of possibilities.”
The numbers are easy to state; the politics are harder. Three of the four power conferences have aligned behind a 24-team playoff, but expansion can’t move forward without SEC approval. That is the point Sankey has turned into a firewall—one the Big Ten has so far failed to penetrate.
Inside the SEC, there are cracks, though they don’t add up to a vote. Certain SEC coaches support a 24-team format. At least one SEC athletic director—Tennessee’s Danny White—supports 24 as well. Coaches get a voice, Sankey’s stance makes clear; they don’t get a deciding vote. The commissioner also didn’t entirely rule out future agreement, but his reservations were unmistakable.
Sankey said the move from a four-team to a 12-team playoff was “monumental (growth),” and that it was “justifiable,” while drawing a line on how far expansion should go. “You want to be careful about how far you go,” he said.
When pressed on the worry that expanding again could water down the postseason, Sankey didn’t hedge. “It is (a concern) for me,” he said.
He also rejected the premise that college football can be run like a shorter elimination event. Asked about potentially lengthening the playoff. Sankey said. “football is not an eight-week tournament sport.” That critique directly challenges the case for a 24-team playoff. which generally is envisioned as expanding the format to five rounds.
Still, he reaffirmed what the SEC wants to protect: the league championship game. “Pretty committed” to playing a conference championship game, Sankey said, adding that the game is under contract. In other words. the resistance to 24 isn’t just about the playoff bracket—it’s about what gets preserved around it.
Across the matchup, the Big Ten’s position is still the clearest contrast. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said the conference will consider only two options: either double the playoff’s size to 24 or stay at 12. Petitti also said Big Ten membership didn’t discuss the option of 16 at meetings last week. and Sankey said he was “surprised” because the Big Ten supported a 16-team proposal last year.
The SEC, too, has moved away from 16 before. The conference exited the Florida Panhandle last year favoring a different 16-team proposal, and the two super conferences never aligned on an expansion format. Within months, the Big Ten shifted from 16 to 24.
The coalition for 24 is broad in theory: the Big Ten pulled in support from the Big 12 and ACC for 24 teams, and three of four conferences backing it still doesn’t add up to expansion without the SEC and Big Ten coming to terms.
Sankey framed the immediate goal as information, not agreement. “We’ll spend time hearing and learning without making a decision at this point, because we have time,” he said. There is a Dec. 1 deadline to expand the playoff for the 2027 season.
For the SEC, the stakes are as much about control as calendar management. Sankey has been described as the most powerful figure in college sports. and these negotiations will test his clout in a landscape where the Big Ten keeps growing stronger—and richer—while the SEC must keep its presidents and chancellors aligned.
That alignment, for now, appears steady. Georgia president Jere Morehead. an influential voice among the SEC’s presidents and chancellors. told The Athletic that a 24-team playoff would be “a mistake.” Morehead added that he thinks SEC university brass will follow Sankey’s guidance. Sankey’s guidance, at least in this week’s public framing, remains unchanged: don’t sign on to 24.
If the playoff expansion talks feel like a standoff, the reason is visible in the simplest sentence Sankey offered—he doesn’t anticipate any decisions this week. Behind that restraint, the SEC is buying time for one reason: without the SEC’s approval, the 24-team future still can’t arrive.
Greg Sankey SEC College Football Playoff 24-team expansion Tony Petitti Big Ten ACC Big 12 CFP negotiations Danny White Jere Morehead
So basically the SEC is like “nope” again. Cool cool.
I don’t get why they can’t just expand already. Like if it’s good for ratings why is one commissioner stopping it? Sounds political.
Sankey said “it doesn’t bother me” but also said he’s the holdout… so which one is it lol. Also he said no decisions this week, but that means it’s definitely happening soon right? I swear these people talk in circles.
The SEC coaches want 24 but the commissioner won’t sign off… so that’s why Tennessee keeps getting mentioned? I feel like this is just them protecting tradition or whatever. If the other conferences are already in, why does the SEC get to be the gatekeeper? Makes no sense to me, just delays.