SEC Commissioner Sankey Says No Playoff Decisions Expected at Spring Meetings

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he does not anticipate any decisions on the College Football Playoff at the league's spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Florida. Sankey addressed speculation that the meetings would produce an immediate stance on expanding the playoff from 12 teams to 24. Just to make that clear, so we can tamp that down," Sankey said.

The SEC Sankey acknowledged that the SEC will not present a unified position on a 24-team playoff, unlike the Big Ten. He said the lack of unanimity does not concern him. "Doesn't bother me," Sankey said when asked about being viewed as the last holdout among power-conference commissioners.

Sankey referenced last year's discussions about expanding to 16 teams with automatic qualifiers as a model for how the current talks will proceed. "I'm not an opponent of 24 or 28," Sankey said. " He noted that the SEC never reached a unanimous vote when the playoff grew from four to 12 teams. I don't think you'd have a unanimous vote right now," Sankey said.

Sankey expressed concern that a larger playoff could reduce the value of regular-season games, particularly those that drive the SEC's strong television ratings. He cited Oklahoma's 2025 schedule, including a November road game at Tennessee, as an example of how playoff implications can increase interest in late-season contests.

Sankey said the league will continue to examine the on-field and financial effects of further expansion in the coming weeks.