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“College athletics isn’t broken, but it’s definitely under strain,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters Monday morning as he kicked off the conference’s media days in Atlanta.
With college sports changing faster than ever, Sankey’s mission remains focused on positioning the SEC for success amid revenue sharing implementation and upcoming College Football Playoff format changes.
“The settlement took effect July 1, and here we are on July 14 working through historic change,” Sankey explained. “Things get messy during significant transitions. That doesn’t mean you quit — you don’t step off the marathon course halfway through. While commissioners and conference offices bear the burden of creating this new system, campus leaders share the responsibility.”
This spring, Sankey met with university presidents about forming a Power Four committee to shape college athletics’ future. This group would include multiple presidents and commissioners from each major conference.
Playoff Format: More Teams, Please
Sankey praised the playoff’s move to straight seeding for 2025, where the top four teams in the final rankings get first-round byes — a change from last year’s system that automatically advanced the four highest-ranked conference champions regardless of overall ranking.
He’s pushing for an even bigger tournament down the road.
“We think growth beyond 12 can be positive and should be pursued,” he stated simply.
The commissioner believes the SEC “has the best hand to play” in expansion discussions and won’t back down on its positions regarding automatic bids and bracket structure.
Eight Games or Nine? The Schedule Debate Continues
When asked about the hotly debated move to nine conference games in 2026, Sankey didn’t tip his hand.
“It’s absolutely, fully and 100% correct that we play eight conference games, while others play nine,” Sankey acknowledged. “It’s also correct that last season, all 16 members played at least nine games against what you’d label power opponents. I don’t believe there’s anyone looking to swap their conference schedule for ours.”
He added: “I handed out stats in Destin that created quite a stir, showing there’s a unique rigor to our schedule.”
The conference is still weighing whether to increase SEC games annually. No timeline was provided for revealing the 2026 football schedule, though Sankey indicated decisions are coming soon.
“We have to make decisions soon if we’re going to nine games,” he explained. “If we stay at eight, it’ll probably be a little easier logistically.”
