Sankey: SEC, Big Ten have 'different view' of CFP

ATLANTA -- As the clock ticks on a Dec. 1 deadline to determine a format for the College Football Playoff in 2026 and beyond, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey reiterated the possibility it could stay at 12 teams if his league and the Big Ten can't agree on what model would be best.

Sankey said he and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti spoke four out of five days last week and acknowledged the SEC's "different view" coming out of its spring meetings in Destin, Florida. While the Big Ten has favored a model that rewards conferences with guaranteed spots and play-in games to determine them, the SEC coaches most recently said they would now prefer a 16-team format that includes the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large bids.

"The Big Ten has a different view," Sankey said following his opening remarks on the first day of SEC media days at the College Football Hall of Fame. "That's fine. We have a 12-team playoff, five conference champions. That can stay if we can't agree."

Before agreeing to a new media rights deal with ESPN in March 2024, the nine FBS commissioners and Notre Dame leadership had to first sign a memorandum of understanding that outlined in broad terms what the next contract would look like. Sankey said the document gives the Big Ten and the SEC the bulk of control over the playoff's future format. It's an agreement some have privately questioned, but Sankey emphasized the role the Big Ten and SEC have in the room.

"Unless you're going to tear up the MOU -- which maybe other people want to do because of their concerns about the decision-making authority," Sankey said, "but very clearly in that memorandum of understanding is [the authority] granted to the combination of the SEC and Big Ten ultimately we have to use that authority with great wisdom and discretion."

That doesn't mean they will agree.

"I think there's this notion that there has to be some magic moment, and something has to happen with expansion, and it has to be forced," Sankey said. "When you're given authority, you want to be responsible using that authority. I think both of us are prepared to do so. ... We don't need unanimity, and ultimately, if not, there's a level of authority granted to the Big Ten and SEC together. But there's a lot to that. It's not you just show up and pound your fist and something happens. I hope that type of narrative can be reduced, but we'll keep talking."

The SEC will also continue to keep talking about its 2026 schedule, and whether to move from eight to nine league games -- also a key component in the CFP discussions, as multiple sources in the Big Ten have said they wouldn't consider a 5+11 model unless the SEC and the ACC both move to nine league games. Sankey said every team in the SEC played at least nine games against Power opponents, and several played 10 of their 12 games against Power opponents. And the same will be true this fall.

"I don't believe there's anyone looking to swap their conference schedule and its opponents with the opponents played by the Southeastern Conference teams in our conference schedule, be it eight or nine," Sankey said. "There is a rigor here that is unique."

Sankey said once they make a decision on their schedule, the conference office is "pretty ready to go."

"It won't linger terribly much longer," Sankey said. "We have to make decisions about the '26 season and adjust if we're going to go to nine games, and there have to be games removed or rescheduled, and if we stay at eight, probably a little bit easier on that part of the logistics."

Sankey addressed a wide range of topics on Monday, saying he doesn't think college athletics has experienced so much change in the past 100 years as it faces now.

"Let me be clear," he said, "from my perspective, college athletics is not broken. It is under stress. It is strained."

As the House settlement begins to put a new financial burden on campuses, Sankey said the SEC has also considered "outside financing ideas" as late as last week. He said the SEC's stance on private equity hasn't changed, and it's not the right move for the league at this time.

"We have been probably 2½, 3 years into visits with banks, private equity, with venture capital," he said. "You can go down the range, private capital is another phrase that's been used. That's not been the right direction for us. We've not seen the concept that works. That doesn't mean we won't consider opportunities. If there are opportunities for mutual benefit, those would peak our interest, but the notion of just jumping to something because there's a pot of money there seems an uninformed direction and simply taking propositions where there's not the kind of clarity around what if you don't meet your high-end predictions, what's left then? Those are things that continue to weigh heavily on our mind."