Greg Sankey doesn't want to hear it from the SEC's critics. Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Greg Sankey fires back at critics of SEC, Big Ten auto bid idea

Originally posted on CFB-HQ on SI | By James Parks | Last updated May 27, 2025 2:52 PM ET

Critics are loud and legion amid talks that the College Football Playoff could expand to 16 teams and give the SEC and Big Ten four automatic qualifiers each, every season.

Amid concerns around fairness and competitive integrity, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey called out those critics for, in his view, failing to see the big picture.

“There’s critics all over the place,” Sankey said at the SEC spring meetings. “If you actually go back and do the research, that kind of format could cost us positions depending on the number of teams.

“I don’t see the critics actually digging in to understand that reality. I don’t see the critics analyzing like I’ve just described, how schedules are evaluated so the critics can run to the microphones to share their opinions. We’re trying to find a format to determine whatever number it is. It’s the best teams in college football.”

Sankey added: “I think where we are right now is, we have used a political process inside a room to come to decisions about football. We should be using football information to come to football decisions.”

But those critics would argue that predetermining how much representation certain conferences get before games are played, and certainly awarding some leagues more places than others, is not the fairest system you could design for the playoff.

That argument generally comes from the ACC and Big 12, which are projected to get just two bids each, half of what the SEC and Big Ten are expected to receive in a new, expanded postseason, if the plan goes ahead.

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal denounced the idea of automatic qualifiers for conferences, suggesting such a proposal violates the basic tenets of football itself.

While most of “the best teams in college football” may reside in the SEC and Big Ten in a given season, opinion from outside those conferences feels that question should be answered on the field before any playoff positions are handed out.

But given the power the SEC and Big Ten have over the process going forward, it’s unlikely that view will get much exposure when it comes time to make those decisions official.