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SEC commissioner Greg Sankey supports CFP expansion
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

'About more than adding teams': SEC commissioner Greg Sankey supports CFP expansion

By Clark Dalton  |  Last updated Nov 9, 2026 2:57 PM ET
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College football "just means more" to the SEC. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that it's supporting College Football Playoff expansion. 

On Monday, ESPN and the CFP agreed to a five-year, $1.7B deal that will double the tournament from 12 to 24 teams in 2027. The move will eliminate conference championship games in Power Four conferences. 

After the news broke, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey released a statement. He insisted CFP expansion isn't just a money grab but a way to protect the sport.

Greg Sankey addresses CFP expansion

"Expanding the College Football Playoff is about more than adding teams. It is about creating meaningful opportunities for student-athletes and universities, rewarding competitive excellence and challenging schedules, increasing fan access to championship competition by expanding the number of on-campus playoff games, and strengthening the importance of the entire season from opening weekend through the national championship. 

"This new format advances those priorities while preserving what makes college football special and supporting the long-term future of our sport."

Why Greg Sankey's statement misses the mark 

Oh please. How does this change protect college football when it eliminates conference championships and significantly reduces the regular season's importance? The expanded bracket allows multiple teams with three losses to make the CFP. 

It will provide new opportunities ... for SEC schools and teams in other Power Four conferences. The CFP shared what a 24-team bracket would've looked like last season after confirming it agreed to the deal. It included seven teams from the conference: Oklahoma Sooners, Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Bulldogs, Texas A&M Aggies, Vanderbilt Commodores, Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide.

Last season's 12-team bracket featured five SEC teams, the most among all conferences. Under the current format, conferences earn $4M for each team that makes the CFP, so the SEC collected $20M from those appearances last season. That wasn't enough? 

The SEC and other Power Four conferences can claim expansion is for the sport's greater good. But if they play their cards wrong—and it wouldn't be a surprise if they do—college football could become unrecognizable, risking a loss of fan support. 

"As we expand the postseason, we must be careful not to diminish the very qualities that have made college football such a compelling sport," MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a statement. "We must also recoginize that a larger playoff does not necessarily mean greater financial benefits for all conferences and institutions, making the long-term sustainability of the FBS an important consideration. 

"The expansion of the playoff creates opportunities, but a larger playoff alone does not define progress. Ultimately, the success of this new format will be measured by whether it strengthens college football as a whole, not simply by the number of teams competing for a national championship."

It appears the SEC, once again, isn't considering the rest of college football. Instead, it's aiming to pack the CFP and rake in even more money. 

Clark Dalton
X Muck Rack

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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