DESTIN, FLA. — Standing at the podium on the eve of SEC spring meetings, with rain pounding the beaches outside, commissioner Greg Sankey joked that the day before the annual event used to be calm and quiet. A few reporters would gather to discuss meetings that mostly flew under the radar.
But this year, the air was anything but calm. More than 20 reporters gathered for a rather formal press conference in a small theater at the Hilton resort. “If you can overhype a spring meeting, I think that successfully happened,” he said.
The source of the anticipation: The SEC might now be the lone holdout in expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams.
Last week, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti appeared to draw a line in the sand, saying the league is in agreement to vote on a 24-team field, and that they’re willing to wait if the SEC doesn’t agree. (The ACC and Big 12 commissioners have since come out in favor as well.) Sankey, however, has favored 16. The two commissioners must come to an agreement by Dec. 1 for the Playoff to expand in 2027-28.
But on Monday, Sankey told reporters not to expect the league to reach a consensus this week. “So you can tamp that down,” he said of the headlines.
