SEC Not Aligned on College Football Playoff Expansion

SEC Spring Meetings are underway in Destin, Florida, and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey got the ball rolling with College Football Playoff expansion.

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"We'll spend some time looking at a range of possibilities around the Playoff itself, both learning from the successes and trying to look forward," Sankey said during his opening press conference at the SEC spring meetings. However, he cautioned against doubling the size of the playoff field from 12 to 24 teams.

"We've used examples from professional sports. When professional sports have added to the postseason, it's always been a small adjustment. Four to twelve was monumental, but I think it was justifiable. You want to be careful about how far you go.

That's understanding the competitive impacts - and maybe you bring more teams into the conversation, and you make a judgment, because I think that's what you'd have to do - a game that may not have that same type of leverage and value, because both teams could be in, that's minimal. But, the ability to bring more teams into the conversation that would have been out creates value in the regular season."

"I do not anticipate any decisions on the College Football Playoff. Just to make that clear, so we can tamp that down," Sankey said.

Sankey's playoff proposal is a 16-team field, mirroring what the Big Ten brought to the table last year. The SEC pushed back then, and now that Sankey and the SEC are more open to adding another four teams to the Playoff, the Big Ten is pushing for 24.

The SEC is not aligned with what they want, with On3's Brett McMurphy reporting that several SEC Athletic Directors want the playoff to expand beyond Sankey's 16-team format. Sankey acknowledged that there would not be a unanimous vote if the SEC voted on a preferred playoff format. Coaches in the SEC acknowledge the league's depth, and with a ninth league game being added in 2026, competing in the SEC will be that much harder.

Alabama, Georgia, and LSU were the only SEC teams to make the playoffs during the four-team format. In the 12-team format, Alabama and Georgia remained in the playoff field, with Texas A&M, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss joining the field. If last year's playoffs were a 24-team format, Vanderbilt would have made the playoffs as well.

SEC coaches want to be able to say they made the College Football Playoff as the conference gets stronger from top to bottom, with parity across the sport loosening the stranglehold that the SEC held on the sport for over a decade.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.