https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...e-football

So he's still in favor of expanding the playoff even if he has to drag some members along. And when he talks about superconferences, he is talking 18 to 20, not 24.


"...So what might get us to superconferences then?

Sankey: It's impossible to answer all the hypotheticals, but we're mindful to what's happening around us. But you don't just make change because it sounds great to be at 18 or 20. You have to think about the right affiliations, opportunities and culture. Part of our work is to support, sustain and magnify a healthy culture, and that's one of the most under-observed realities in college sports today. That informs how we make national decisions. Can we collaborate together?...


Sankey: We've had a lot of change. All of us thinking big-picture has to be rethought, repositioned and reemphasized. But I'll give you an example: The SEC did not need to expand the College Football Playoff early. We didn't pound our fists about it. We looked at our colleague conferences who, rather than play through the 12-year cycle, demanded expansion sooner than later. I think it's a problem we've not had any meaningful West Coast participation in the playoff since 2016. I don't think that's good for college football. [The SEC] didn't need a 12-team playoff, and we certainly didn't need to give conference champions guaranteed access, but that seemed like an enormously healthy step in bringing new participants in and ensuring different regions participate. We can look big-picture, but some didn't want to move. Now we have to go back and rethink our position. We're certainly not perfect, and I'm not going to be altruistic in everything, but that's good evidence that we can think beyond our own needs to figure out how to keep college football strong across the nation...."