SEC commissioner Greg Sankey spoke to reporters on Saturday ahead of the Border War showdown between Mizzou and Kansas, but he did not have an update on College Football Playoff expansion.
The SEC announced last month it would be moving from 8 league games to 9 beginning with the 2026 season — a move that was heavily influenced by changing strength of schedule standards within the CFP selection committee. The decision was also believed to be a crucial sticking point in the discussion surrounding further expansion of the Playoff, with the SEC and the Big Ten in disagreement over how many teams should have guaranteed slots in the field.
But the SEC’s move has not yet changed anything on the expansion front.
“We’ll have a 12-team format this year,” Sankey said Saturday, per The Athletic’s Justin Williams. “If we don’t change the 12-team format, guess what, we’ll have a 12-team format at the end of next year.”
Sankey echoed comments he made last month when the league made its decision — that the CFP selection committee’s revised metrics were believed to be progress but not yet perfection. Sankey also said once again that he wants to see how the committee evaluates strength of schedule later this year when the rankings are put together.
While the Big Ten had floated the idea of a 28-team CFP earlier this summer, Sankey said Saturday the SEC remains attached to a 16-team model.
The FBS leagues have until Dec. 1 to decide on a new format, Sankey said, or the field will remain fixed at 12 for the 2026-27 season.
“The consideration of growth for us is 16. It appears a justifiable and reasonable step,” Sankey said. “You’ve heard plenty of other ideas. It’s not clear that those ideas generate the support to move.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
