Joel Klatt explains what SEC coaches, ADs ‘fear’ if 24-team Playoff doesn’t materialize
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Joel Klatt has spent plenty of time on the discussion for (and against) a 24-team College Football Playoff field.
The current 12-team setup will remain in place through at least the 2026-27 season. It’s almost a given that there will be an expansion of some sort after that point. While 24 is the number preferred by Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettitti — and gaining traction in Big 12 and ACC corners, too — his SEC counterpart, Greg Sankey, is holding firm at 16.
Sankey, and, by extension, ESPN, could be the main obstacle standing in the way of a 24-team Playoff. But Klatt noted that pressure applied to the presidents of the SEC’s 18 universities from their head coaches and athletic administration could ultimately get Sankey to change his mind.
“Coaches and athletic directors are now trying to convince their presidents that, hey, we need this expansion because without a definition of success, how in the world are we going to raise this money in order to compete?” Klatt said. “Because what they fear is that the middle class is going to stop investing.
“And once they stop investing, then we lose the parity in college football, which we all love, from this last year, in particular in the 12-team model with Indiana winning the national championship.”
It’s clear that while expansion is all but assured to happen beginning with the 2027-28 season, we’re still a long way from knowing what form that will take.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
