Many around college football have expressed concerns over the way the Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences have been moving. The two leagues have pushed for more expansion, gotten it, but still don’t appear satisfied. There’s rummaging about how many spots they want in the College Football Playoff, and the popular theory the two will break off to form an “AFC” and “NFC” of college football still remains present. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey addressed that huge concern to the media on Thursday.
Sankey seemed to downplay those concerns, and suggested that the fears and perceptions have been created by outsiders and not the conferences’ actions and moves.
“I think that’s a created perception,” Sankey said via Nicole Auerbach. “But big problems are not solved in big rooms filled with people.”
Greg Sankey, asked about the idea that the Big Ten/SEC are separating themselves further from everyone else in college sports, including by meeting today: “I think that’s a created perception. … (But) big problems are not solved in big rooms filled with people.”
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) October 10, 2024
Sankey’s comments received some brushback after they went public. But it should come as no surprise that Sankey’s holding this position. He’s not going to outright reveal anything, but it sure feels like Sankey and the SEC’s moves don’t match that language on a “created perception.”
The SEC (and Big Ten) have indisputably been expanding over the years and seem to care only about their own self-interests. So it’s fair to say that based on the reaction, few are buying what Sankey is selling.
