DALLAS — It was at SEC media days three years ago when news broke, unexpectedly to commissioner Greg Sankey, that his conference was about to add Oklahoma and Texas. Sankey was hoping to use this year’s media days to herald the official addition of the two football powers — and while he did, he ended up fielding more questions about what comes next in expansion.
Probably nothing, Sankey tried to emphasize, growing exasperated at one point during a question-and-answer period following his opening remarks.
“I’ve responded three times where our focus lies. Our focus is on our 16 members,” Sankey said. “I have a responsibility to pay attention, but I’m certainly not going to fuel speculation on what happens next. We can certainly remain at 16 for a long, long time and remain incredibly successful.”
The SEC kicked off the latest realignment wave when it took Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12 three years ago. There was eventually seismic change elsewhere: the Big Ten expanding to 18 members by adding West Coast schools, the ACC adding three teams decidedly not on the Atlantic Coast, and the Pac-12 dwindling to two. Sankey used his opening remarks to humble brag about where his conference ended up when the smoke cleared.
“We know who we are in the Southeastern Conference. We’re the one conference at this level where the name still means something: the Southeastern part of the United States, where when we expanded, we actually restored historic rivalries,” he said. “Our expansion restored historic rivalries while adding only 100 miles to our longest previous campus-to-campus trip.”
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Sankey also said the SEC was “proudly at 16 teams today and will have 16 teams tomorrow.” That opened the door to questions, snarky or not, about Wednesday and beyond.
Clemson and Florida State are currently suing the ACC to get out of its grant of rights agreement. A media member asked Sankey if he’s continuing to follow the case, and if they succeed in court, what the ramifications would be for the entire college sports landscape.
Sankey expressed sympathy to his fellow commissioner Jim Phillips at the ACC, while also not closing the door on anything, but sending the message that the SEC doesn’t have to do anything. It can be selective, as it was in taking Oklahoma and Texas.
“They’re not the only phone calls I’ve ever had,” Sankey said. “But I’m not involved in recruitment. Our presidents have been clear that I am not going to entangle us in litigation around expansion. So I pay attention but I’m not engaged in those conversations. In fact, as I understand, the issue (in the ACC) is agreements have (been) signed and decisions have been made among a conference, and the question is are those going to be honored as they were established. Apparently, that’s for a court to decide.
“The broader implications, obviously if things change there’s a new level of uncertainty. It already creates speculation that I think is counterproductive. But I don’t spend an enormous amount of my time thinking about it.”
Sankey was also asked if the SEC would ever branch out beyond its current footprint. He leaned back on the SEC’s last two expansions, which saw it add Texas A&M and Missouri in 2012, then go into Oklahoma this year, along with doubling down in Texas.
“You’ve seen how we’ve made decisions over the last decade-plus, for contiguous states to join,” he said. “I think that’s incredibly wise. It provides remarkable strength. And I’m not going to guess on what happens next.”
In his opening remarks, Sankey addressed the overall state of college sports, hitting on the usual topics: The proposed settlement in the House v. NCAA case, the desire for federal legislation to address NIL and other issues. He also alluded to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, tying it to the divisiveness in the nation, and that at college football games you can see Democrats and Republicans alike at games.
“We need more of what college football does in this nation, not less,” Sankey said.
Sankey also reiterated his desire for fixes that keep the sport afloat. He spoke as the longest-tenured commissioner among the power conferences, and one of the two or three most powerful people in college athletics. And that power derives in large part from the SEC’s powerful position, along with the Big Ten as the two richest and stable conferences. That contrasts with the uncertainty in the ACC, and the Big 12 being open to private equity and naming rights in order to get more revenue.
As he did at SEC spring meetings a few months ago, Sankey downplayed his interest in that, or a super league, or much of any outside involvement.
“We have new-wave entrepreneurs who want to be in on the so-called front end of a new paradigm for college athletics,” Sankey said. “We’ve been incredibly successful, and I understand why so many outside of the campus and conference realm are interested in coming in and being a part of it, but that responsibility lies with us to bring people into the solution, not to cede authority to external actors.”
(Photo: Bryan Terry / USA Today)
