1 week ago
29
DESTIN, Fla. -- SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said helium talked with the league shot coaches astatine magnitude Tuesday astir the value of the league title crippled and a 16-team College Football Playoff exemplary that would see the 5 highest-ranked league champions and 11 at-large spots.
"They talked astir -- I'll telephone it a 5+11 exemplary -- and our ain quality to gain those berths," Sankey said astatine the decision of the 2nd time of outpouring meetings. "... At the coaching level, the question is, wherefore wouldn't that beryllium fine? Why wouldn't we bash that? We talked astir 16 with them. So, bully speech -- not a destination -- but the archetypal clip I've had the quality to spell truly in-depth with ideas with them."
It was a important pivot from the highly-publicized propulsion for automatic qualifiers, peculiarly from the league's diversion directors and coaches, and presented an unexpected alternative. Sankey and the different FBS commissioners and Notre Dame diversion manager Pete Bevacqua request to find the playoff format for 2026 and beyond by Dec. 1.
It's a deadline Sankey said isn't perfect for the league's timing to determine if it wants to enactment with 8 league games oregon alteration to nine.
"I request to marque a scheduling determination successful 2026," helium said, declining to springiness a circumstantial date.
"So erstwhile I explicit vexation astir delays that are happening for decisions not made, those manifest themselves some successful that room. We didn't walk clip connected the question what's the criteria [for selection] look similar successful this caller era? We conscionable benignant of sat astir and it effects the timing of different decisions. We tin power our scheduling decision. We can't power each different constituent astir this."
Sankey said he's built immoderate flexibility connected the deadline, but added that helium believes it tin beryllium made autarkic of CFP format and the conception of play-in games.
"You tin marque decisions astir what you tin power past you tin person power implicit different decisions you don't power -- you enactment in," helium said. "But the timing is not what I would person designed from an optimal standpoint."
Florida diversion manager Scott Stricklin said helium can't enactment a nine-game league docket without guaranteed playoff entree for the SEC.
"That's hard for me," helium said. "... there's not a enactment that our league competes successful wherever little than fractional of our members are not successful the postseason but for one, and it happens to beryllium the 1 we each wage the astir attraction to. Last twelvemonth 3 of our 16 teams were successful the playoff. I deliberation that's a occupation systemically with the operation of what we're trying to do."
Not everyone successful the SEC is sold connected automatic qualifiers -- for anyone. Ole Miss manager Lane Kiffin said that aft seeing each of the information and analytics astir who would beryllium near retired successful aggregate models, helium thought "there's inactive flaws successful each system."
He suggested a 16-team playoff with the 16 champion teams and nary guarantees for anyone -- including league champs.
"The champion strategy should beryllium 16," helium said, "and should beryllium the 16 best."
English (US) ·