Greg Sankey calls out Big Ten at SEC meetings: 4 things to watch for

MIRAMAR BEACH, Florida — Greg Sankey, professorial as ever, addressed a myriad of hot-button collegiate sports issues on the eve of what figures to be a pivotal week of discussions at the SEC Spring Meetings on Monday night.

Sankey was clear the future of the College Football Playoffs and their pending expansion would not be solved this week, and for that matter, a landscape littered with unresolved issues would likely remain fluid.

But Sankey did set a philosophical tone in his opening remarks that will apply to the problem-solving that lies ahead.

“People have to want to be governed,” Sankey said, “but the governing system has to be able to attach itself to the (modern) realities and focus on the priorities …. “

Indeed, the changes that have occurred in the wake of the House vs. NCAA settlement last year, with eligibility, transfer and NIL dealings still muddled, have left collegiate leadership searching for sustainable answers.

The SEC Spring Meetings don’t begin until Tuesday at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa, when the dean of SEC coaches Kirby Smart speaks along with a handful of other football leadership figures.

Here are some key issues that will be discussed, and what Sankey shared about them on Monday night:

1. Playoff Field Expansion

The Big Ten has thrown down the gauntlet on a 24-team playoff, with the Big 12 and ACC pledging their current allegiance to that model rather than the 16-team format floated by the SEC.

New Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti recently said the 16-team playoff model wasn’t even discussed at his league’s spring meetings, drawing a sharp rebuttal from Sankey.

“I was surprised by that since they (Big Ten) brought 16 (-team playoff model) to the table,” Sankey said. “When we were meeting last year, all those 16-team ideas (last year) weren’t ours. I think there’s clarity that they have looked at 16, just not much of late.

“Our responsibility is to look at a lot of alternatives… look at the spectrum of possibilities and the rationale of alternatives.”

Sankey suggested there’s still time for the ACC and Big 12 to change their opinions on the expanded playoffs, saying “positions seem to change a lot,” while also noting Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP, would be on hand this week to meet with officials.

“I think we did a good job of informing our position on 16,” Sankey said. “We’ll consider other ideas, certainly this week and moving forward.”

2. SEC establishing its own rules

Georgia president Jere Morehead has been adamant the SEC needs to take steps to establish and enforce rules after a vote on the SCORE act — which would have provided antitrust exemptions for the NCAA to set its own rules on eligibility, transfers and NIL compensation — was canceled by House leadership.

Sankey acknowledged SEC leaders have “frustration about the lack of progress,” and said “It’s not new that we would have our own sets of rules as a league….

“We still believe we need national standards, if those can’t be achieved, we’ll have to look at more conference-led regulation, that’s the reality we’re facing.”

When pressed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for specifics on if or how Morehead’s proposal the SEC vote on its own rules and implement them quickly, Sankey conceded some bylaws will be voted on this week.

“We have a three-week notice process,” Sankey said. “We have to have rationale and legal defenses for that…. we understand how to change rules.”

3. Challenges to the College Sports Commission (CSC) management and operations structure

Sankey indicated the SEC will continue to support the CSC, which was formed last May to regulate and govern NIL dealings, even as there have been complaints.

“The level of innovation that’s taken place over the last 12 months is pretty remarkable since this kind of oversight has never existed,” Sankey said, pointing out that third-party NIL activity was not a result of the House vs. NCAA settlement outcome, it was a state law outcome.

“Whenever there’s oversight there will be complaints … is there frustration taking place? Sure. But there’s innovation, there’s oversight there are imperfections and we’re going to work to help address those imperfections.

“We need to learn from the experiences of the past few months and the past year.”