MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. – As SEC meetings get underway inside the Hilton SanDestin resort on the beaches of Florida, the question remains on how divided the conference is on moving further into expansion in the future.
Obviously, that’s one of the biggest questions pertaining to the overall future of college athletics, with the NCAA Tournament recently making the move to expand its field.
Judging by the comments made by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, it’s clear that they will not be rushing to a decision, even if outside pressure rises from opposing conferences.
But, the most intriguing part of the current situation presiding over the SEC is how many schools are actually on the same page about the economic structure that athletic directors and presidents are currently festering over.
In reality, the SEC needs to get its own house in order. If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that while things might look good on the outside, the house can be in a perceived disarray without the headlines that could be created.
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While the Big Ten is currently holding the perceived power, it’s almost as if the SEC is playing second-fiddle in the two-piece band. For that, there are certain housekeeping issues that need to be put back in place.
Now, let’s not act as if Greg Sankey cares that Lane Kiffin has created a firestorm in Baton Rouge ever since accepting the LSU job before Ole Miss took a snap in the College Football Playoff.
Now, the conference, with a nudge from Ole Miss officials, is discussing whether to issue a public reprimand against Kiffin for his comments made in a Vanity Fair piece that did not sit well in Oxford. The Tigers’ head coach essentially said that there were parents worried about sending their kids to Ole Miss because of past racial issues.
No, I don’t think the SEC will do anything, at least not publicly. But,
Or what about the Texas head coach? Steve Sarkisian has essentially become one of the hottest quote-machines within the conference, taking aim at Ole Miss in recent weeks. You know, because it’s perceived to be easy to take shots at the Rebels right now after the departure of Kiffin, stacked on top of the allegations of tampering that the NCAA is currently investigating.
Throw in the College Sports Commission looking into alleged NIL deals in Oxford, and it’s no wonder why head coach Pete Golding is taking on multiple outside forces.
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But, when you really get down to the nuts and bolts of inner workings within the SEC, most of it comes down to what is the perceived best path forward for a conference that holds a majority of the power with their colleagues in the Big Ten.
We could argue until we’re blue in the face over the topic of expansion. Heck, we’re already doing that on a daily basis thanks to social media and the never-ending negotiations that will continue being hot-button issues for fans.
But, as for bringing 16-team discussions to the table, the notion that it was the SEC who started this conversation was not lost on Greg Sankey, who was asked about Tony Petitti mentioning that a 16-team format would not be discussed at Big Ten meetings.
“I was surprised, because they brought 16 teams to the table last year. All those 16-team ideas, they weren’t ours,” Greg Sankey said on Monday night.
The sentiment from those athletic directors and presidents who OutKick has spoken with in recent weeks is a divided one, but not in a hostile way. Some see it as the smart move to create revenue within a conference that is making almost double what their counterparts in the ACC are making with year-end payouts.
“I get why coaches want expansion. I never said that we were opposed to 24 teams, I’ve told my colleagues that”
When asked if leaders within SEC would agree on 12 teams being a viable route moving forward if they cannot come to an agreement on expansion, Sankey did not mince his words.
“It varies, I don’t think we’d have a unanimous vote on the number”
But, to act as though the financial burden is not being felt within the SEC would be shortsighted, given the current race to spend for a playoff berth.
Overall, in the grand scheme of things regarding expansion that would include potential elimination of a conference title game, the commissioner knows it comes down to finances.
“We have contracts, so we’re pretty committed … We have contracts”
