Greg Sankey gives interesting response to CFP question after SEC-Big Ten commissioners meeting

The Big Ten and SEC held court in New Orleans on Wednesday as college football’s two most powerful leagues discussed how they’d like to move forward with the future of the College Football Playoff in 2026 and beyond.

ESPN insider Heather Dinich directly asked Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey what their leagues want with regards to the next iteration of the CFP, but neither were exactly forthcoming.

“No,” Sankey said during a joint press conference after the conclusion of their meeting with their combined 34 Big Ten and SEC athletic directors. “I think that’s something that we owe our colleagues first, and I think I’ve been consistent in that observation for us.”

I asked both commissioners if they could tell us what their leagues would like to see the CFP look like in 26 and beyond. “No,” Sankey said. “I think that's something that we owe our colleagues first, and I think I've been consistent in that observation for us.”

— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) February 19, 2025

The Big Ten and SEC were meeting in an effort to come to a unified agreement on a preferred proposal ahead of the CFP Management Committee scheduled to meet Feb. 25 in Dallas.

SEC, Big Ten pushing for ‘straight seeding’ in 2025 College Football Playoff

Four months after the SEC and Big Ten held their first joint meeting in Nashville, the conferences’ commissioners and athletic directors met for their second summit Wednesday in New Orleans.

Speaking to media members after their summit, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said they would like to see a “straight seeding” that mirrors the College Football Playoff committee ranking while still guaranteeing spots for five champs, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.

Sankey declined to discuss any specifics around the future format of the playoff starting in 2026, when the CFP’s new TV deal with ESPN begins.

As Yahoo! Sports first reported over the weekend, the SEC and Big Ten control the power over future CFP expansion. Conversations over future expansion to 14 or 16 teams have ramped up in recent months, with college football’s two power conferences eyeing automatic qualifiers.

A specific number of auto bids has not been announced yet, but proposals that have been floated include each conference receiving three to four bids with the ACC and Big 12 receiving two. Multiple SEC and Big Ten coaches have told On3 in recent weeks that they support the leagues receiving automatic bids.

Speaking to media members in October in Nashville, Sankey and Petitti pushed back on the idea of private equity needing to step in to establish a Super League.

On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this report.