Greg Sankey releases statement on CFP expansion

As the SEC commissioner, Greg Sankey oversees the league that has come to dominate college football. And with the announced expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams in the coming years, the SEC figures to keep going as a staple in the college football postseason.

Sankey released a statement via the official SEC Twitter account on Friday after news of the unanimous vote to grow the playoff was announced. The move will certainly be a boon for the SEC and other conferences financially as more games are played in front of large national audiences.

“This is an exciting day for the future of college football. As originally proposed, the 12-team playoff creates more access for teams and conferences across the country to compete in college football’s championship event. There is work to be done to make this format a reality, but I am pleased we are now all moving in the same direction with a common purpose,” Sankey said in the statement.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 @SEC 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 @GregSankey 𝗼𝗻 @CFBPlayoff 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: pic.twitter.com/AlvbfHTdL4

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) September 2, 2022

It will surely be a good day for the SEC, which could field a handful of teams in a 12-team playoff in any given year.

More on the CFP’s decision to expand to 12 teams

The College Football Playoff Board of Managers met Friday and voted unanimously to expand to 12 teams. The current CFP contract with ESPN runs through 2025, but talks could get started about expanding earlier than that. Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger reported the commissioners will meet next week to talk about just that and expanding as early as 2024 would lead to an extra $450 million in TV revenue.

No matter when the playoff expands, the CFP announced the format for its new look when it announced the decision.

The 12-team playoff will feature the six conference champions and the next six highest-ranked teams. The top four teams will get a bye, while the other eight teams play first-round games at campus sites. Quarterfinal and semifinal games will, in turn, be played at bowl game sites pending agreements with the bowls.

Additionally, the playoff can start in either the second or third weekend of December, and the committee called for “at least 12 days between the conference championship games and the first-round games.”