The SEC is winning the realignment wars, which is why Greg Sankey is 'comfortable' with a 16-team conference

ATLANTA — Greg Sankey arrived at SEC Media Days for his annual “State of the Union” armed with jokes and jabs.  

The SEC’s commissioner quoted Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and made his annual reference to Bob Dylan. He took multiple subtle swipes at the Big Ten and the NCAA. He facetiously — or maybe not? — complained that his annual trip to his lake house in Skaneateles, New York was ruined with the monster realignment movement of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. 

“So much for our summer vacation,” Sankey said. 

But in-between the quips, Greg Sankey made it clear that the SEC is — and will continue to be so — the preeminent conference in college football — especially in an ever-changing landscape where the sport’s future continues to shift on a whim. 

“We face headwinds in college sports. It’s actually not new. It’s a decades-old problem. Those decades-old problems now rest firmly on our agendas,” Sankey said. 

“The SEC will not be complacent, even with the knowledge that we’re in a position of strength. … Despite the difficulties, despite the challenges, knowing the successes that are present, I’m confident that the best days of the Southeastern Conference still remain ahead.”

Sankey addressed a slew of issues Monday— from the SEC’s future scheduling, to NIL legislation and his thoughts on the future of the College Football Playoff — but the latest realignment wars dominated much of the oxygen inside the chilly College Football Hall of Fame. 

“No sense of urgency”

Although Sankey’s lakeside trip was spoiled, he didn’t let the surprising news alter his viewpoint on the future of the SEC. The league is set to expand to 16 teams on July 1, 2025 when Texas and Oklahoma join the league, and Sankey doesn’t anticipate the conference adding more teams anytime soon. 

Essentially: The SEC is strong now, will be stronger soon and can always continue to add more if necessary. 

“This is (already) a super league,” Sankey said. 

“There’s no sense of urgency, no sense of panic.”

“We’re not just shooting for a number of affiliations that make us better. Could they be out there? I would never say they’re not. I would never say that we will. We’re going to be evaluating the landscape. I’m not going to speculate. And I actually am watching a lot of this activity operating around us more so than impacting us directly.”

It’s easy to be skeptical of conference commissioners these days, but Sankey seemingly spoke candidly — as much as he could at least — in regards to any future SEC expansion. While new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark just said last week that its league is “open for business,” the SEC is marching forward with a different approach. 

The conference plans to continue to be proactive, not reactive, in regards to future expansion. Sankey purposely waited a week before gathering the league’s presidents and chancellors after the latest realignment news broke, opting for patience and more information. 

He admitted to “conversations” with various unnamed schools, yet ultimately, with Texas and OU joining the conference in the near future — news that broke a year ago this week — Sankey believes the league is “comfortable at 16 teams.” 

Oregon and Washington are currently in limbo with the crumbling Pac-12, but Sankey intimated — without naming either program — that they aren’t current fits for the league. Furthermore, although multiple ACC schools seem like natural fits with the SEC, the league won’t get in the way (for now, at least) of a messy and complicated land-of-rights contract.

Sankey didn’t miss the chance to take several shots at the Big Ten and its commissioner Kevin Warren on Monday, keenly noting that the SEC’s footprint still makes sense geographically amid its expansion, and despite its cushy relationship with Disney/ESPN, its future won’t be controlled by its TV partners. 

“This expansion keeps the SEC in contiguous states which supports reasonable geography among like-minded universities,” he said. 

“We don’t feel pressured to just operate at a number. But we’ll watch what happens around us and be thoughtful but be nimble.”

Only the Big 12 determines if OU and Texas can leave the conference early, but Sankey make it clear the SEC came out on top in the latest realignment wars. 

“Yes,” he said when asked if the additions of Texas and Oklahoma trump USC and UCLA for the Big Ten. 

“But I’m not sure we want to use the word trumped all the time these days. Got to be careful about that these days.”

You can make wisecracks when you continue to hold a winning hand. 

Fellow jokester Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin concurred with Sankey’s realignment scoreboard assessment, saying, “I don’t know that there’s a huge jump into the Big Ten. I think going to the SEC is a whole other animal. I think the draft picks, national championships prove that coming out of the SEC.

It’s a different world. I’ve said it for a long time: The SEC just means more. And it does. It’s different, it’s ahead of the game.”

And that’s just the way Sankey wants to operate: With the SEC ahead of the game. 

Conference realignment certainly isn’t over, but for the immediate future, the SEC appears to have hit pause on wheel that never seems to stop spinning.