Greg Sankey finally addresses speculation about future SEC expansion

[jbcarol]

 Tom Green‏Verified account @Tomas_Verde 20m20 minutes ago

SEC commissioner addresses speculation about future conference expansion: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/04/greg_sankey_addresses_speculat.html ...

Sankey declined to deny whether the conference has privately explored expanding in an attempt to be the first league with 16 teams.

"I'll let others discuss expansion publicly," Sankey said, adding that he thought he answered the question "directly."

Speaking in front of a room of media members from throughout the southeast on Monday during the APSE region meeting on UAB's campus, Sankey was asked if he could definitively say that the SEC has not had recent internal discussions of expansion in hopes of beating another Power 5 conference to the punch.

The question came during an hour-long interview Sankey gave to the assembled media in Birmingham, and it was in response to the Big 12's recent public discussions last fall about expanding from its current format. The Big 12 last summer began exploring potential expansion candidates but in October decided to stand pat with its current 10 members.

"I think it's working incredibly well," Sankey said. "Both Texas A&M and Missouri have been important additions and are now and they've had a few years of that, so they're a member like everyone else. That's where any questions about expansion end with me."

Sankey, who has been serving as SEC commissioner since June 2015, also shot down any talk of a potential "super division" of Power 5 schools separate from the rest of the NCAA's Division I programs in football.

"Whenever I'm asked that question I say you know I'm only asked that question and have the conversation in media gathering like this, seriously, it's not an agenda item at any meeting," Sankey said. "We've committed now, what are three years in to a new governing structure that was predicated on the "big tent" model of Division I where there are now 351 Division I members? They're all very different but it is working and I think it can continue to work."

[jbcarol]

Sankey appeared on "The Paul Finebaum Show" Friday in Atlanta ahead of the SEC Championship Game. Sankey told Paul Finebaum that Oklahoma and Texas' move to the SEC is not impacted by the Playoff expanding in 2024

"CFP Expansion in '24 is not connected to our SEC Expansion scheduled for '25 with Texas and Oklahoma.  There has been a mention of openness with the Big 12 but that hasn't manifested itself as of yet."