2024 SEC Media Days: Greg Sankey preaches stability of league as chaos reigns across college sports

DALLAS -- When heading into SEC Media Days on Monday, former Alabama coach Nick Saban was stopped at the entrance of the Omni Dallas Hotel. He was turned away for forgetting his credential. As a newly minted media member, the legendary coach has never had to wear a credential to participate in the annual preseason festivities.

Needless to say, there's few better indicators of the new era in college football. Texas and Oklahoma are now officially SEC members as the league balloons to 16 teams. The College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams. Lawyers are working to finalize the House v. NCAA legal settlement, which will formalize revenue sharing between schools and athletes.

Acknowledging the chaos, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey framed his league as a new center of stability amid the storm.

"We know who we are in the Southeastern Conference," Sankey said. "We're the one conference at this level where the name still means something: the Southeastern part of the United States, where when we expanded, we actually restored historic rivalries while only adding 100 miles to the longest campus-to-campus trip."

Of course, some may take issue with Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri being labeled "southeastern," but the point still stands. The SEC isn't a bicoastal league like the Big Ten or ACC, and it doesn't cover four time zones like the Big 12.

Furthermore, there's very little additional value needed. More than half the league has won a national championship in the BCS/CFP era (1998). With Texas and Oklahoma joining the fray, the league has also captured 16 national championships in that span. Heading into this new era, needless to say, the SEC is as strong as ever.

Sankey repeatedly echoed that 16 is the standard for SEC membership, and he expects it remain that way into the future. The comments rebuff short-term interest in Florida State and Clemson as the two schools currently battle for a potential ACC exit.

"As I've said, we're focused on our 16," Sankey said. "I'm not a recruiter. My job is to make sure we meet the standard of excellence that we have for ourselves on a daily basis that attracts interest. We've done that with the two universities that we've added this year. They're not the only phone calls I've ever had, but I'm not going to get involved in recruitment. Our presidents have been clear that I am not going to enangle us in litigation around expansion.

"We can certainly remain at 16 for a long, long time and be incredibly successful."

Avoiding litigation has also been a major theme in recent months. The NCAA reached a $2.8 billion settlement as part of a class action lawsuit in House v. NCAA, which is set to ignite a paradigm shift.

With it, many new forces have tried to force their way into college football. During its media days last week, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark noted his long-term interest in finding a private equity partner. Sankey made reference to professional leagues and entrepreneurs trying to get into the space, including those working with NIL.

"I understand why so many outside of the campus and conference realm are interested in coming in and being a part of it, but that responsibility lies with us to bring people into the solution, not cede authority to external actors," Sankey said.

Additional notes:

• The SEC has entered into a partnership with Apple to provide iPads for sideline use. The NCAA modified rules this offseason to allow live video during games. The Big 12 announced a similar partnership with Microsoft last week.
• The SEC is finalizing new tiebreaker scenarios as the league moves to a division-less format. Sankey expects to have another meeting with athletic directors next week to work on the procedures. In a 16-team league, tiebreakers will play a major role in deciding a champion.
• Sankey called on Congress to help create national guidelines around NIL and college football governance. The SEC, and other leagues, have made repeated trips to Capitol Hill in hopes of creating long-term authority: "We know we have a responsibility to deal with our shortcomings. We know we have to act to solve our own problems, and we're doing that now. But we want the College Football Playoff. America wants the Final Four. We desire a College World Series or a College Cup. To do so, we need national standards."
• SEC Media Days is taking place in Dallas for the first time . Sankey described Texas as a big part of the SEC heading forward as the Longhorns join Texas A&M in the league.