Commissioner Greg Sankey says that the SEC knows what it is

College football conference expansion took off last offseason to the point where several conferences are now unrecognizable.

One conference, the Pac-12, is on life support after losing every school but Oregon State and Washington State, but the fallout is that the Big Ten extends all the way west to Southern California and northwest to Oregon, while Cal and Stanford now play in the ACC — the Atlantic Coast Conference.

A lot of it doesn't make sense and, frankly, was just part of a power grab. That's a power grab the SEC was involved with as well — the conference won big by winning over Texas and Oklahoma — but recently speaking at SEC Media Days, conference commissioner Greg Sankey undoubtedly put on the breaks in regard to any more expansion.

Growing from 14 teams to 16 teams seems "just right" for Sankey.

"16 is our today, and 16 is our tomorrow,” Sankey said, per On3 . “We’re focused on our 16, period."

While college football leadership can be much like politicians — in that they say one thing while doing the other — it is worth noting that what Sankey says makes sense.

He feels the SEC is extremely strong, and that's hard to argue. He also feels that in a new college football era in which location and history as gone out the window, the SEC has held on to some of what makes college football so dear to so many.

“We know who we are in the Southeastern Conference. We’re the one conference at this level where the name still means something,” Sankey said. "We actually restored historic rivalries. We have dates that have meaning, that we understand.”

There could certainly be another round of expansion in the near future. Florida State and Clemson seem itchy to leave the ACC and either school would seem like a natural fit for SEC country.

Sankey doesn't yet want to comment on that, though.

“I’m not going to guess on what happens next,” Sankey said. “My job is to make sure we meet the standard of excellence that we have for ourselves on a daily basis. That attracts interest. It’s done that with the two universities that we have added this year. They’re not the only phone calls I’ve ever had, but I’m not involved in recruitment.”

Sankey may not be actively recruiting, but you just know he'll take the phone call if the Seminoles or Tigers are on the other line. Either way, Sankey says he's going to remain fixated on the SEC.

"I’m convinced through all this change, our best is yet to come," he said.