Sankey: SEC being neglected of CFP not ‘real life’

• Mark Schlabach, ESPN Elder WriterDec 2, 2023, 11:18 AM ET

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  • Senior college football author
  • Author of seven books on college football
  • Graduate of the University of Georgia

ATLANTA– As No. 1 Georgia prepares to play No. 8 Alabama in Saturday’s SEC national championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stated the idea of his league being overlooked of the four-team College Football Playoff isn’t the “real life.”

Some analysts have argued that if Alabama upsets Georgia on Saturday, both groups might be left out of the CFP, depending upon what happens in other conference championship games.Sankey, in an interview on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday, said a case could be made that both the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide be worthy of to be in the playoff.

“That’s not the real world of college football,” Sankey said. “Let’s go back to like ‘Sesame Street’ so we’re actually fundamental– among these things is not like the other, and that’s the Southeastern Conference.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated”We have 5 of

the top 15 [in the CFP rankings], so a third, and our teams are playing everybody in the conference. … The reality is there has been no one that’s experienced the success in the postseason in the College Football Playoff that we have. So when you put us up really against the teams, rather than in the committee rooms, we stand alone. And we stand alone this year, no matter today’s result.”

Two-time defending nationwide champion Georgia, which has won 29 successive games, would undoubtedly secure an area in the playoff and most likely be the No. 1 seed for the second straight year if it beats the Crimson Tide. But if Alabama wins, the Bulldogs may leave of the leading four completely, depending on what occurs in Saturday’s other conference title games.No.

3 Washington likely punched its playoff ticket by concluding a 13-0 season with a 34-31 triumph against No. 5 Oregon in Friday night’s Pac-12 champion game.No.

2 Michigan can also finish unbeaten by beating No. 16 Iowa in Saturday night’s Huge 10 championship game (8 p.m. ET, Fox). No. 4 Florida State would have an unblemished record too by knocking off No. 14 Louisville in the ACC title game (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN App). The Seminoles are playing without hurt star quarterback Jordan Travis and may not have backup Tate Rodemaker readily available since of a concussion.No.

7 Texas, which disturb Alabama 34-24 on the roadway Sept. 9, can make things even more interesting for the choice committee by beating No. 18 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game (Midday ET, ABC/ESPN App).

“The requirements is not to put the undefeated groups in the four-team playoff,” Sankey stated. “If we did that, we would have FCS teams in the CFP. You need to look deeply, and I think the committee has to consider big-picture concerns like the Texas and Alabama game. That was a substantial night. Should that game be scheduled? Take that game off Alabama’s schedule and what does this look like today? You need to reward people for winning those games, definitely. You just can’t ultimately punish them. It’s not a one-week analysis; it’s a full-season analysis.”

SEC teams have captured six of the 9 CFP championship games given that the four-team format was introduced in the 2014 season. 4 other SEC groups lost in the CFP national championship.

“Let’s go back to the basics of what it is we’re expected to do,” Sankey said. “Go back to those requirements, and return and look [at the] big picture. Again, I would make the case that one of these conferences is not like the others, from the perspective of competitiveness, intensity, level of football that’s played. That’s revealed itself year over year over year. That’s not special this year.”