Sankey dismisses talk of proposed ‘extremely league’

• Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Citizen WriterApr 24, 2024, 09:01 PM ET

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  • College football press reporter
  • Signed up with ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of Indiana University

IRVING, Texas– SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on Wednesday dismissed any interest in talking about a “extremely league” in college sports, instead highlighting his belief that “there’s a lot going right” in the present landscape.

“The reality that people have interest in tossing concepts out, that depends on them,” Sankey told a small group of press reporters following the conclusion of the yearly College Football Playoff spring conferences. “I spend my time on what I need to do.”

In mid-February, the search company TurnkeyZRG circulated a confidential proposition that included seven divisions with 10 schools each, according to a copy gotten by ESPN, however it has stopped working to gain major assistance. Sankey pressed back on the story that college sports remains in a crisis, pointing to current interest in personal equity as proof that the NCAA has an important item.

“You can use the cliché, ‘If I was purchasing stock, I ‘d buy stock in college sports,'” he said. “Well, obviously a lot of people think that beyond college sports. Something’s going right.”

Sankey’s perspective on the so-called very league originates from a position of power, as his conference is poised to be one of the largest and wealthiest with the pending additions of Oklahoma and Texas this summer, together with the new rewarding CFP income distribution model. Today’s CFP spring conferences marked the very first in-person event of the FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua considering that the group ceded the bulk of the playoff power to the Huge 10 and SEC.Even with

the balance of power shifting– and his conference participated in a legal battle with Florida State over the league’s grant of rights and exit charges– ACC commissioner Jim Phillips stated he, too, is bullish about the league’s future and the state of college sports.

“Certainly there’s turmoil,” stated Phillips, “however when you look at what has actually taken place– look at the numbers that we’ve seen throughout the last 2 days– it’s a reaffirmation about the strength of college sports and the flexibility of it that even with pressure points within, the system continues to discover its way forward in an extremely positive, significant way that is still greatly linked to the population that likes college sports.”

Phillips chaired the two-day conferences at the Ritz Carlton resort, where the commissioners and Bevacqua focused on the information of carrying out the 12-team playoff this fall. While there wasn’t any conversation about the future format in 2026 and beyond, the group did make a change to its existing policy surrounding the Army-Navy game.Starting this fall,

the CFP selection committee won’t consider the results of that game in its last ranking, which will be launched 6 days earlier. Both Army and Navy will be qualified for the playoff, but a win in their final game– or a loss– will not affect their last standing. In the previous four-team system, there was a guideline for Army-Navy that would allow the committee to revise its last ranking if necessary.The game’s renowned place in the calendar was called into question since in the brand-new format, the 5 highest-ranked conference champs are ensured an area in the 12-team field– suggesting either Army or Navy might possibly compete for the national title if either one wins the American Athletic Conference. Part of the factor Army relinquished its independent status and signed up with the AAC was for a much better path to the playoff, together with the earnings it brings.CFP executive director Expense Hancock stated Army and Navy both worried their choice to leave the game where it’s presently

scheduled, on the 2nd Saturday in December. “The choice committee will develop the last rankings on Selection Day,”Hancock stated. “The results of games played after that will not be thought about.”