SEC commissioner Greg Sankey shares thoughts on a 9-game schedule: “Not at the expense of an opportunity”

As a result of the expansion, many have advocated for nine in-game conference schedules. It would help to determine the conference's top two teams. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey likes the idea but says there is one major sticking point.

“One of the issues in the room for our athletics directors is what seemed to matter most, is the number to the right, the number of losses," Sankey said during his appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show. "And how do we understand what that means for our schedule moving forward?

"I’m one who said I really think we ought to be trying to move towards a nine-game conference schedule. I think that can be positive for a lot of reasons. You watch the interest around conference games. But not at the expense of opportunity."

However, Sankey says no decisions on schedules will be made until he hears more about the college football playoff expansion and how the seeds will be determined. The fear for Sankey and other SEC teams is that by playing nine conference games it will hurt their record and chances to make the playoffs.

Greg Sankey is interested in SEC high-profile games

If the SEC doesn't expand to nine games, Greg Sankey is interested in the conference playing high-profile games against other conferences.

Texas is playing Ohio State while LSU is playing Clemson, and those are the type of games Sankey would like to see if they don't go to nine conference games.

“I’d like to see us play more of these high-profile games. Both within the conference and outside the conference,” Sankey said.

“But we have to recognize the CFP selection process is an important governing factor, or decision making factor, that contributes to the eventual outcomes of whether it’s non conference games or whether it’s the number of games played within conferences.”

The SEC hasn't won a national title in the last two years, nor has a team from their conference even reached the national championship game in that span.

The 2025 college football season will kick off on August 23.