Greg Sankey claims rigor of SEC schedule is 'different than anyone else's'

On Monday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey delivered fiery opening remarks at the 2025 SEC Spring Meetings. In his remarks, Sankey repeatedly emphasized that the SEC was the best conference in the country. Following that train of thought, Sankey declared that SEC conference play is the most grueling in college football.

“Whether people want to agree with it or not, that’s up to them. We can go through the analytics and show the rigor of our schedule is different than anyone else’s, period,” Sankey said. “We had a learning session in September with the CFP about strength of schedule, and strength of schedule isn’t everything, but it is an important factor.

“I remember very clearly one of the messages was, if you play the top-ranked team and the 130th-ranked team, those two games average out to 65.5. If you play 65 and 66, they average out to 65.5. So the advisor said, you’re just as well playing 65 and 66. Here’s my problem: but for maybe one, maybe two teams in a year, we don’t have 65 or 66, and everybody else has a group that’s 60 and below. That has to be considered by us in making our schedule, by the CFP itself, and evaluating selection criteria.”

Last season, the SEC had 13 teams finish within ESPN’s strength-of-schedule top 25. The Big Ten had the second-most with nine. The next closest conference? The ACC with a mere two.

Nonetheless, the College Football Playoff selection committee didn’t reward the SEC for its overall strength. Instead, only three SEC teams made the CFP, compared to four Big Ten teams. Moreover, two ACC teams reached the CFP despite having substantially weaker schedules.

To add to Sankey’s complaint, Alabama finished at No. 11 in the CFP rankings but was ultimately pushed out for teams like SMU and Indiana that had better records against inferior completion. For reference, in ESPN’s strength-of-schedule rankings, Indiana finished at No. 35 and SMU at No. 41. Alabama landed at No. 20.

Unsure if the CFP selection committee will adjust their criteria, Sankey has pushed for the playoff to expand beyond its current 12-team format. Specifically, Sankey has advocated for a 16-team CFP, in which the SEC and Big Ten would each receive four automatic qualifiers, along with other at-large bids.

Obviously, Greg Sankey has received blowback from other conferences for the proposal. However, on Monday, Sankey stuck to his guns.

“If you actually go back and do the research, that kind of format could cost us positions depending on the number of teams,” Sankey said. “I don’t see the critics actually digging in to understand that reality. I don’t see the critics actually analyzing like I’ve just described, how schedules are evaluated so the critics can run to the microphones and share their opinions. We’re trying to find a format to determine whatever number it is, it’s the best teams in college football.”