Greg Sankey jokes SEC could get seven teams in future College Football Playoff

As the College Football Playoff prepares to expand from four teams to 12 teams in 2024, conferences are already looking forward to more bids. Count SEC commissioner Greg Sankey as part of the group thinking big.

“Six,” Sankey joked about how many bids the league could receive. “Maybe seven, I guess, if you count our conference champion since there’s six conference champions and six at-large. So we’ll max it out at seven with a smile on my face.”

As part of the format, which will become reality starting with the 2024-25 season, six conference champions will receive automatic bids and six other teams will receive at-larges. Additionally, both the SEC and Big Ten will be moving toward becoming 16-team leagues as conference realignment prepares to officially happen.

That’s why Sankey said there’s a chance both conferences could see a strong presence in a 12-team CFP.

“If you look over time, between the SEC and Big Ten, looking backwards and forwards, I think we’d be pretty close,” Sankey said. “Neither of us have been at a [12-team] playoff, so I’d anticipate the opportunity for three, perhaps four, of our teams total between the conference champion and the at-large teams to be fully in the mix on an annual basis.”

College Football Playoff officially announces expansion to 12 teams in 2024

After months of working out logistics, the College Football Playoff made it official. It is expanding to 12 teams in 2024.

A press released hit the public on Thursday morning, and it featured a statement from Bill Hancock, the Executive Director of the College Football Playoff.

“We’re delighted to be moving forward,” Hancock said. “When the board expanded the playoff beginning in 2026 and asked the CFP Management Committee to examine the feasibility of starting the new format earlier, the Management Committee went right to work. More teams and more access mean more excitement for fans, alumni, students and student-athletes.

“We appreciate the leaders of the six bowl games and the two future national championship game host cities for their cooperation. Everyone realized that this change is in the best interest of college football and pulled together to make it happen.”

In September, the CFP announced its decision to expand from four teams to 12 by 2026. But after the decision came out, rumors swirled about potential early expansion depending on whether the CFP could work it out with its contract with ESPN. The initial deal ran through 2025.