Greg Sankey: 'There's no rift' with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti over CFP debate

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti are on good terms despite having opposing views on a potential revised College Football Playoff model. Before leaving Atlanta for SEC Media Days, Sankey made sure to quell any rumors that the two don’t have a working relationship on the subject matter.

“There is no rift between the SEC and Big Ten commissioners,” Sankey said during an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show on Thursday. “We have different views. That’s okay.”

Sankey told Finebaum that the idea the two do not speak is false. The SEC commissioner said he spoke to Petitti “four times last week.” Him and Petitti have since been in contact despite Sankey’s busy week in Atlanta.

Petitti will take center stage for Big Ten Football Media Days, which will be held from July 22-24 in Las Vegas. Sankey said that while it’s likely Petitti will share his opposing perspective regarding the ongoing discussions regarding CFP format.

“We talked this morning,” Sankey revealed. “We talked about our different views, disagreements. Fine, there’s gonna be a lot of times when we agree. There’ll be times when we agree on most things. That’s okay.”

On3’s Brett McMurphy reported on Thursday that the Big Ten isn’t going to back down from its perferred format (four automatic qualifiers), unless the SEC adds a ninth conference game. The SEC currently plays an eight-game schedule compared to the Big Ten’s nine. Unless something changes, the CFP will remain in a 12-team format through the 2026 season.

The Big Ten is only allotted three non-conference games compared to the SEC’s four. According to McMurphy, the Big Ten feels as though it’s at a “disadvantage” when the selection committee picks its at-large teams at the end of each season based on resume. Scheduling fellow P4 teams in the non-conference is a debate of its own.

In response, the Big Ten is favoring a playoff format that gains the conference more automatic qualifiers (4+4+2+2+1), while SEC coaches said they support the 5+11 format, which honors the five highest-ranked conference champions while the remaining 11 teams earn at-large bids.

If the conference commissioners are unable to come to a conclusion on a future format of the College Football Playoff, then the 12-team format will continue be to utilized until they do. However, they will have to meet a Dec. 1 deadline to make the final decision if they want the changes to be implemented in time for the 2026 season.