Bobby Burton
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the quiet part out loud yesterday afternoon.
The SEC and the general quality of its teams, thereby the strengths of its schedules, are different than every other conference. He even provided media a 7-page document explaining exactly why. Only two of the conferences 16 schools have averaged being outside of the top 50 teams in college football over the past 10 years. Meanwhile, every other conference has at least twice as many, if not three times as many.
What’s the net of all of it?
While the Big 10 is trying to force the SEC into a 9-game conference schedule, I just don’t think it’s in the cards. The coaches simply don’t want it and the commissioner can’t push it through without guarantees and/or concessions from the College Football Playoff.
The Big 10 and Big 12 both play nine game conference schedules while the ACC and SEC play eight conference games. Unless there is a fundamental change in thinking between now and the first of December, I don’t see the SEC going to a 9-game conference schedule next year.
As a result, I’m not sure if the CFP will expand beyond 12 teams for next season either.