Earlier this week, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti bashed the 16-team College Football Playoff model supported by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, suggesting it would make economic sense for conferences if they have to lose their league championship games.
Petitti and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips support a 24-team CFP model.
While Sankey is the lead voice for the SEC, it appears many participants in the conference are for the 24-team CFP.
On his show Friday, Klatt said multiple coaches told him that the overwhelming majority of coaches and athletic directors in the SEC want the 24-team CFP model. There could be contentious meetings between those coaches and Sankey during the SEC spring meetings next week in Destin, Florida.
“I had multiple coaches tell me that 90% of the coaches in the SEC, and 100% of the athletic directors in the SEC favor a 24-team model for playoff expansion,” Klatt said.
“There is a sentiment, at least amongst the Big Ten coaches, that the meetings between Greg Sankey, the commissioner of the SEC, and his coaches, are going to be contentious because the coaches are going to be pushing for one thing, and Greg has publicly, obviously, stated something very different and in opposition of the 24-team model, and they might not have a consensus down there.”
Klatt noted the power dynamics in the SEC might make it difficult for Sankey to change his mind. University presidents will drive his decision-making, not the wishes of coaches and athletic directors.
“It should be noted, Greg works for the (university) presidents of the SEC, just like Tony Petitti works for the presidents of the Big Ten,” Klatt said. “And if the athletic directors and coaches get their presidents on board, Greg Sankey’s not going to be able to fend off all of his bosses.
“He’s got 16 bosses in the SEC. If 12 of those guys come up and say, ‘No, no, no, this is what we want,’ then the SEC’s tune is going to change. And there was a sentiment among a lot of the people in the Big Ten that that could happen.”
Not all of the head coaches in the SEC favor the 24-team model, or even the current 12-team format.
On Thursday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said he wants to go back to the four-team CFP.
The tides aren’t changing for a four-team model, and frankly the 16-team model doesn’t appear to have enough traction from Power 4 programs.
The 12-team model could stay for the short term, but eventually an expansion to 24 teams looks inevitable. It’s just a matter of when.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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