SEC Commissioner Committed to CFP Beyond 2025: 'But We've Got a Lot to Get Right'

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey says he is committed to the College Football Playoff past the current expiration of its media deal in 2025, despite previously expressing doubts about the tournament's management.

"Yep, but we've got a lot to get right," Sankey said about staying committed to CFP, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported. "The commitment is we want to see this get right."

"We have the reality of meeting to deal with CFP governance with the 2026 season and beyond. That's a highly important issue," Sankey added.

Dellenger reported on Friday that Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti joined in creating an advisory group for college football as the CFP prepares for major shifts including a new 12-team format and changes in conference alignment.

The CFP's contract with ESPN is currently set to expire after the 2025 playoff, although there have been discussions between the CFP and the network regarding a six-year extension of the deal, ESPN's Heather Dinich and Pete Thamel reported in January.

"We don't know as a group what the CFP structure looks like from 2026 and beyond," Sankey said, per Dellenger. "That's on our mind."

Sankey has previously served as the co-chair of the NCAA Transformation Committee and has participated in the DI Advisory Council.

Questions the board will consider include NCAA transfer rules and name, image and likeness regulations, according to Dellenger.

The advisory board will be comprised of chancellors and athletics directors from universities in the SEC and the Big Ten, according to a press release. Sankey and Petitti will each also hold positions, Dellenger said.

By the start of the 2024 season, SEC and Big Ten members will represent 34 schools, over a quarter of Football Bowl Subdivision schools.

But according to Dellenger's initial report breaking the news of the advisory group's creation, Petitti and Sankey "strongly rebuke any notion that the creation of this advisory board is a move toward a breakaway from the college sports' governing body."

"The Big Ten and SEC remain prominent members of the NCAA, both in governance and national competition, they say," Dellenger wrote, noting that the commissioners said the advisory board would not have "unilateral authority" over the future of college football.