Georgia's Kirby Smart Suggests SEC Break Away from NCAA, Have Separate CFB Playoff

Georgia coach Kirby Smart says he feels the SEC could succeed with a separate playoff structure should the league eventually split from the NCAA.

"I've been a huge advocate that we can't find rules that everybody played by, then we should play by our own. I'm not afraid of that," Smart said Tuesday, per The Athletic's Seth Emerson.

"I'm not afraid to break away and say that our conference is strong enough to go out and have and play — I mean, like, if we could actually function and it financially would make our programs more stable, and we could support things financially. I'm talking about all the sports and do by our own rules. I'd be all for that."

Smart's comments come after Georgia president Jere Morehead told Emerson last week a separate SEC football postseason would be "fantastic."

Discussions of a split come as conferences discuss potential expansion of the College Football Playoff bracket, which must be decided on by Dec. 1 in order for changes to take place in 2027.

The SEC and Big Ten have so far been split in their preferred format for the CFP brackets.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti told reporters last week his conference is only interested in the bracket staying at 12 teams or expanding to 24. Big 12 and ACC commissioners have also expressed support of a 24-team field.

The SEC has in the past supported a 16-team bracket, although commissioner Greg Sankey acknowledged Monday there is not consensus within his league as to which format the CFP should take.

Sankey also said he doesn't expect the league to make a decision about its preferred CFP format during this week's spring meetings in Destin, Texas.

Expanding to 24 teams would necessitate the elimination of conference championship games. Sankey said Monday his league is "pretty committed" to the SEC title game.

The Athletic's Emerson, Ralph D. Russo and David Ubben reported the SEC championship game is estimated to bring in $100 million to the conference each year as part of an ESPN deal that runs through 2034.

The CFP has its own deal with ESPN that is set to run through the 2031-32 academic year. Major changes to the format like an SEC withdrawal could have to wait until then, Emerson noted.

It has been four years since an SEC team last made the CFP championship game, when Smart and the Bulldogs took on TCU for the title in January 2023. The SEC has been shut out of every championship game since the CFP introduced the expanded 12-team format in 2024.