Greg Sankey says leaving SEC out of College Football Playoff is ‘not the real world of college football’

The SEC has never been left out of the College Football Playoff since the four-team event would implemented in 2014, but there’s speculation that the streak could end this weekend if No. 8 Alabama beats No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, which would leave the SEC without an undefeated team. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey isn’t buying that, and campaigned heavily on Saturday for his league to make the playoff no matter what unfolds between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs. 

“That’s not the real world of college football,” Sankey said on College GameDay. “Let’s go back to Sesame Street to make it real basic, because one of these things is not like the other, and that is the Southeastern Conference. We have five of the top-15 teams. 

“We actually don’t send signs to other people in advance,” he added, poking fun at the Michigan sign-stealing scandal. “But that is cool too. But we have a third (of the top-15), and our teams are playing everyone in the conference. They are all attached and have to overcome a lot of adversity in intense environments. There are going to be close games. But the reality is that no one has experienced the success that we have in the playoff. So when you actually put us against the teams rather than in the committee rooms, we stand alone.” 

Sankey’s comments echoed those made by Alabama coach Nick Saban on Friday as the Crimson Tide look to upset Georgia and avoid missing the playoff in consecutive seasons for the first time. Saban went as far as suggesting both teams should qualify for the playoff if Alabama upends the two-time reigning national champion Bulldogs.

“There should be some representation from the SEC regardless of who wins (the SEC Championship Game), absolutely,” Saban told the Pat McAfee…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/greg-sankey-says-leaving-sec-out-of-college-football-playoff-is-not-the-real-world-of-college-football/

Author : Dean Straka

Publish date : 2023-12-02 17:15:45

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