It felt like it was just yesterday when SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was flapping his gums about a bunch of garbage at spring meetings down in Florida.
Whether he got sand in his pants or spent a little too much time in the sun, it was no excuse for him to stand up there and spend three days lying and whining to anyone who would listen.
But with the start of SEC media days in Atlanta on Monday, it gave him another opportunity to embarrass himself in front of a bigger audience. Here are a few things that caught my attention from his opening speech.
On the College Football Playoff
SANKEY: “Those of you with us in Destin will remember a lot of speculation going into that meeting, but what came out is we think growth beyond 12 could be positive and should be pursued. There’s also a belief that the process for selecting teams to participate in the College Football Playoff can be updated and improved itself.”
My Take: I am at the point where I fully believe that Greg Sankey does not give a flying you know what about the state of college football or the playoff format itself. All he cares about is how many teams from his conference can get in and what the easiest way to do that is.
An expanded playoff would most certainly benefit the SEC, and the only reason he is questioning the process is that he felt his conference deserved one or two more big games last season. And of course, when Greg and the SEC don’t get their way one time, he is willing to throw the entire process away and start over. Whether it’s automatic bids or simply expanding the playoff, he is on a mission to get five or more teams in every single year.
On the SEC’s Scheduling
SANKEY: “It is absolutely, fully, 100 percent correct that in the SEC we play eight conference games while some others play nine conference games. Never been a secret. Second, it’s also correct that last season, all 16 members of the Southeastern Conference played at least nine games against what you would label “power opponents.” We had several that played 10 of their 12 games against power opponents. Some conferences have that, some don’t.”
My Take: The reason the SEC plays eight conference games instead of nine is simple. It’s because it gives them one less opportunity for a loss because they shove in an FCS opponent in late November, known as “Cupcake November.” While other conferences are out busting their tail to determine conference champions, the SEC is playing the South Harmon Institute of Technology, otherwise known as SHIT.
If an SEC school plays four easy non-conference games, it gives them a better chance of making a bowl game, which means more money. Consider this: a school can go 2-6 in SEC play, but if they play four easy non-conference games, they end up going 6-6 and are headed to a bowl game.
SANKEY: “I don’t think there’s anyone looking to swap their conference schedules with the SEC’s, whether it’s 8 or 9 conference games.”
My Take: If there’s a schedule out there that doesn’t require playing Texas or Georgia (which there are plenty in the SEC), then I am sure there are some teams in the Big Ten that would be willing to swap. The SEC schedules are so imbalanced that it’s not even funny.
Again, eight conference games? Some team could come in, play three practice games in the non-conference, get to play Mississippi State, Kentucky, Auburn, and Oklahoma, and then a cupcake game in November, and end up winning eight games without even trying. We need to stop putting the SEC up on this imaginary pedestal. The gap between some of these teams is enormous.
On College Athletics
SANKEY: “College athletics is not broken, it’s under stress.”
My Take: The man who is helping kill the sport we all love is saying the sport is under stress. It reminded me of a meme I created a couple of months ago during spring meetings.
Greg is one of the people holding the gun and fired it right at college football. And now he’s crying about it. Maybe you should put the weapon down, Greg, instead of trying to kill everything on your way to the top.
