With push for 24-team CFP field ramping up, Greg Sankey and SEC holding fast against it

IRVING, Texas — After a 90-minute session over the future of the College Football Playoff format here at the Ritz-Carlton, one power conference commissioner exited a meeting room followed closely by one of the organization’s media consultants. The two held a quiet but spirited discussion, presumably about what was just discussed within the room: Should the playoff expand to 16 teams or 24? The conversation between the two lasted a few more seconds before they disappeared down a hallway with no real resolution to the argument — much like these meetings.

The CFP’s annual two-day spring meetings here this week produced, as expected, no decision on a future format. But, perhaps for the first time, the gathering paved the way for a more intense holistic examination and financial evaluation of a 24-team postseason — support for which emerged last week during a presidential committee call that involved several high-profile CFP decision-makers. However, there is one person who continues to support a 16-team field: SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who as meetings wrapped up here Wednesday re-emphasized his past comments about expansion and outlined potential issues with any 24-team format.

Those include negatively impacting the regular season, athlete health and welfare considerations in playing more games, and the financial loss of eliminating his conference championship game (he declined to specifically speak on the latter). One thing, perhaps above the rest, seems paramount in determining future expansion: Will a 24-team playoff really produce that much more revenue than the annual $1. 3 billion from a 12-team field?

“It’s absolutely important,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said. “Is it worth it? ” asked one CFP stakeholder here Wednesday It depends on who you ask.