Greg Sankey addresses American Football Coaches Association playoff proposal

BIRMINGHAM — Greg Sankey knows what the American Football Coaches Association wants for the future of college football. The AFCA wants the college football season completed by the second Monday in January while maximizing the number of participants in the College Football Playoff, which could be as many as 24. To do this, the proposal states a motion to end conference championship games, reduce off weeks to one, reduce the number of days between games to no fewer than six and allowing games to be played the same day as Army-Navy, while still giving that game a preserved window.

And with this proposal, Sankey had a question. "Where do you fit all the games that the American Football Coaches Association without, like, picking up the phone with those of us in the decision-making role, issues a set of statements and says, 'We want to get the season done earlier? '" Sankey said at the Associated Press Sports Editors Southeast Region meeting at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Sankey then picked apart the AFCA proposal bullet by bullet. GREG SANKEY: Why Greg Sankey wants SEC football to still schedule major non-conference games CFP EXPANSION: SEC commish Greg Sankey addresses growing support for 24-team CFP SEC league coaches collectively want a second off week for injury prevention along with development and recovery purposes. And the SEC is under contract to have a football championship through 2031, with an option to extend to 2036, one of a handful of "mutually exclusive options that have to be considered" in terms of scheduling, adding in competiting for ratings with Saturday NFL games.

As far as the number of teams in the CFP, Sankey understands what expansion means. He gave Oklahoma as an example, a team who was unapologetic about its tough schedule and turned it into playoff placement. Instead of being a six-win team "hanging on for dear life" on the outside looking in with a four-team, playoff, that team now has a chance in 12.