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NBC Sports
14-07-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
'We have the best hand to play': How Greg Sankey, the SEC and the Big Ten will steer the future of college football
Ahmed Fareed, Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry debate if the College Football Playoff should expand once again, discussing what went well in the first-ever 12-team playoff and what is concerning amid expansion talks. ATLANTA — Greg Sankey has finished 41 marathons. And he's decided the grueling nature of a marathon makes it the apt comparison for the current state of college sports. On Monday here at Southeastern Conference media days, he described the post-House settlement as a marathon. That makes sense; trying to implement a system of revenue-sharing contracts and an NIL clearinghouse is messy, confusing and perhaps still multiple lawsuits away from settling into a new normal. But there is a second and perhaps more interesting marathon in progress, too. Sankey compared the process of moving from a four-team College Football Playoff field to 12 (and potentially 16) to the ups and downs of running that particular race. Some parts of a marathon are going to be hard, others easier — but the finish line makes it all worth it. Will that be the case for the College Football Playoff? Already, the frustrations have bubbled up and the fissures between various parties become clear. And, because of that, it's quite possible the eventual outcome here is that the stakeholders opt to stand pat and stay put at 12. 'We have a 12-team Playoff, five conference champions. That could stay if we can't agree,' Sankey said. 'I think there's this notion that there has to be this magic moment and something has to happen with expansion, and it has to be forced. No.' If the Big Ten and SEC don't agree to change the model, it won't change. The Big Ten supports a model with four automatic bids for both the Big Ten and SEC, two apiece for the ACC and Big 12, one for the highest-ranked conference champion outside of the Power 4 and at-large bids for the rest (in a 14- or 16-team bracket). The Big 12 and ACC support the 5+11 model, which includes the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large spots in a 16-team field. The Big Ten would not support a format with so many at-large spots without the SEC adding a ninth conference game to mirror the Big Ten's league schedule. (And the SEC argues that no one in the Big Ten would trade its nine for the SEC's eight because the SEC is tougher.) SEC coaches on the whole prefer the 5+11 CFP model. Sankey said on Monday that he has always supported any version of a bracket that was simply the 'best' teams, no automatic bids at all. So, it's safe to say he'll back his coaches' preference for an at-large heavy model. 'We had a different view coming out of (SEC spring meetings) around the notion of allocations,' Sankey said, referring to automatic bids. 'I think you'll probably hear that again from our coaches. The Big Ten has a different view; that's fine.' CFP executive director Rich Clark told NBC Sports that there is a sense of urgency around the expansion conversation although there are no in-person commissioners' meetings scheduled until late September. Clark said the commissioners are being 'deliberate' about the decision. They must tell ESPN by Dec. 1 if they are changing the format in advance of the 2026 season, the first year of a new media rights deal that stretches through the 2031-32 campaign. Clark said earlier this summer he hoped that the commissioners' format decision would be for the duration of the new ESPN contract. But he said Monday that might not be the case. 'It would be great to have a decision that lasted and endured throughout, but I don't want to tie us down to that,' Clark said. 'If we need to change something because we go through a season and the commissioners realize that there needs to be a tweak here and there, we need to do it. We need to have that freedom. 'But the fewer changes, the better. It lets fans settle in. It lets the coaches and the teams understand what they're coming into in the postseason. A bit of consistency would be really helpful.' Clark said there will be tweaks to both the selection committee process (including the recusal policy) and the data made available to the group. Both are undergoing evaluation now, and new metrics will be presented to the commissioners before they are implemented. Both process and metric decisions are expected to be made by mid-August, so they can be communicated to this year's selection committee. One significant change moving forward is that the Big Ten and SEC will largely control CFP decision-making. In the past, decisions had to be unanimous among the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director. Now, 'if (there isn't unanimity), there's a level of authority granted to the SEC and the Big Ten together,' Sankey said. Clark described it as the two commissioners looking to build consensus and work with their peers, unless no consensus can be reached. Then, they can act unilaterally. 'It's not you just show up, you pound your fist and something happens,' Sankey said. 'I hope that type of narrative can be reduced.' Still, the tension persists. Sankey did not mention Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark by name but referred to him multiple times during his session with the media here on Monday. Then once again, by omission, when he mentioned speaking with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips last week. And then he played off of Yormark's remark last week that the Big 12 was 'doubling down' on its support for the 5+11 model. 'That's part of the gambling experience, as I understand it — you always want to have a really good set of cards,' Sankey said. 'You want to have a good hand to play, right? I think we have the best hand to play.' And that's ultimately what this comes down to. Two of the stakeholders in this game — the Big Ten and SEC — have the best hands, so they get to determine where the sport goes next. Or if it stays put at 12 for the time being: a decision in its own right, even if prompted by an impasse. 'It's hard to predict if there's going to be a change and what it would be,' Clark said. 'I will say that the conversations that we're having in the room are very positive, and I feel like they're addressing all the right issues to really get to a good decision. 'It's going to be a good decision for college football.'
NBC Sports
14-07-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
'We have the best hand to play': How Greg Sankey, SEC and Big Ten will steer future of college football
Ahmed Fareed, Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry debate if the College Football Playoff should expand once again, discussing what went well in the first-ever 12-team playoff and what is concerning amid expansion talks. ATLANTA — Greg Sankey has finished 41 marathons. And he's decided the grueling nature of a marathon makes it the apt comparison for the current state of college sports. On Monday here at Southeastern Conference media days, he described the post-House settlement as a marathon. That makes sense; trying to implement a system of revenue-sharing contracts and an NIL clearinghouse is messy, confusing and perhaps still multiple lawsuits away from settling into a new normal. But there is a second and perhaps more interesting marathon in progress, too. Sankey compared the process of moving from a four-team College Football Playoff field to 12 (and potentially 16) to the ups and downs of running that particular race. Some parts of a marathon are going to be hard, others easier — but the finish line makes it all worth it. Will that be the case for the College Football Playoff? Already, the frustrations have bubbled up and the fissures between various parties become clear. And, because of that, it's quite possible the eventual outcome here is that the stakeholders opt to stand pat and stay put at 12. 'We have a 12-team Playoff, five conference champions. That could stay if we can't agree,' Sankey said. 'I think there's this notion that there has to be this magic moment and something has to happen with expansion, and it has to be forced. No.' If the Big Ten and SEC don't agree to change the model, it won't change. The Big Ten supports a model with four automatic bids for both the Big Ten and SEC, two apiece for the ACC and Big 12, one for the highest-ranked conference champion outside of the Power 4 and at-large bids for the rest (in a 14- or 16-team bracket). The Big 12 and ACC support the 5+11 model, which includes the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large spots in a 16-team field. The Big Ten would not support a format with so many at-large spots without the SEC adding a ninth conference game to mirror the Big Ten's league schedule. (And the SEC argues that no one in the Big Ten would trade its nine for the SEC's eight because the SEC is tougher.) SEC coaches on the whole prefer the 5+11 CFP model. Sankey said on Monday that he has always supported any version of a bracket that was simply the 'best' teams, no automatic bids at all. So, it's safe to say he'll back his coaches' preference for an at-large heavy model. 'We had a different view coming out of (SEC spring meetings) around the notion of allocations,' Sankey said, referring to automatic bids. 'I think you'll probably hear that again from our coaches. The Big Ten has a different view; that's fine.' CFP executive director Rich Clark told NBC Sports that there is a sense of urgency around the expansion conversation although there are no in-person commissioners' meetings scheduled until late September. Clark said the commissioners are being 'deliberate' about the decision. They must tell ESPN by Dec. 1 if they are changing the format in advance of the 2026 season, the first year of a new media rights deal that stretches through the 2031-32 campaign. Clark said earlier this summer he hoped that the commissioners' format decision would be for the duration of the new ESPN contract. But he said Monday that might not be the case. 'It would be great to have a decision that lasted and endured throughout, but I don't want to tie us down to that,' Clark said. 'If we need to change something because we go through a season and the commissioners realize that there needs to be a tweak here and there, we need to do it. We need to have that freedom. 'But the fewer changes, the better. It lets fans settle in. It lets the coaches and the teams understand what they're coming into in the postseason. A bit of consistency would be really helpful.' Clark said there will be tweaks to both the selection committee process (including the recusal policy) and the data made available to the group. Both are undergoing evaluation now, and new metrics will be presented to the commissioners before they are implemented. Both process and metric decisions are expected to be made by mid-August, so they can be communicated to this year's selection committee. One significant change moving forward is that the Big Ten and SEC will largely control CFP decision-making. In the past, decisions had to be unanimous among the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director. Now, 'if (there isn't unanimity), there's a level of authority granted to the SEC and the Big Ten together,' Sankey said. Clark described it as the two commissioners looking to build consensus and work with their peers, unless no consensus can be reached. Then, they can act unilaterally. 'It's not you just show up, you pound your fist and something happens,' Sankey said. 'I hope that type of narrative can be reduced.' Still, the tension persists. Sankey did not mention Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark by name but referred to him multiple times during his session with the media here on Monday. Then once again, by omission, when he mentioned speaking with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips last week. And then he played off of Yormark's remark last week that the Big 12 was 'doubling down' on its support for the 5+11 model. 'That's part of the gambling experience, as I understand it — you always want to have a really good set of cards,' Sankey said. 'You want to have a good hand to play, right? I think we have the best hand to play.' And that's ultimately what this comes down to. Two of the stakeholders in this game — the Big Ten and SEC — have the best hands, so they get to determine where the sport goes next. Or if it stays put at 12 for the time being: a decision in its own right, even if prompted by an impasse. 'It's hard to predict if there's going to be a change and what it would be,' Clark said. 'I will say that the conversations that we're having in the room are very positive, and I feel like they're addressing all the right issues to really get to a good decision. 'It's going to be a good decision for college football.'
New York Times
30-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Maryland basketball coaching candidates: Where will the Terps turn to replace Kevin Willard?
Kevin Willard has agreed to become Villanova's next head coach, leaving Maryland in need of a head coach after the men's basketball program's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2016. It doesn't help that on his way out the door, Willard laid bare all of Maryland's infrastructural issues. Chief among those is the fact that the Terps are still one of the few high-major programs in the country without a dedicated practice facility. On the flip side, few fan bases are more passionate than Maryland's, and few places can claim they've won a national championship this millennium. Advertisement How do you square those two realities? That's what makes Maryland's search so fascinating. You gotta love a loaded question. The pros are obvious. Start with a rabid fan base, which rivals that of almost any program in the country. Membership in the Big Ten, one of the two most cash-rich conferences in college athletics, is a huge perk, too, and will become only more crucial in a post-House settlement, revenue-sharing world. Geographically speaking, Maryland has an attractive pool of local talent from the DMV area and is easily accessible by most places along the East Coast. And, of course, the program won the national championship in 2002. What other program rivals all that? Well, the ones that don't also have such obvious cons. Not having a dedicated practice facility in today's age is, frankly, embarrassing and inexcusable; you can understand Willard's longstanding frustration over the issue. And while we're on the topic of money, Maryland's conference affiliation should mean the Terps can spend with the best of them, but that hasn't been the case in recent years. According to U.S. Department of Education data from 2022-23, Maryland was 26th among public schools in men's basketball spending. That's one spot below Michigan and one above Oregon, which isn't terrible company to keep, but it's also ninth among Big Ten teams. That's not ideal. Oh, and those rabid fans? They're great when things are good — like this season, when the Terps went 27-9 and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament — but when they're not, that passion quickly becomes vitriol. Also, how ancient is Maryland's history? Yes, that 2002 title banner still hangs in Xfinity Center, but the Terps haven't advanced beyond the Sweet 16 since then — and had returned to the tournament's second weekend only twice before this season. Advertisement All of which is to say, this job can be good. Really good. But as Willard found out, it can also be incredibly frustrating. Chris Beard, head coach, Ole Miss: Let's start an eclectic list with a known winner who guided Ole Miss to the Sweet 16 this season. Beard comes with significant baggage — he was fired by Texas in January 2023 for a domestic violence charge that police ultimately dropped — and significant success. He's the only coach on this list who led a team to the national championship game (Texas Tech in 2019), which counts for something. But given the PR headache the school is already dealing with, would Maryland want to add more fuel to that fire by hiring Beard? The 52-year-old is eventually going to get a bigger job, which Maryland is, but it's understandable if the Terps don't want to invite any more public ridicule right now. Mark Byington, head coach, Vanderbilt: Was there a more impressive and unexpected program flip than the one Byington orchestrated in Nashville this season? Vanderbilt went from 9-23 last season to 20-13 in his first year with the program and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. That came on the heels of Byington, 48, leading James Madison to an AP Top 25 ranking last season, the first in program history. The Virginia native has spent much of his life and career in the region, which would seemingly allow him to hit the ground running from a recruiting perspective. Maybe not the sexiest hire, but Byington has been a winner everywhere he's been — and that's without the level of resources Maryland may be working with. Jamie Dixon, head coach, TCU: Despite TCU missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four seasons, Dixon remains one of the sport's more underrated coaches. He has won over 500 games in his career with a 66.9 percent winning percentage. But while Dixon does have some regional ties dating back to his tenure at Pitt, is he really going to leave his alma mater? It seems unlikely, and even more so when you consider that he'll be 60 in November. Still, it doesn't hurt to make the call. Bryce Drew, head coach, Grand Canyon: Drew was in the mix for the Virginia job earlier this cycle, so what about another nearby opening? It's about time for Drew, who just completed his 13th season as a head coach, between his time at Valparaiso, Vanderbilt and Grand Canyon, to get another crack at a high-major job. The 50-year-old's tenure at Vandy didn't end well, but his success at Grand Canyon — four straight 20-win seasons, plus four NCAA Tournament appearances in five years — is impossible to ignore. What Drew could do on the recruiting trail with high-major resources would also be fascinating; don't forget he landed Darius Garland and Aaron Nesmith during his brief stint in the SEC. Mitch Henderson, head coach, Princeton: After three straight seasons with a top-100 offense, Princeton fell back to Earth a little in 2024, finishing 19-11 with the worst adjusted offensive efficiency of Henderson's 14-year tenure at his alma mater. But Princeton's 2023 Sweet 16 berth, when the Tigers knocked off Arizona and Missouri as a No. 15 seed, still looms large, as does Henderson's offensive prowess. The 49-year-old has made Princeton one of the Ivy League's most consistent programs, but does it matter that he's lacking high-major head coaching experience? If not, then the Terps could do worse. Advertisement Bucky McMillan, head coach, Samford: This would admittedly be an odd geographic fit for someone who has basically never left Alabama, but winning is winning, and McMillan's up-tempo style would be a fan favorite in College Park. The 41-year-old has won 20-plus games for four straight seasons, a fact made more impressive since he lost several stars off his 2024 NCAA Tournament team. Three straight top-100 offenses tell you where McMillan, who made the rare jump from high school directly to Division I, makes his bread. Is this too great a leap too soon? Maybe. But at this point in the hiring cycle, Maryland could also do worse. Tony Skinn, head coach, George Mason: A former Maryland assistant who also played high school basketball in the state, Skinn easily has the strongest ties to the Terps of anyone on this list. Having coached under Willard in College Park, Skinn knows better than most the perks (and drawbacks) of this gig, and you have to imagine he'd jump at the opportunity. The 42-year-old almost took his alma mater to the NCAA Tournament this season — VCU narrowly staved off the Patriots in the Atlantic 10 title game — but still went 27-9 with a top-30 defense nationally. He's 47-21 in two seasons with George Mason and is considered a rising star in the industry. Would hiring Skinn be a risk? Sure. But it also might be Maryland, for once, getting ahead of the pack before a star fully rises. And about Skinn's newly signed contract extension, which ties him to George Mason through 2029-2030: The buyout still isn't prohibitive for a school of Maryland's ilk. (For context, Bryan Hodgson agreed to an extension with Arkansas State this cycle before ultimately leaving for South Florida. It wouldn't be unprecedented in the slightest.) Denzel Valentine, head coach, Loyola Chicago: Valentine is finishing up his fourth season with the Ramblers and still doesn't turn 34 until May. He has only one NCAA Tournament appearance in his tenure in Chicago, but he's won at least 23 games the last two seasons and has rebounded well from a disastrous 10-21 campaign in 2022-23. Like with McMillan, this feels like too great a leap for Valentine too soon, but you never know. Buzz Williams, head coach, Texas A&M: Williams spent six seasons at Marquette before jumping to Virginia Tech, then five seasons with the Hokies before jumping to A&M, and just completed his sixth season in College Station. Translation: It's about that time in Williams' tenure when he looks to make another jump, and despite the Aggies' success this season, basketball will always be second fiddle to football at Texas A&M. Williams, 52, has regional experience from his Virginia Tech days, but he's proven throughout his career he can win anywhere. And in terms of name-brand recognition, he's arguably the highest-profile of any candidate the Terps can reasonably hope to land this late in the cycle. Williams almost certainly wouldn't be Maryland's long-term solution, but he would win, immediately, which is all that really matters. Beard, Byington or Williams, if — and that's a big 'if' — Maryland can convince any of them to give up their SEC gigs. All three led their teams to the NCAA Tournament this season and would seemingly ensure there's no drop-off in College Park. (Byington is probably the most gettable of the three, and his regional ties are a bonus, even if he's not a 'big' name.) But there's no guarantee any of the three would be willing to leave the SEC — in which case, the Terps could do a lot worse than bringing back former assistant Tony Skinn. Skinn's star feels like it's on the rise, and while Maryland might be hiring him a cycle too early, that's better than the alternative: waiting too long and missing out. (Top photo of Tony Skinn: Geoff Burke / Imagn Images)
