Coming up next week, three days in Destin, FL, will be pivotal for SEC athletic programs. The semi-annual meeting begins on Tuesday. The environment will be far too serious for hanging out at the pool or on the beach. Important issues affecting college football will be debated.
College football playoff expansion has been getting the most attention. The Big Ten has boldly attempted to box an SEC decision into an either-or. Either accept a 24-team format or stick with 12 teams. Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti recently stated, "We had zero conversation about 16." It is believed the BIG is in lock-step with Pettiti.
Greg Sankey's public position is carefully structured to avoid ruling out a 24-team format. He admits a preference for a 16-team field or staying at 12. Carrying water for the B1G, Joel Klatt claims a majority of SEC coaches and ADs prefer the 24-team format. Even if Klatt is correct, SEC presidents and chancellors are the decision-makers, and convincing them that a 24-team format makes financial sense is far from a done deal.
Potentially, there is a much bigger story to come out of Destin. It is about the SEC creating its own governance model, separate from the NCAA.
SEC and Big Ten Breakaway from the NCAA
In a detailed piece about conference breakaway scenarios, Kyle Saunders mentioned that a couple of days ago, University of Georgia President Jere Morehead said, "If we don’t get federal legislation, in my opinion, we’re going to have to do this conference-by-conference because we can’t allow the Wild West to continue any longer. So I’m prepared next week in Destin to be ready to vote on creating an SEC mechanism and SEC rules, and that’s what we have to do. Congress isn’t going to act as they should."
Congress has shelved the Score Act again. For Morehead and others, the time for waiting on federal government help has passed. During the recent Big Ten meetings, it appeared the B1G is already moving toward a self-governance model.
Saunders suggested the timetable for action might accelerate if the Big Ten announces a working group in the next few weeks to devise a transition plan. An SEC breakaway might not become an agenda item in Destin, but it will be the topic most discussed over the three days.
Theoretically, conference governance would not apply to all sports. The non-revenue-generating sports would remain under NCAA governance.
How far and how fast such action would evolve is unclear. Months rather than weeks is probable, but not years is a guess. The college sports world will know more after the Destin meetings.
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