The SEC’s spring meetings in Sandestin wrapped up with more questions than answers—and not much movement on some of the biggest issues shaping the future of college football.
For three days, coaches, athletic directors, and school presidents gathered at the beachside resort, hoping to hammer out a clear path for the upcoming changes to the College Football Playoff and future conference scheduling. Instead, the only thing they walked away with was more frustration.
The biggest hang-up? Deciding on a format for the 2026 College Football Playoff. The SEC is pushing for a model with five automatic bids for conference champions and 11 at-large spots. But that idea isn’t sitting well with the Big Ten, especially if the SEC refuses to adopt a nine-game conference schedule like they have.
To make things more complicated, SEC coaches aren’t thrilled about a ninth league game either—and they’re even less excited about multiple automatic qualifiers per conference. That leaves everyone at a stalemate with a hard deadline looming: the final playoff format must be decided by December 1, and the SEC’s scheduling plan is due by the end of this summer.
Behind closed doors, it’s a power struggle between two powerhouse conferences trying to shape the sport to their advantage. The SEC, led by commissioner Greg Sankey, even handed out a seven-page document to reporters to support its position, arguing that their strength of schedule deserves more weight in playoff selections.
Meanwhile, the Big Ten took a quieter approach during its own meetings, inviting far fewer media members and sharing its stance through targeted leaks and insider reports.
It’s clear both sides are playing hardball, and compromise isn’t coming easy—especially in rooms full of strong-willed decision-makers. For now, the SEC punted on a final decision. But the clock is ticking, and they’re getting close to fourth down with no more timeouts.
This isn’t just about scheduling football games anymore. It’s about power, money, and control over the direction of college sports.
