After being undecided on CFP format, SEC Commish Greg Sankey addresses expansion from 12 to 16-team model

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has offered his opinion on expanding the College Football Playoff format from 12 to 16 teams after initially being undecided.

Speaking at SEC media day, Sankey expressed his support for moving beyond the 12-team playoff format, according to NBS Sports' Nicole Auerbach.

"We think growth beyond 12 can be positive and should be pursued."

The commissioner then doubled down on his support for the expanded format.

"What happened through the 12-team College Football Playoff is we brought teams into the conversation at a time when they would have been talking about their bowl games."

Back in May, Sankey didn't commit to any specific format. However, with the proposed 16-team format picking up steam across the nation by athletic directors and other college football commissioners, Sankey now seems to be throwing his support behind the expansion as well.

The proposed system would see the Big Ten and SEC getting four automatic bids each, while the ACC and Big 12 get two each. Any change to the playoff format would have major implications on the landscape of college football.

Commissioners and athletic directors have until December of this year to figure out how they want to proceed moving forward.

16-team College Football Playoff format picking up heavy support

NCAA Football: Big 12 Media Days - Source: Imagn

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark also recently expressed interest in expanding the College Football Playoff to a 16-team format.

"The first step is we got to figure out, with the selection process, we're kind of doing a deep dive," he said. "Where can we improve it? Where can we modernize it? Are we using the right metrics? Are things weighted appropriately or not?

"So we're going through that conversation, and I think on the heels of that, we'll move into the format because I think for the room people need to get confident, more confident, in that selection process. And assuming they do, which I'm confident they will, we'll be able to then address the format that makes sense."

College football leaders have until Dec. 1 to make a decision on how to move forward with any potential changes. With the proposed system seeing support from the likes of the Big 12 and ACC, college football fans should expect to see an expanded playoff format in the 2026 season once the decision is finally made official.