<\/p>\n
Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference Greg Sankey speaks during a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House, Friday, March 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n
Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP<\/p>\n
Pressed at SEC media days on whether his fiefdom remains the greatest in all the land despite recent results suggesting he\u2019d been dethroned, if not beheaded, Greg Sankey<\/a> cited metrics supporting his claims of supremacy.<\/p>\n The commissioner\u2019s got numbers.<\/p>\n The Big Ten has trophies.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n If Sankey\u2019s argument gains any traction with the rank and file, it could open up a whole new line of defense for Jerry Jones<\/a>. Think of the possibilities. Wouldn\u2019t matter what happened in the war room or on the field.<\/p>\n Only how he ran the numbers.<\/p>\n For those of us who have pretty much made a living out of championing trophies as the ultimate arbiter, this sort of thing doesn\u2019t sit well. Violates the premise of what we like about sports in the first place. We can never really know for sure which toilet paper is the softest or, if we\u2019re lucky, which kid mom and dad liked best. But, if Texas beats Oklahoma at the State Fair<\/a>, that\u2019s that. At least until next year\u2019s round of corny dogs.<\/p>\n Doesn\u2019t matter what happened 20 years ago or 10 years ago or last year, for that matter.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Sankey likes numbers? Try these: Over the last three years, the Big Ten has won three national titles and gone 4-0 against the SEC in playoff games. Heck, Miami went 2-0 against the SEC (Texas A&M<\/a> and Ole Miss<\/a>) in last year\u2019s tournament. Sure, the SEC still leads the Big Ten in College Football Playoff trophies, 6-4. Clemson also owns a couple national titles over the last 10 years, not that it makes the Tigers a favorite this fall. Or any in the near future. College football is in a far different place from the one Dabo Swinney remembers so fondly.<\/p>\n NIL hasn\u2019t exactly turned the old hierarchy on its head, but it\u2019s rattled a few<\/a>. Texas Tech is as good a bet to win it all as Alabama this fall. Now you know why Nick Saban retired. He could see this coming. Vegas gives Big Ten schools three of the five best odds at a national title.<\/p>\n In fairness, the SEC has five of the top 10, supporting Sankey\u2019s argument. He\u2019s just making the wrong one.<\/p>\n From top to bottom, the SEC is the toughest league. And it only gets tougher this year with each school playing nine conference games instead of eight<\/a>. Plus, at least one of their non-league foes must be from a power conference. They agreed to this thinking they\u2019d have a 16- or 24-school playoff by now. Another loss wouldn\u2019t hurt as much.<\/p>\n Now SEC schools are stuck with a more treacherous path in an era when the Big Ten has the upper hand and former have-nots such as Tech are on the rise. So Sankey pounds his pulpit. He believes the CFP committee gives too much weight to wins as opposed to quality of competition. A fair point. The committee will, in fact, employ a \u201crecord strength\u201d metric this fall.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Here’s another reason Sankey bangs his drum: The SEC wants to dictate terms for the Protect College Sports Act pushed in the Senate by Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell in a rare demonstration of bipartisan support<\/a>. Except with the SEC. They\u2019ve offered what Sankey called \u201c10 common-sense suggestions\u201d centered on four key principles: enforceable national standards; a national framework to curb state laws circumventing rules; transparency and accountability; and fair and consistent standards that preserve voluntary decision-making. They also want antitrust and preemption language to address a barrage of lawsuits.<\/p>\n And they want it all now, because if it\u2019s passed as is, there\u2019s no going back to fix it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n