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AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas agreed to a nine-game SEC schedule believing the College Football Playoff was on track to expand to 16 teams.
That expansion never came.
Rather than criticizing the process, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian defended SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on Thursday for slowing the momentum toward a proposed 24-team playoff, saying the commissioner is focused on what’s best for college football, not just the Southeastern Conference.
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TAMPA, FLORIDA – JULY 23: Head Coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns speaks at SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at Tampa Marriott Water Street on July 23, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images)
“I think it was a lot of credit to Commissioner Sankey,” Sarkisian said. “He pumped the breaks on that because I think there was a lot of momentum for that thing to go in that direction. I think he had the foresight to pump the brakes and say let’s take a deeper look at this.”
So far, the ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame have publicly backed a proposed 24-team College Football Playoff.
The SEC and Big Ten — the two conferences with the greatest influence over the playoff’s future format — have yet to endorse the proposal. With both conferences needing to align before any expansion moves forward, Sankey said this week the SEC is taking a more measured approach before committing to a larger field.
Sarkisian applauded that approach, saying Sankey resisted the temptation to rush toward a 24-team playoff simply to satisfy SEC coaches.
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TAMPA, FLORIDA – JULY 20: SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks at the SEC Football Media Day at Tampa Marriott Water Street on July 20, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images)
“He takes a lot of heat for some of the choices and decisions he’s made,” Sarkisian said. “But at the end of the day, I think he has the idea that what’s in the best interest of college football, not only what’s in the best interest of the Southeastern Conference.”
Sarkisian noted that SEC schools agreed to move to a nine-game conference schedule, expecting the playoff would eventually expand to 16 teams. With the format remaining at 12 teams for now, he said Sankey has instead prioritized evaluating what’s in the best interest of the sport before additional expansion.
“If we’re going to play a nine-game conference schedule this year and still only be at a 12-team playoff, then it is what it is, so we better play really good if we want to get in,” Sarkisian said.
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