As Georgia, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss navigate tightly contested playoff paths, the noise around SEC influence has grown louder. With fans questioning whether the conference has privileged access to the CFP decision-makers, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stepped in this week to clarify how communication with the committee actually works.

“Every conference has a conduit through two committee members on a regular basis through October into November to provide information.” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said on the Paul Finebaum Show. “We do that very well. We went over nine teams this week, nine for the top 25 in total, and seven of those nine for playoff consideration. And then I view that as a reality, and we talk through schedule, we talk through injuries, we talk about availability, and maybe in a certain game we answer questions. That’s the protocol. We don’t do lobbying.”

The timing of Sankey’s statement matters because the SEC picture is about to move quickly. If Georgia defeats Alabama, the Bulldogs slide cleanly into the No. 2 seed. Alabama would fall but remain near the cutoff line, likely landing around No. 10, unless disaster strikes. A BYU upset of Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game would give BYU the final at-large spot and end Alabama’s path entirely. If Alabama stuns Georgia instead, the Bulldogs simply shift down the bracket while both remain firmly in the field.

Ole Miss sits in a similar waiting game. The Rebels missed the SEC Championship after Auburn fell to Alabama, but the committee didn’t punish Lane Kiffin’s former team for his departure. Despite not earning the automatic bid, Ole Miss remains securely in the playoff picture and is likely to host a first-round matchup in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

For the Aggies, their loss to Texas cost them a direct bye into the conference title game, and now their fate depends on how the bracket falls around them. The biggest risk? Drawing a nightmare opponent. If Alabama beats Georgia and pushes A&M from No. 7 to No. 8, the Aggies could face Oklahoma’s devastating defense — the same style that knocked Texas out of contention earlier. If Alabama wins, Georgia will move down, and A&M gets pushed from No. 7 to No. 8; that sets them up with Oklahoma’s deadly defense, just like Texas, which ended their title hopes.

“All the noise… doesn’t move the committee,” he said. “Strength of record and schedule — that’s the process.”

Even Oklahoma is pretty much in the playoff conversation this year after their win against the LSU Tigers, but their exact seed and first-round opponent are still not known. And with several SEC programs landing favorable paths, fans are once again questioning whether the committee leans toward the league with the biggest brands and highest TV draw. Sankey further insists that’s not how it works.

“All the noise and us talking here doesn’t move the committee,” Sankey said. “I will go back to going through this process, and some of the changes around the strength of record and schedule been presented.”

With that, Greg Sankey is also voicing for transfer portal chaos.

Greg Sankey raises transfer portal concern

The SEC faced big turbulence this season after Lane Kiffin’s surprising move from Ole Miss to the LSU Tigers. As the SEC commissioner sees it, it is a major flaw in the college football calendar. Now things will change rapidly, with high school recruits suddenly having to decide whether they want to stay on the team or find some other team, with early signing day approaching.

“It’s Lane. That kind of lingered for a long time, so it became big news consistently,” said Sankey. “But it’s happened. This one, though, because of the season that Ole Miss had, was obviously drawing more interest and a lot of questions. Why is the timing the way it is? Remember when Nick [Saban] was hired at Alabama years ago? That was not until the Monday of the national championship game. So, it hasn’t always been this way.”

Top Stories

‘RIP’: NASCAR World Crumbles in Tears as 39-YO Former JR Motorsports Driver Passes Away

Donald Trump Takes Unexpected Shot at NFL With Name Change Call During FIFA World Cup Draw

Bills Legend Jim Kelly Announces Final Cancer Update After Years of Battle

Who Is Matthew Campbell’s Wife Erica? All About Iowa State HC’s Sixth Grade Sweetheart

Alex Noren’s Hot-Mic, Akshay Bhatia’s DOD & More: Top Moments From Hero World Challenge R2

EXCLUSIVE: Kyle Petty: NASCAR’s Renaissance Man

Six SEC teams named new head coaches within a week, creating a problem for recruits to decide their final move. Sankey believes that early coaching moves and decision-making would have improved the situation.

With that, Sankey also questioned the early signing day period in December, which is creating a big mess, and urged pushing it back to February so that players and coaches have enough time to evaluate their move. And even Kiffin raised the same concern while making his introductory speech for the Tigers.

Now, it will be interesting to see if the NCAA listens to Sankey and Lane Kiffin’s plea and pushes the transfer portal timeline further.