SEC commissioner Greg Sankey issued another threat toward the NCAA indicating that his conference might go fully independent if concerns about rules enforcement were not addressed.
Sankey argued Monday that the league is not just bluffing about the possibility of breaking away from the NCAA, and it is not simply an attempt to gain leverage.
“They’re real,” Sankey said, via Matt Baker and Seth Emerson of The Athletic. “People have talked about that. They’ve opined about the frustrations that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly different. I do not believe that is a leverage point. I think that’s just honest communication. … I think what’s important is those comments represent a high level of frustration in the circumstances in which we find ourselves.”
The SEC continues to push for federal legislation to address growing concerns about the NCAA and its ability to enforce eligibility and tampering rules. The league believes it would still be viable if it went independent, set its own rules, and played against only its own teams.
The notion of total independence has the tentative backing of some of the league’s most prominent coaches if it comes down to it. The threats do seem serious, albeit not necessarily imminent.
While the SEC still maintains a reputation as the nation’s best football conference, it should be noted that no SEC team has won a national title since Georgia in 2022. In fact, that is the most recent College Football Playoff in which an SEC team even made it to the final.
