SEC football expansion: Greg Sankey is 'paying attention'

As Clemson and Florida State continue their fight against the ACC in court, the subject of college football realignment won't go away, and neither will questions about the SEC's response to it.

College football expansion remains a big question at Media Days around the country, and the SEC is still facing questions of its own as Clemson and Florida State fight the ACC in court. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY

While the SEC has confirmed it's not actively looking for any more expansion partners right now, conference commissioner Greg Sankey says he remains an active observer of the various dynamics going on around the country, just in case.

"My responsibility is to pay attention," Sankey said on SEC Network.

"But I also worded that statement [at SEC Media Days] directly to say, 'This is really our focus.' Then, in the big room, and I've had it ever since, and in conversations like this, 'Hey, what do you think about expansion? What's going to happen with expansion?' Our focus, literally, is on 16."

Sankey added: "Now, you have to pay attention, and what we've tried to do is to make sure our relationships are right, and you can see in at least one other conference, there's trouble in those relationships."

That is undoubtedly a remark in reference to Florida State and Clemson, which remain entangled in litigation against the ACC in an effort to challenge that conference's early exit fees.

"But you know, people make commitments," Sankey said. "They sign contracts. They vote on the direction of the league, and that's part of that, that shared responsibility. So, I pay attention, but I'm not recruiting. You have to think about the future, but you also have to be incredibly careful in this litigious culture."

Amid the disputes between Clemson and Florida State and the ACC, speculation has swirled that the schools would entertain membership in the SEC, provided they can get to a settlement in their cases and actually make a move.

But then, amid the SEC Media Days ahead of the 2024 football season, more rumors emerged that SEC members actually would not prefer to add Florida State to the conference in the future.

Sources at SEC schools told Action Network that they are not interested in adding the school even if it were to break away from the ACC, with someone claiming FSU is "not a good partner."

People working inside Big Ten schools reiterated that view and noted that their conference isn't interested in adding the Seminoles, either.

Where does that leave Florida State and Clemson? Right now, they're both confirmed members of the ACC likely through 2036, unless a court ruling or settlement can help them find a way out before then.

As for the SEC? It's paying attention.

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