Greg being Sankey?!?

July 21, 2026 -

The 2026 Southeast Conference Media Days are underway. Commissioner Greg Sankey kicked off the annual meeting with a bombshell remark the SEC will seriously consider breaking away from the NCAA if the current “Save College Athletics” bill is passed in the U.S. Congress.

Such a threat is common when the SEC or Big Ten's power and position in college athletics is challenged.

Most believe such a move is highly unlikely, nothing more than “gorilla dust” by good-old Greg.

Such a breakaway wouldn’t be easy.

The Dance Card…

The SEC currently has sixteen member schools. That’s not near enough game inventory to make it attractive for potential media partners. They would need a minimum of 24 schools to remain attractive to the networks. That means they would need at least eight additional schools to breakaway with them from the NCAA. The SEC would have to raid the ACC.

The Revenue Pie…

If the new SEC can attract eight “value-added” schools, then their media rights would have to be divided by 24 instead of the current 16 schools. The pie slices would get significantly smaller.

The Best Case Scenario…

The new SEC (or whatever their name) expands to 24 member schools, including Notre Dame, Miami, Clemson, FSU, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Virginia Tech and North Carolina.

BOTTOM LINE:

It would be very challenging for the SEC to break away from the NCAA. Lack of game inventory, smaller revenue share and scheduling challenges will keep the SEC in the NCAA and Greg Sankey speechless.

GO CANES!