WEBVTT - The Dave Pasch Podcast - Greg Sankey 0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:06.560 Everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Dave Pash Podcast. 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:09.360 I'm your host ESPN and Arizona Cardinals play by play 0:00:09.360 --> 0:00:12.960 announcer Dave Pash. Our guest this week is the Commissioner 0:00:12.960 --> 0:00:16.840 of the Southeastern Conference, Greg Sanky. Greg is somebody who 0:00:16.920 --> 0:00:20.280 has become one of the most powerful voices and faces 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:24.080 in all of college sports. We'll talk with Greg about 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:29.560 potential NCAA tournament expansion as well as college football playoff 0:00:29.720 --> 0:00:33.879 expansion and will it happen in twenty twenty four. The 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:38.360 board was clear that comes twenty six. Their clear expectation 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:41.200 as we have a twelve team format to the extent 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:45.120 it's possible we could go early. We've got some conversations 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:49.520 over the upcoming weeks that may move us to that conclusion, 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:53.600 to that finish line, but I'm not really clear that 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:56.560 that still can happen. There's there's still work to be done. 0:00:56.680 --> 0:00:58.880 Greg has spent a lot of time here in Arizona. 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:02.440 He cites one of the early championship games at State 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:06.200 Farm Stadium as being a springboard to the current success 0:01:06.240 --> 0:01:10.160 of SEC football. We are presented by BETMGM, the official 0:01:10.200 --> 0:01:13.120 sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals and by Hila 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:16.680 River Resorts and Casinos get ready for a football season 0:01:16.760 --> 0:01:19.480 like never before with betmgm, an official partner of the 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:23.280 Arizona Cardinals. Sign up today using code cards one thousand 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:25.480 and get your first bet risk free up to one 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:29.000 thousand dollars. Visit betmgm dot com for terms and conditions 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:32.720 twenty one and over Arizona only. Please gamble responsibly. Gambling 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:36.160 problem called one eight hundred. Next step. All right, now 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:38.919 it's time for our conversation with the Commissioner of the SEC, 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:45.360 Greg Sankey. Well, first of all, Greg is somebody who, 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:48.480 like me, has ties to Central New York. He went 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:51.800 to grad school at Syracuse. Tell me about I know 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:54.000 you're probably pretty busy and don't get a chance to 0:01:54.040 --> 0:01:56.760 watch a lot of NFL. Obviously, you guys have turned 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:58.880 out a ton of players into the NFL, including here 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:03.840 in Arizona. Who's your NFL team, the Bills. So back 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:07.200 when I was young, you could watch the Giants, Suggets, 0:02:07.240 --> 0:02:09.799 and the Bills. None of them were very good in 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:13.760 the seventies, at least at that point, and I went 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:17.400 with the Upstate New York team, which you know, people 0:02:17.520 --> 0:02:20.600 in like New York City consider where I'm from an 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:25.440 upstate New York, Canada close even further so. I'm a 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:29.440 Bills fan, which was great for those four Super Bowls, 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:32.000 except they lived in Dallas, which made it more difficult 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:34.320 going to Super Bowl watching parties. Since two of them, 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:37.000 two of the four ward against the Cowboys. They might 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:39.360 be the team to beat this year the way Josh 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:43.760 Allen is playing. No. They you know, they got to 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:46.079 win over Kansas City this week and I didn't see 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:50.320 any of it. Last year, I watched exactly one full 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:52.840 NFL game, and it was the game against Kansas City 0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:56.320 in the playoffs, which was heartbreaking. I don't I don't 0:02:56.400 --> 0:02:59.840 end up emotionally invested in a lot of football sent 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:03.480 I usually have multiple teams playing, and that was the 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:06.799 one and it went the wrong way. Yeah, if you're 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:08.840 going to pick one to watch, it was a great 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:11.280 one to watch just as a fan. But at the 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:14.680 same time, if you're a Bills fan, yeah, I totally 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:19.200 get that. As somebody who spent time at Syracuse, you know, 0:03:19.280 --> 0:03:21.680 when you graduated from there and you got your masters, 0:03:21.760 --> 0:03:23.600 I think the year was ninety three, what did you 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:25.600 think you would do? You've been at the SEC now 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:29.320 for two decades and commissioner since twenty fifteen. What did 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:32.600 you think you'd do when you left there? When I 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:35.200 was born and raised in central New York, so I 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:38.760 grew up about twenty miles from campus towards the west, 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:43.320 outside a little town called Skinny Atlas. And when I 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:48.280 finished my undergrad degree, like my horizon that I could 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:52.120 see towards was about, you know, Aubany to the east, 0:03:52.200 --> 0:03:55.520 Buffalo to the west, down to Binghamton, maybe a little 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:58.280 bit further north than Syracuse, but not much because of 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:03.880 the lake effects snow. Kind of working in teaching and coaching, 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:07.680 that was my idea. And then I was at Syracuse 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:10.400 for my grad school because I was a full time 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:14.160 employee Utica College and they paid for my grad school, 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.520 which is great and at the end, which is really 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:19.760 where your question started, but the lead up was I 0:04:19.880 --> 0:04:22.880 had to complete an internship to graduate. So at the 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:26.320 end of my actual class work, I could have stayed 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:31.279 up there and worked in like summer camps about there's 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:35.360 some basketball camps if you remember the Empire State Games, 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:37.480 if they were around when you were at do some 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:40.360 of that work. And I just decided to see if 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:45.400 Division one athletics was something where I could find an opportunity. 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:47.880 And my wife and I were just married. We've been 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:49.919 married like three or four months when I started sending 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:53.360 resumes out and we're about to celebrate our thirty fourth 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:56.880 wedding anniversary. And just said to her, you know, I'd 0:04:57.160 --> 0:04:58.919 like to find out if I could work in college 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:02.160 athletics at the Division one level, and if I can, 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:05.480 how far might go? And you know I've clearly answered that, 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:07.960 Ques yes to the top. You're one of the most 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:11.640 powerful people in college sports and you're running the top 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.080 football conference. A lot of people say to me and 0:05:14.160 --> 0:05:17.360 others that work for ESPN, you guys are biased against 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:20.760 the SEC. Bias is the wrong word, because that has 0:05:20.800 --> 0:05:24.359 a negative connotation that somehow it's unfair. But the SEC 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:26.280 is the best, that's the best football, and we've seen 0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:29.200 a lot of players come through the Cardinals that played 0:05:29.240 --> 0:05:31.200 in the SEC, and we're great players in the SEC 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:33.880 and have gone on to become great players here with 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:38.640 the Cardinals. You're pretty active on social media, and one 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:41.240 of the things you've you've tweeted over the years has 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:44.880 been your love affair with Marathon, something that I can't 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:48.200 say that I share with you. You've run over forty 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:51.159 and is it true that you ran a marathon per 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:55.600 month for a year? I did. Yeah, that was my 0:05:55.720 --> 0:06:00.120 midlife crisis. So it's like cheaper than a sports cars, 0:06:00.200 --> 0:06:03.679 morally objectionable, and so many other outlets that people explore, 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:09.000 and it was I enjoy the running. Obviously there are 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:16.400 the cardiovascular benefits, but the mental aspect, the mind clearing, 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:18.800 the ability to just kind of get away and think 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:22.320 and deal with the challenge had a lot of meaning 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:26.560 for me. And once I started. The first marathon I 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.960 ran was actually in nineteen eighty eight, the Sunday morning 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.240 after my wife and I were married on a Saturday night, 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:36.120 so I've i've like introduced the level of her tolerance 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:40.400 and patience of my career explorations and running. And then 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:43.240 I was in my early forties when I ran my 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:46.880 second one, and since it's been so long, I decided, 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:49.440 a since I'm in shape, I'll just kind of keep 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.440 going a little bit like the Forrest Gump movie. And 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.880 I think it was oh eight, I realized if I 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:58.080 had thought about it, I would have run one a 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:01.800 month for that year, and I became intentional about doing so. 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:06.720 I think I actually ran sixteen consecutive months I ran 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:09.000 a marathon in and there was one of those months 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:12.800 where I ran back to mac marathons with about eight 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:16.440 days one week basically apart, which I don't recommend actually 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:18.920 based on how the second one went. How do you 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:22.960 train for that? How much sleep do you have to get? 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:25.920 How much running do you do as part of the training. 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:29.640 I'm assuming you gotta stay hydrated. What do you eat 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:36.040 like during that training period? I would I had a 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:39.640 route in. I didn't follow a rigid training plan, kind 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:43.520 of listened to my body. I knew that my peak 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:47.360 preparation run would be twenty miles, which is its own adventure. 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:51.280 And I live now in Birmingham, Alabama. When I trained 0:07:51.320 --> 0:07:53.560 for the first one, I ran in Utica, New York, 0:07:53.840 --> 0:07:56.840 and between the hills and kind of a running community 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:59.600 there that was that was pretty easy. But where I 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:02.680 lived in Birmingham, I had about a six to eight 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:05.560 mile route around our neighborhood and then I was on 0:08:05.720 --> 0:08:08.080 the shoulder of a state highway. As I told people 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:10.760 what I was doing, they thought I was like out 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:13.880 of my mind. But I could run the grass and 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:17.840 this is not like the sophisticated elite training plan. But 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:20.640 I had I had on my route any number of 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:23.680 convenience stores where I could go out and get a gatorade. 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:27.120 And it was really about doing the distance in total. 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:29.880 And I wasn't worried about, you know, pace. So if 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:34.240 I ran an hour, grabbed the gatorade, walked a half 0:08:34.240 --> 0:08:38.480 a mile, then re engaged, that really prepared me pretty well. 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:42.800 You know. Again, I wasn't elite. I'm six two way 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:45.120 probably two hundred and five pounds at the time, so 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:49.199 I was in the Clydesdale division. My best time was 0:08:49.280 --> 0:08:53.520 a three hour fifty three experience, which is pretty good. 0:08:54.600 --> 0:08:56.720 And I got to the point where I could control 0:08:56.840 --> 0:09:00.280 my pace pretty well through the entirety, right around four 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:03.640 hours a little bit under. And again the mental challenge, 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:05.719 I was always nervous at the beginning. I had a 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:09.480 whole routine. You know, I wouldn't eat much while I 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:14.439 was actually running, you know, I'd be careful about what 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:16.800 he ateh the night before, I will confessor a couple 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:19.599 of times, eight ribs like the day before. And I 0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:23.240 still made it through. But the experience for me and 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:28.080 I did New York, I did Boston, Zoula, Montana. One 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:32.959 of them was up in Prescott, Arizona. At altitude. It 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:34.800 was a pretty neat experience. It was kind of like 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:38.720 nine miles uphill, then four miles down the other side, 0:09:38.800 --> 0:09:41.280 then four miles back up and nine miles back down, 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:45.360 and one of those memorable experiences. Speaking of Arizona, you've 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:48.719 been out here for Fiesta Bowls and national championships. Just 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:51.959 your thoughts on State Farm Stadium obviously the home of 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:58.080 the Cardinals, and your experience is here in the Phoenix area. Yeah, 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:01.360 the first one out there, I remember. So the stadium 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:06.760 was relatively new, the Florida Ohio State National Championship game, 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:10.679 which really set off our string of successes over the 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:14.679 last fifteen or so years. I walked in to the 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:18.599 stadium kind of down to where the stadium floor was, 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:24.840 next to Senator John McCain. And as I'm walking by myself, 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:27.520 Senator McCain's there. He's got a couple of staffers, and 0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:29.959 I'd just like, I'm going to introduce myself to him, 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:34.640 just out of respect for who he was and how 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:37.720 he led and what he what he did over his lifetime. 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:40.480 The POW experience, and so I said hello. I told 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:42.160 him my name. I told him I worked for the 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:45.400 Southeastern Conference. He said, you guys are gonna feel good tonight. 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:48.480 You're you're gonna get this one. And remember this wasn't 0:10:49.440 --> 0:10:51.360 at the end or in the midst of an area 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:55.760 of era of dominance. This was the beginning. LSU had 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:57.720 won a couple of years before, and then we've got 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:01.160 a couple of years without having a team in and 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:03.360 I would say it was one, Florida was two. And 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:05.680 I said, well, you know, I hope you're right. I'll 0:11:05.679 --> 0:11:08.120 have to play really, I said, no, the difference will 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:12.240 be the defensive line speed that Florida has. And if 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:15.319 you remember the game, that was a huge factor. And 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:18.480 I've often thought about that. Either he paid a lot 0:11:18.600 --> 0:11:21.679 more attention than I would have thought, or he had 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:25.800 a staff member brief him. And I've had enough conversations 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:28.640 with senators that they pay a lot of attention to this. 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:31.319 So I've credited him for knowing and he was exactly right. 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:36.160 And then my first National championship experience as commissioner was 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:39.959 in January of twenty sixteen. You know the Clemson Alabama game. 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:44.840 Remember the onside kick that Alabama executed so well, we won, 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:48.800 which was a really fun experience. And on a personal side, 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:52.280 in my family and I have been into Phoenix and 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:56.079 then driven down south the Tucson to Sells, Arizona and 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:59.560 done some work through a church group there. So we've 0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:03.920 had any number of experiences in the state, but have 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:09.839 really enjoyed the successes when the National Championship Game has 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:13.760 been held in the Phoenix area, Well, you've done a 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.680 tremendous job. The SEC is on top of the sports 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:19.720 world in college and in particular the college football world. 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:24.520 What will the addition of Oklahoma and Texas mean for 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:29.240 the SEC and do you still see the SEC East 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:31.959 and SEC West in the future or do you think 0:12:32.000 --> 0:12:35.559 eventually you will get rid of the divisions as it 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:38.480 relates to the meaning. You know, the cliche that we 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:40.480 use is it will just mean more. And I think 0:12:40.840 --> 0:12:44.679 the addition of those two may have us like really 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:48.880 typing in big letters in bold print that tagline because 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:56.600 uniquely for expansion of members we restore rivalries. Obviously we'll 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:59.319 be able to maintain the Oklahoma and Texas rivalry. A 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:01.760 lot of folks us on Texas A and M and 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:06.360 Texas playing again. But the history of the Arkansas Texas 0:13:07.400 --> 0:13:11.640 games is really quite spectacular and has deep meaning for 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:17.240 both universities Oklahoma and Missouri. I've actually had conversations about 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:20.960 their wrestling teams and you know how that plays out. 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:23.760 You know, might that be something we could explore via 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:28.319 the SEC network because of the success and prominence that 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:30.200 both of those teams have. We don't have that as 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:34.400 a sport sport, but it speaks to the relationship Oklahoma 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:37.920 and Missouri had through their Big Eight membership in twenty 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:41.199 five percent of the old Big Eight will soon be 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:44.079 part of the Southeastern Conference, and then as you think 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:49.520 about you big brands in the level of competition, that 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:53.240 will just be magnified. And as it relates to scheduling, 0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:57.839 my observation upfront when we added the tour, announced the 0:13:57.840 --> 0:14:02.120 addition of Oklahoma in Texas was that we kind of 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:05.160 engage in blue sky thinking like big pictures, step away, 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:08.800 remover straints, think about all the options, but we also 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:12.760 want to see our teams come through our campuses more frequently, 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:15.360 you know, particularly in football. You take Missouri played at 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:18.880 Auburn this year as an example that game has not 0:14:19.080 --> 0:14:23.520 been played in Auburn before. George is not played in collegation, 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:27.040 and we have that in our current configuration, the crossover games, 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:30.760 it may be ten or twelve years before those teams 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:32.800 meet up, and so we want to see that happen 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:35.640 with greater frequency. One of the ways we can do 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:39.720 so is to have a single division format that has 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:44.160 become the focal point. That doesn't mean it's a done deal, 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:47.240 but if we are in a single division, the question 0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:49.720 will be are we going to play eight or nine games? 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:53.920 There's mixed views on that, and it's about being able 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:57.640 to maintain some rivalries that will be prominent games in 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:01.160 either eight or nine games. Allows us to cycle everyone 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:04.760 through home and away over a four year period of time, 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:07.280 so being able to see Texas and Georgia play home 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:10.320 and a way that would happen twice in four years. 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:14.520 You know, Texas m playing Florida, it happens later on 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:18.200 in this year's schedule. It happened every other year in 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:20.720 that new format, and you can multiply that for it. 0:15:20.800 --> 0:15:23.760 So we think that's a smart strategy. We still have 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:27.280 some decisions to make, but the fundamental is, let's see, 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:29.560 our big brands are big teams and there are going 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:31.600 to be sixteen of those moved through all of our 0:15:31.640 --> 0:15:36.080 campuses with greater frequency. Do you see adding more schools 0:15:36.360 --> 0:15:40.000 or is sixteen a good number for the SEC? My 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:44.040 view is sixteen's a very healthy number. At our media 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:46.360 days was very intentional to say we're not on their 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:50.960 recruiting trail. We're confident in our decision making. We're comfortable 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:53.880 with who we are as a conference. We know our identity, 0:15:53.960 --> 0:15:56.640 we understand our fan base, and we don't think it's 0:15:56.760 --> 0:15:59.840 necessary to just shoot for a number when we made 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:05.280 the decision around Oklahoma and Texas. We have philosophically aligned 0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:09.520 athletics programs that want to provide incredible experiences for young 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:12.720 people who seek to compete at a national championship level 0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:17.360 on university campuses that are on the cutting edge and 0:16:17.440 --> 0:16:20.000 among the leading universities in the nation, and we've done 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:24.360 that in a contiguous way. We don't have some of 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:27.040 the travel that our colleague conferences face. And I don't 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:30.080 just mean that about the Big Tens move, but some 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:34.360 of our other colleagues have very distant trips. Our longest 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:37.160 trip when we go to sixteen will be Columbia, South 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:41.200 Carolina to Austin, Texas, which is eighty or ninety miles 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:44.320 longer than the College station to Columbia, South Carolina trip. 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:49.120 And if there are changes that happen around us, we're 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:53.359 certainly mindful of the chatter that exists. Will be prepared 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:57.640 if there are more pieces of the puzzle that are moving. 0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:00.280 But we're not ones that are looking at a number, 0:17:00.760 --> 0:17:04.399 are looking to be the recruiter, if you will, in 0:17:04.520 --> 0:17:09.600 this conference membership movement. Sure. Sure. In terms of expansion 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:12.920 of the college Football Playoff going to twelve teams in 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:17.600 twenty twenty four, how optimistic are you that that's going 0:17:17.680 --> 0:17:21.119 to happen? What has to happen, and what are the 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:25.520 financial benefits of getting it done sooner than twenty twenty six. 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:29.119 I know that's a multi pronged question there. Well, my 0:17:29.480 --> 0:17:35.640 sense is that there's a desire to facilitate early onset 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:40.200 of an expanded playoff. Your question about the likelihood, I 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:42.320 think that really remains to be seen. There are a 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:46.159 number of realities in front of us that don't just 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:51.520 go away because we want to make it work. The will, though, 0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:54.680 is there to make it work, and you know one 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:57.159 of those issues is dates for first round games. We 0:17:57.280 --> 0:17:59.919 focused on on campus sites. There's a lot that happened 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:04.600 around campuses across this country with final exams, the end 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:09.840 of semester classes, December graduation. You have an NFL schedule 0:18:09.920 --> 0:18:13.600 that's expanded its number of games, which means it's it's 0:18:13.680 --> 0:18:17.920 covering more weeks. That creates some challenges. And so those 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:21.440 are just two that are top of mind. I think 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:26.600 the board was clear that come twenty six, their clear expectations. 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:30.280 We have a twelve team format for the college football Playoff, 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:32.399 and to the extent it's possible we could go early. 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:38.439 We've got some conversations over the upcoming weeks that may 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:42.960 move us to that conclusion, to that finish line, but 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:46.240 I'm not really clear that that still can happen. There's 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:49.680 there's still work to be done. Can you elaborate on 0:18:50.119 --> 0:18:53.119 some of the things that are hurdles or obstacles to 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:57.520 getting it done sooner? Greg? Yeah, Yeah, Well one is, 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:01.119 you know, we introduced an idea, and we spent a 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:06.600 year not really acting on the details because we had 0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:11.879 conferences that were just opposed. And this summer some circumstances 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:16.560 changed and the presidents regathered and now we have a 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:20.960 twelve team format. Expectation The reality is the loss of 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:25.560 the time to deal with the issues comes at a price, 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:27.800 and that price is we're trying to move rapidly and 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:30.160 we still have to be thoughtful on our decision making. 0:19:30.240 --> 0:19:33.520 So I'll go back. You know, we've got championship games 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:38.160 scheduled that first weekend in December. That's our tradition. Where 0:19:38.200 --> 0:19:40.840 do you fit in first round games, some of which 0:19:40.920 --> 0:19:44.840 are with teams who may have played in playoff are 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:47.600 achieving in conference championship games? So how do you provide 0:19:47.640 --> 0:19:51.240 for rest, recovery and preparation. You have that campus conflict. 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:55.320 Where do you place games for TV windows? If in 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:58.800 the NFL tradition is at that point, like the third 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.520 week of the season, there are games on Saturday, Sunday 0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:05.880 and Monday, Well, that creates window limitations for college football 0:20:05.920 --> 0:20:09.040 playoff expansion. You then go forward to the bowl games. 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:12.800 We have agreements with six bowl games that extend through 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:15.399 the twenty five season, which is part of a twelve 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:19.280 year contract cycle. There has to be work done to 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:22.600 adjust those dates. It's not simply saying we were going 0:20:22.640 --> 0:20:26.640 to play your bowl game on a different date. Cities 0:20:26.760 --> 0:20:31.159 have to adjust, hotels have to adjust. I think you 0:20:31.400 --> 0:20:34.560 to my earlier comment, Dave, there's a will to move 0:20:34.640 --> 0:20:37.719 that forward. We also have to adjust the back end 0:20:37.840 --> 0:20:42.800 the semi finals and championship gate date timing and where 0:20:42.840 --> 0:20:46.520 those games are played and when. Even though it's a 0:20:46.560 --> 0:20:48.760 couple of years out, you know, there's a lot of 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:54.240 demand for hotels and convention space and planning and preparation 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:58.680 around those citywide type activities that are important revenue drivers 0:20:58.720 --> 0:21:02.560 and economic engines, and those elements have to be adjusted. 0:21:02.600 --> 0:21:05.119 And then you go back to kind of the small 0:21:05.200 --> 0:21:07.760 ball type issues are in the weeds. The details of 0:21:07.880 --> 0:21:11.119 campus hosting is brand new to college football. So we 0:21:11.240 --> 0:21:14.720 host games every week, but in the postseason we're used 0:21:14.720 --> 0:21:18.159 to neutral sites generally hosted in bowl games that have 0:21:18.280 --> 0:21:21.760 great experience and a wide array of support. And so 0:21:21.880 --> 0:21:25.280 we're talking in about twelve days to go to some 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:30.199 small college towns with enormous competitive experiences, and we need 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:32.399 to we need to make sure that we've got the 0:21:32.440 --> 0:21:36.040 ability to support those games and the most positive way possible. 0:21:36.119 --> 0:21:39.920 So that's a quick list with high level headings, and 0:21:40.359 --> 0:21:43.000 you can unpack that, and we could probably put people asleep. 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:45.800 If I get well, and I know you're pressed for time, 0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:48.359 as well, but a couple more we'll let you go. 0:21:49.600 --> 0:21:52.440 How realistic is it given what you said about the 0:21:52.600 --> 0:21:56.479 NFL extending its season on the back end, with regular 0:21:56.560 --> 0:22:01.480 season games ending January eighth now instead of the first 0:22:01.520 --> 0:22:05.280 of the year, moving up college football a week, so 0:22:05.440 --> 0:22:07.720 Week zero becomes week one, and then you have two 0:22:07.800 --> 0:22:13.679 weeks of college football essentially before NFL starts. Is that realistic? 0:22:15.480 --> 0:22:18.640 I don't know, As the honest answer, it's an idea 0:22:19.000 --> 0:22:23.360 that has been identified previously. The NCAA has a Football 0:22:23.440 --> 0:22:27.600 Oversight Committee. That committee looked at this issue a few 0:22:27.720 --> 0:22:30.600 years ago. At that time with the idea that you'd 0:22:30.680 --> 0:22:34.359 have a standard fourteen week season and everybody would have 0:22:34.560 --> 0:22:39.280 two weeks, two open weeks embedded in their season. Ultimately, 0:22:40.600 --> 0:22:45.720 the view of the bowl subdivision representatives, it was not 0:22:45.920 --> 0:22:50.600 to advance that moved back to week zero. I expect 0:22:50.680 --> 0:22:53.960 that will be reconsidered, particularly as we look towards the 0:22:54.040 --> 0:22:58.639 twenty sixth season. I'm not necessarily an opponent or an advocate. 0:22:58.760 --> 0:23:02.560 I'm a realist to know that the conversation will take place. 0:23:03.320 --> 0:23:06.119 That brings me back to the honest answer, as I 0:23:06.200 --> 0:23:10.960 don't know. There were reasons that we collectively did not 0:23:11.119 --> 0:23:13.720 move to week zero when it was explored previously. We'll 0:23:13.760 --> 0:23:15.879 have to consider those reasons. We'll have to look at 0:23:15.960 --> 0:23:20.880 the fit of the preseason, practice period, the regular season itself, 0:23:21.000 --> 0:23:25.000 it's conclusion then leading into a playoff, to see if 0:23:25.840 --> 0:23:29.520 the structure might be supported and if you will defend 0:23:29.600 --> 0:23:33.320 it in a positive way. Knowing we've got summer school, 0:23:33.480 --> 0:23:37.000 we have varying start dates for fall semester classes or 0:23:37.040 --> 0:23:40.600 in some circumstances, fall quarter classes. All of those things 0:23:41.160 --> 0:23:44.560 play into the decision, which again was considered not that 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:48.760 long ago and ultimately not advanced sure in terms of 0:23:48.840 --> 0:23:52.399 men's basketball, women's basketball as well NCAA tournament expansion, I 0:23:52.520 --> 0:23:56.320 believe the quote was you said, fresh look is something 0:23:56.440 --> 0:23:59.200 that you want to explore, and Jim Phillips, the ACC Commissioner, 0:23:59.280 --> 0:24:02.119 just recently touched down that as well. Can you elaborate 0:24:02.200 --> 0:24:05.960 on what expansion of the NCAA tournament like look might 0:24:06.040 --> 0:24:11.400