Oklahoma and Texas have officially been SEC members for only 15 days, but already talk of further expansion has permeated the conversation around the conference.
During the Q&A portion of his appearance at SEC Media Days in Dallas on Monday, commissioner Greg Sankey was asked about whether or not he was following potentially seismic changes in the ACC. Longtime ACC members Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina have for several months been making rumblings about possibly seeking to leave the league in search of more lucrative media rights deals in the Big Ten or SEC.
Sankey sought to shut down any such rumors on Monday, however. He said the SEC is not actively seeking to add additional members in the near future after expanding from 14 schools to 16 this year.
“We’re focused on our 16,” Sankey said. “I’ve said before at Media Days, I’m not a recruiter. My job is to make sure we meet the standard of excellence that we have for ourselves on a daily basis. That attracts interest. It’s done that with the two universities that we have added this year. They’re not the only phone calls I’ve ever had, but I’m not involved in recruitment.
“Our presidents have been clear that I am not going to entangle us in litigation around expansion. So I pay attention, but I’m not engaged in those conversations.
“… The broader implications, obviously if things change, then there’s a new level of uncertainty. It already creates speculation that I think is counterproductive, but I don’t spend an enormous amount of my time thinking about it. I certainly don’t spend any time engaged in that recruiting activity because we’re focused on our 16, and I want to be respectful of the difficulty that’s currently faced with that issue — that set of issues within the ACC and my colleague Jim Phillips.”
Sankey used the “16″ refrain several times during his nearly hour-long session with reporters. He perhaps opened the door for speculation when he said “16 is our today, and 16 is our tomorrow.”
One reporter even sought to clarify what Sankey’s use of the word “tomorrow” meant. Was he referring to a figurative, non-specific tomorrow, or did he mean Tuesday, as in, an expansion announcement might be coming on Wednesday?
“So the last three questions are a part of the reality, which is I’ve responded now three times where our focus lies,” Sankey said. “Our focus is on our 16 members. I have a responsibility to pay attention, and I’m certainly not going to fuel speculation on what happens next.
“We can certainly remain at 16 for a long, long time and be incredibly successful.”