Sankey is not focused on finding more teams, but on getting more money

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Lost in all the speculation about future expansion, no one is specifically noting what will likely be a change in schedule. Get ready.

While many expected it, the SEC will likely expand to a 9-game conference schedule for the 2026 season. That could create some very interesting twists for Arkansas going forward.

“I’m paying attention, but I’m not going to recruit,” Sankey said last week. Given that virtually no one at last week’s SEC Football Kickoff in Dallas thought the league would have to recruit anyone, that was unusual. The bet is that they just have to decide who they want and implement it.

But there’s a question that’s come up that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention at the microphone, but has been discussed pretty routinely among people. They’ve been trying to work out the kinks for a 9-game conference schedule for football.

That will probably happen in 2026, whether anyone likes it or not. Coaches probably don’t want it, but that expansion would put the SEC in the closest position to the NFL model they seem to be chasing. Every regular season game would be a toss-up.

Take the Razorbacks schedule that we’ve been discussing for this year. Imagine adding Georgia, Alabama, or Oklahoma to what they’re playing now. By the way, put those three on the 2026 schedule, along with Texas, Missouri, and Ole Miss. That’ll be fun.

If ESPN had sweetened the TV money, we would be playing 9 games this year. As usual, dollars and lack of intelligence will dominate the whole idea. It has been clear for about a decade now that the long-term strategy for the people running the league is a junior varsity version of the NFL, which is clearly number 1. College football doesn’t even come close, despite what we think in the South.

Get ready for divisions, too. That’s another area where money can come into the picture. It’s not about football, but about paying for these trips to sports that rely on football revenue to fund their events. It would be a lot more affordable for the volleyball team to go to games in Norman, Okla., and Columbia, Mo., than to Athens, Ga., or Gainesville, Fla. Now you know what’s really going to play a bigger factor in all of this than anyone realizes.

Sankey simply doesn’t need to recruit teams to the SEC. Oh, there will be talks with someone like Notre Dame if they want to join a league. That will likely be something brokered with the Big 10. Everyone will also be keeping an eye on the Big 12 as the ACC battles lawsuits that could decide its fate there.

Nobody thinks Sankey should have to recruit anybody. It would be amazing if they couldn’t just get anybody they wanted. They left everything open to working out the scheduling issues, don’t do that. The league office probably has a couple of guys who have been working on those logistics for a couple of years.

Wait a minute and don’t start making assumptions if you don’t have all the facts. No one does right now.

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