With turquoise water and sugary beaches as a backdrop, the Southeastern Conference will gather on the Florida panhandle this week for its annual spring meetings. At a poolside reception at the Sandestin Hilton on Tuesday evening, coaches, administrators, corporate sponsors and media members will converge on chilled shrimp, carving stations and open bars. The question hanging over this year’s feast: Will it be served with a side of defiance or acquiescence?
In practical terms, the SEC is the only thing standing in the way of an expansion of the College Football Playoff from 12 to 24 teams by the 2027 season. Due to a panicked and self-defeating move years ago by the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision conferences to turn over primary decision-making power to two kingpin leagues, the Big Ten and the SEC, those are the only votes that matter. The Big Ten wants 24, and it has a lot of backup. (Although not formal unanimity, at least not yet. Reports to that effect don’t track with what multiple conference commissioners tell Sports Illustrated.)
