SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is sounding the alarm on College Football Playoff expansion, expressing concerns that moving beyond the current 12-team format to 24 teams could fundamentally alter the regular season's stakes.

"To me, there is a tipping point in November where a game … that goes from, 'Hey, we're at 6-2 hanging on for dear life, we really don't have a chance at a four-team playoff but you've been brought into it in the 12-team playoff,' can go the other way," Sankey told 247Sports. He warned that in a larger format, a team that's comfortably positioned two weeks out could suddenly find itself on the bubble, diminishing the intensity of late-season matchups.

The conversation around expansion has been gaining momentum among college football coaches, but Sankey's cautionary perspective highlights a key tension: preserving the drama and importance of November games versus accommodating more teams in the postseason. As the playoff continues to evolve, finding that balance remains the central challenge for the sport's leadership.