The college football landscape is buzzing with talk of an expanded playoff, and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is weighing in on the growing support for a 24-team College Football Playoff (CFP). While reports surfaced weeks ago that power brokers like ACC and Big 12 commissioners are backing a field that would double the current 12-team format, Sankey suggests this isn't exactly breaking news.

"I don't know that anything changed. Mike Leach wanted 64. People have had different opinions," Sankey said Monday at the Associated Press Press Editors Southeast Regional meeting in Birmingham. "We've had those advocating 32, 28, 16, and 24 was one of those hybrid numbers that popped up."

The Big Ten initially floated the 24-team concept, which would mix at-large bids with multiple conference allocations. But the SEC wasn't on board, and now these two conferences hold the keys to the CFP's future. Joining Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormack and ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips in support is Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua, adding another powerful voice to the expansion chorus.

With the 12-team format set to enter its third year in 2026, the CFP's management committee meets next month to hash out what comes next. Sankey, ever the pragmatist, kept it simple: "We'll have more conversations where the First Amendment will be alive and well."

For now, fans and insiders alike will be watching closely as these discussions unfold—because whether it's 12, 24, or something in between, the future of college football's biggest stage is far from settled.