DALLAS – A conqueror’s thirst is rarely quenched. 

Alexander The Great wasn’t satisfied with Egypt or parts of Asia as he endeavored to reach the “ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea.” Napoleon Bonaparte held most of Western Europe in his small hands but longed to control Russia and beyond. Julius Caesar won battles on the field and in politics as the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire until he was stabbed to death by the Senate. 

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey acted like a conqueror ready for peace at the start of SEC media days at the Omni in Dallas. Thanos after the snap. He grew the SEC into the most powerful conference in the country with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma. 

“Sixteen is our today, and 16 is our tomorrow,” Sankey said. But no one believed him. Three of the first questions he received from the media after his prepared statement were about the ACC and possible expansion with Florida State and Clemson. Sankey deflected and chose to only discuss the 16 members in Dallas. “I don’t spend an enormous amount of my time thinking about (expansion into the ACC). I certainly don’t spend any time engaged in that recruiting activity because we’re focused on our 16.” 

Sankey used his State of the Union to highlight the on-field battles that his conference has won. Eighteen years with the most NFL draft picks. Eleven national championships in 2023-24 alone. Forty-nine players in the NBA playoffs. Eighty-eight players on MLB opening day rosters. Over 200 Olympians with all 16 SEC teams represented on Team USA. An SEC team has participated in every College Football Playoff. 

“We’re the one conference left where the name means something – the southeast,” Sankey stated. “When we expanded, we restored historic rivalries while adding only 100 miles to the longest campus to campus trip for our student athletes.” 

Sankey doesn’t need to look into a crystal ball to see the future of college athletics because he’ll help create it. He’s more world builder than conqueror these days because there isn’t much left to conquer. The SEC and Big Ten are supreme powers with almost unchecked influence. If the SEC wants to reach 20 teams, it can. If Sankey wants the College Football Playoff to expand to 14 teams, it will. 

That truth is why Texas jumped ship from the Big 12 to the SEC. The Longhorns want to help write the future of college athletics and the Big 12 has lost its voice. Texas was quickly becoming the loudest voice in a neutered room. They won’t hold the same control in the SEC, but the move guarantees a spot at the adult’s table and the money required to remain at the top of the college football pyramid. 

“(Texas) is now part of a conference with peer athletic programs and peer universities,” Sankey answered when asked about the amount of control Texas would have in the SEC behind the scenes. The creation of the Longhorn Network and they’re perceived influence within the Big 12 offices was the main reason why Texas A&M bolted for the SEC over a decade ago. “(Texas and Oklahoma) will fit together with the 16.” 

The future of college athletics is murky. Conference realignment nationalized a once regional sport. NIL provided power to players. The Transfer Portal creates roster turnover at a scale never experienced by head coaches. The expanded playoff gives G5 programs a route into the dance. Whispers of private equity entering the fray are becoming louder. We’re approaching a time when everything is sponsored – the sideline tablets, the officials, and even the conferences themselves. Will you be shocked when your favorite team’s jersey begins to look like NASCAR cars? Get prepared for it now. 

Those are tomorrow’s problems. On Monday, Sankey wanted to look at the past and the present rather than the future. He celebrated the past while tipping his cap to the present. The SEC won the war. It’ll probably win the next one, too. All empires eventually fall, but the horizon for the SEC is hard to find. 

“I am optimistic about our future because I have the continuing opportunities to meet the SEC’s leaders of today and tomorrow,” Sankey said. “I remain convinced that the best days of the Southeastern Conference are ahead.”