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Afternoon Edition

May 27, 2025

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey took shots at the ACC and Big 12 over CFP proposals, leading to additional sparring—and a Pennsylvania politician suggesting a congressional inquiry over collusion between the SEC and Big Ten.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

SEC Push for More CFP Power Draws Congressional Attention [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The accelerating separation of the SEC from the rest of college sports is becoming even more stark as commissioner Greg Sankey has taken several fresh shots against two other power conferences—as well as the broader status quo.

Amid ongoing discussion about a potential further expansion of the College Football Playoff and a move to a straight-seeding model for 2025 [[link removed]], Sankey criticized the Big 12 and ACC, which both supported the shift.

“I don’t need lectures from others about the good of the game … coordinated press releases about the good of the game,” Sankey said at the conference’s spring meeting in Florida. “I’m looking for ideas to move us forward.”

Sankey, however, then went even further, also suggesting a governance model in college sports in which the SEC, along with the other three power conferences, would have even more control.

“[The] SEC has asked for more autonomy for the four [power] conferences,” Sankey said. “I don’t have the authority to just depart [the NCAA]. I’ve shared with the decision-making working group that I have people in my room asking, ‘Why are we still in the NCAA?’”

The Big 12 rejected Sankey’s suggestions regarding the CFP.

“There was no press release from the Big 12—let alone a coordinated one with the ACC—regarding straight seeding,” said the conference’s VP of communications and strategy, Clark Williams, in a social media post [[link removed]].

The public back-and-forth, however, shows the mounting pressure to land coveted CFP slots—which have been worth $4 million to conferences for each first-round berth [[link removed]], an $8 million guarantee for those receiving initial byes, and then another $6 million for each school that reaches the semifinals and for each school in the national championship game. The 2025 model will see the four highest-ranked teams earning first-round byes, but the conferences with the four highest-ranked champions will still pocket the automatic $8 million payout, even if their champion is not ranked inside the top four.

Momentum continues to grow toward a potential CFP expansion to 16 teams, something that Sankey said “has had more traction in my league than I would’ve anticipated.” Within that is a much-discussed model in which the SEC and Big Ten would each have four automatic bids, while the ACC and Big Ten each get two, leaving just four for the rest of college football.

The football situation additionally parallels what’s already happening in men’s basketball, with the SEC recently landing a record 14 spots in March Madness [[link removed]], including eventual champion Florida [[link removed]], with a similarly unprecedented $70 million haul [[link removed]] from the tournament. The March Madness situation created an absurdity in which an ultimately declined NIT invitation was extended to the SEC’s 20-loss, last-place South Carolina [[link removed]].

Political Attention

A move by the SEC and Big Ten to separate further from the rest of college sports is already ringing alarm bells among some lawmakers. While concern continues over the many implications [[link removed]] of the proposed House v. NCAA settlement [[link removed]], Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.) threatened further inquiry.

“Let me state this as clearly as I can: the Big Ten and SEC should be very, very careful about some of the decisions they are about to make,” Boyle said in a social media post [[link removed]]. “Because they appear hellbent on ruining major college football, I think they need congressional hearings into their collusion.”

LOUD AND CLEAR College Football’s New Reality

The Columbus Dispatch

“I don’t think we’ll ever see an undefeated national champion again.”

—Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian, on the state of college football, as the leaders of the College Football Playoff continue discussions about the postseason format. Among the many CFP models being explored are ones that would give up to four automatic qualifying spots to the SEC and Big Ten, which had three and four teams, respectively, in last year’s 12-team bracket. Ohio State won the national championship with a final record of 14–2. “I understand not everybody’s on the same page right now,” Sarkisian said Tuesday at the SEC’s spring meetings. “Hopefully, we can get to that point.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS HONORS

Nominate Your Athletic Department

The Most Innovative College Athletic Departments Award [[link removed]] will recognize collegiate athletic departments addressing the specific challenges of scholastic sports in the modern age.

They’re the departments setting the bar for the collegiate sports sector using unique, holistic, and empowering programs to help college athletes navigate an era of accelerating change so these up-and-comers can enjoy lasting success—physically, mentally, and monetarily.

Nominees will be evaluated based on training facilities, fan experiences, data and analytics, athlete resources, and more.

Think your athletic department deserves to be recognized? Nominate it now [[link removed]].

Nominations are open through June 22.

Caitlin Clark Injury Sends Fever Road Ticket Prices Plummeting [[link removed]]

The Indianapolis Star

The Caitlin Clark Effect has been a net positive for the WNBA and all its teams. But with the star guard expected to miss a minimum of two weeks [[link removed]], the league will see the flip side of her impact. And there are already initial data points.

The Indiana Fever will play two road games during the coming two-week stretch—both of which were moved by their opponents to arenas with a larger capacity [[link removed]]—and the ticket prices have drastically dropped for both games since Clark’s injury was announced Monday.

Wednesday’s Fever game vs. the Washington Mystics at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore has a get-in price of $22, down 47% from the $41 minimum ticket price before the announcement, according to TickPick. CFG Bank Arena holds about 14,000 fans, significantly more than the around 4,000 that fit the CareFirst Arena, the Mystics’ usual home.

A Mystics spokesperson told Front Office Sports on Monday that the team is “not planning to make changes to tickets.”

Get-in tickets for the Fever’s rivalry game against the Chicago Sky on June 7 are down 71% from $86 to $25. The game will be played at United Center, the home of the NBA’s Bulls, which seats close to 21,000, the largest capacity of any NBA team. The Sky typically play their games at the Wintrust Arena, which seats about 10,400.

Clark, who has yet to miss a WNBA regular-season game and played in all her college games at Iowa, could potentially miss more than two weeks. The Fever’s next game is a June 10 road matchup against the Atlanta Dream, which will be 15 days after Monday’s injury announcement. The average purchase price for the five Fever games until June 10—including two Indiana home dates—is $80, down from $137 before Monday.

The get-in price for the Fever’s game vs. the Dream remains high at $147, though the game will be held at the Dream’s Gateway Center Arena, which has the smallest capacity in the WNBA at 3,500 seats.

The Fever have five remaining road games in June after the two-week mark of Clark’s injury, including the Dream game on June 10, and the get-in price for each game still exceeds $100 on TickPick. Those games include a pair of milestones: the Fever’s first game at the Chase Center against the Golden State Valkyries on June 19 and the first game between Clark and Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings on June 27.

EXCLUSIVE

Texas Blocked Ohio State Plan to Move Game

A Fox executive confirmed to FOS that the network had approved Ohio State’s idea of moving the defending national champion’s much-anticipated Week 1 matchup against Texas from Saturday’s noon time slot to prime time on Sunday night. However, Texas rejected the proposal. You can read Ryan Glasspiegel’s full story here [[link removed]].

For all of our sports media news and analysis, you can subscribe to the twice-weekly “Tuned In” newsletter [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY A Big Opportunity for the WNBA

FOS illustration

Caitlin Clark’s injury absence for the next two weeks will be a litmus test for the WNBA’s momentum at large. Baker Machado and Renee Washington discuss whether ticket sales and ratings can keep up without Clark, and why the league must demonstrate its success independently of its biggest star.

Plus, Tom Brady is back with another crypto investment after the FTX fiasco, Cristiano Ronaldo is done with his Saudi club, and USMNT legend Clint Dempsey joins with his thoughts on the future of American soccer.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Kirk Cousins ⬆⬇ The Falcons quarterback was not in attendance for the team’s first day of voluntary OTAs on Tuesday. Cousins’s future in Atlanta remains murky, as the franchise moves forward with second-year passer Michael Penix Jr., despite Cousins carrying a $40 million salary-cap hit this season [[link removed]]. The Steelers are reportedly interested in trading for Cousins if they don’t ultimately sign free-agent Aaron Rodgers.

Al Nassr ⬇ Following the team’s final game of the Saudi Pro League season, Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to suggest his time with the club has come to an end. “This chapter is over,” the 40-year-old soccer legend posted on X [[link removed]]. Ronaldo, whose contract expires next month, spent two and a half seasons with the club.

CBS Sports ⬆ The network is expected to land the U.S. media rights for the UEFA Women’s Champions League [[link removed]] in 2025 and 2026, SportBusiness reported Tuesday. Soccer matches will also be streamed on Paramount+. The rights were previously held by DAZN and YouTube.

Michael La Sasso ⬆ The Ole Miss golfer won the NCAA individual championship Monday, which earns him an exemption into the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club and the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic in Detroit next month. La Sasso, 21, a junior, will also receive an invite to the 2026 Masters, if he remains an amateur. La Sasso has NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals with sportswear brand Johnnie-O and equipment company Sun Mountain. The team golf championships will be played Tuesday and Wednesday at the Omni La Costa resort [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Pirates rookie Matt Gorski, who played in the minor leagues for six years, hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat. The 27-year-old did it in front of his wife, who rushed to Los Angeles upon learning he was promoted the night before. Check it out [[link removed]]. Watch [[link removed]] how the New York City Department of Transportation changed street signs to be named after Knicks players. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn ended his commencement speech at Salisbury University, his alma mater, with four words: “Let it fucking rip.” Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks PWHL Expansion Rules Threaten Budding Minnesota Dynasty [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Minnesota captured its second straight PWHL Walter Cup on Monday night. Alibaba Billionaire, Supermodel Headline New Liberty Investors [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]The investment must still be approved by the WNBA’s board of governors. ESPN’s Ashley ShahAhmadi Targeted by NBC, Prime for NBA Role [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]ShahAhmadi has covered high-profile college football and NBA games for ESPN. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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