Texas loss to Georgia delivers a punishing blow to Longhorns’ playoff hopes.
Texas’ season results didn’t live up to the roster investment.
Georgia sitting in great shape for College Football Playoff after big night from Gunner Stockton, Kirby Smart.

ATHENS, GA – The headline raised eyebrows and vaulted expectations.

Last spring, during one of the sleepiest portions of the sports calendar, veteran reporter Kirk Bohls of the Houston Chronicle uncorked a news bulletin that Texas’ roster was set to earn at least $35 million in NIL and revenue-share earnings. Aggregators feasted on that catnip. The story exploded.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian tried to shove the genie back in the bottle. He called the report a rumor and pushed back on the highest end of the Houston Chronicle’s payroll projection, but nobody denied Texas invested big bucks in a team that earned a preseason No. 1 ranking.

Um, so, what’s the return policy on that purchase?

Texas’ war chest paid for the most average team money could buy.

Texas paid for a Porsche. It got a Kia. Not a terrible set of wheels. Not a Porsche, though.

It paid for the third-best team in the state of Texas, a mid-tier squad within the nation’s deepest conference.

With two games left before conference championship weekend, five SEC teams remain in prime shape for a College Football Playoff bid. No. 10 Texas isn’t one of them after a 35-10 loss to No. 5 Georgia at Sanford Stadium.

We can’t officially call this result playoff extinction for Texas – a Black Friday win against Texas A&M would give the committee something to ponder – but, at best, the Longhorns will be a three-loss team on Selection Sunday hoping to become the first three-loss qualifier in playoff history. No matter what this roster cost, I don’t buy that playoff pitch.

National championship aspirations are long good. The sobering reality is Texas is most likely headed for some also-ran bowl against an opponent that didn’t spend so much for its squad.

And although this loss will be remembered as the one that pushed the pin to the edge of Texas’ playoff bubble, let the historians remember Texas blew it weeks ago when it lost to previously sputtering Florida in The Swamp.

Call this season for what it is: A flop.

Arch Manning plays decent, Gunner Stockton plays better

You can’t write a postmortem on the Longhorns’ season without the prerequisite mention that Texas’ quarterback with perhaps the most famous surname in football didn’t live up to the unattainable expectations. You also can’t write the story of Arch Manning’s season without noting he improved the longer the season went.

This result cannot be laid at the Manning’s feet, and in fact he played as well as anyone in a white jersey on this night.

He didn’t play nearly as well as Georgia’s Gunner Stockton, who passed for four touchdowns and ran for another.

Eleven of Stockton’s first 12 passes found their mark against a Texas secondary that keeps providing insufficient coverage, about like a tank top in a thunderstorm.

Kirby Smart continues mastery of Steve Sarkisian

Georgia didn’t too need much ground support. Why handoff with Stockton completing nearly 83% of his passes? And why punt when Stockton could twice move the chains on fourth downs during a critical second-half scoring drive? Stockton completed a play-action pass for the first conversion, then drew the Longhorns offsides on fourth-and-5 to move the chains again, before capping the drive with another touchdown pass.

If those fourth-down conversions weren’t gutsy enough, Kirby Smart doubled down by hitting Texas with a sneak-attack onside kick right after that score. Cash Jones grabbed the ball for Georgia’s first onside kick recovery in a dozen years.

For the third time in the past 13 months, Smart stole Steve Sarkisian’s lunch money.

Georgia enjoys enviable position. If the SEC championships teams were assigned today, the Bulldogs wouldn’t be in the game. That’s perhaps a blessing. A conference championship weekend breather plus perhaps a No. 5 playoff seed and first-round home game would be ideal positioning for a Georgia team that’s closer to being a national championship contender than a vulnerable bubble team.

As Georgia pulled away in the fourth quarter, and chants of ‘U-G-A! U-G-A!’ rang out from the crowd, you could almost hear the massive sigh of collective relief from the playoff selection committee.

The playoff bubble’s getting awfully crowded, but the committee’s job gets just a bit easier each time a two-loss team turns into a three-loss team. With this result, Texas made it easy for the committee to say no thanks. Texas’ big investment failed to return a playoff bid.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

LAKE PLACID, NY — There were plenty of shining moments at 2025 Skate America.

The second day of competition on Saturday, Nov. 15 was a loaded one, with every skater on the ice at the famous Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics and the ‘Miracle on Ice.’

With all four disciplines in action, Saturday showcased all the Olympic hopefuls, including those from the United States. It starts with with reigning world champion Alysa Liu, who had an excellent performance in the short program. The same could be said for the decorated ice dancing duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, showed out big time. Plus, the beloved Jason Brown showed promise in his first Grand Prix event of the season.

There are plenty of takeaways from day two of Skate America, and USA TODAY Sports has the scores and highlights from Lake Placid:

Alysa Liu maintains hot run

Even though the tears came out as she wrapped up her short program, Liu was completely OK with it. In her eyes, it actually felt good.

‘I don’t cry that much, so I feel like lucky to be able to cry over something,’ she said.

It was a performance worth crying over, as Liu delivered an emotional performance. The skater wants to feel connected to her music, and ‘Promise’ by Laufey executed it perfectly. The crowd felt it with a standing ovation, by far the loudest one of the women’s short program.

Liu received a 73.73, which put her in second place behind Japan’s Rinka Watanabe with a 74.35. The 20-year-old mentioned her loop could have been better, but she was overall happy with the skate.

Many of the American crowd hoped to see Liu in first place − especially after how she did in Cup of China − but she has well-positioned herself to finish on top with a strong free skate.

Another name to watch is American Starr Andrews. Her Beyonce medley was outstanding and had her around the top three for much of the night. She currently sits in sixth with a score of 64.38.

Madison Chock, Evan Bates in a class of their own

While the ice dance still has the free dance to go, first place is all but wrapped up.

The couple of Chock and Bates dominated in the rhythm dance, putting up a whopping 84.77, more than seven points than the second place duo of Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha of Canada. They performed a Lenny Kravitz medley that rocked from start to finish. It only made sense they were the last competitors to take the ice, truly saving the best for the final part of the show.

It continues what is a dominant run, building off the first place finish at Cup of China three weeks ago. The three-time reigning world champions and four-time reigning U.S. title holders have accomplished nearly everything in the Grand Prix, and they are well positioned to win Skate America for the fifth time, which would tie the record set by Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto.

“We’re really looking to put our best feet forward and perform our best,” Chock said. “We learn and grow from competition to competition, and think we’re in a really good place heading into the next event.”

Jason Brown has promising showing

Everyone was excited to fall back in love with Brown. The question was whether it was going to come with a podium finish.

Brown just missed out on it, but there’s still plenty to be happy about for the 30-year-old in his first Grand Prix event of the season. While his iconic river dance brought the crowd out of their seats in night one of the competition, he was in fifth place in the men’s standings, needing a big showing in the free skate to make it to at least third.

While some other skaters had slip ups, Brown didn’t on Saturday night, delivering a crisp performance that again ended with a rousing ovation from the fans. As the end of the night neared, it felt like Brown could medal, but he finished fourth, just under six points behind third.

It’s not the showing Brown wanted, but the nerves are out. Skate America gave him a good start for the season as he will be one of several American vying to punch their ticket to the Winter Olympics.

‘I feel like my confidence has grown,’ Brown said.

Men’s Skate America 2025 results

Kevin Aymoz of France became the star of the weekend, and he ends it by winning his first Grand Prix event in Skate America. He finished second in the short program and second in free skate, but he didn’t falter while other skaters around him stumbled.

In second place was Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan with 251.09 points, and Kazuki Tomono finished in third with a score of 245.57. Tomono was the top scorer in the short program, but two hard falls proved to be too much for him to maintain his spot.

American and fan favorite Jason Brown just missed out on the podium despite a strong free skate. At fourth place, he was just under six points away from a third-place finish.

Men’s total, free skate standings

Kevin Aymoz, France: 253.53 (159.97 free skate)
Mikhail Shaidorov, Kazakhstan: 251.09 (161.42 free skate)
Kazuki Tomono, Japan: 245.57 (149.80 free skate)
Jason Brown, United States: 239.59 (156.90 free skate)
Daniel Grassl, Italy: 236.44 (152.76 free skate)
Vladimir Litvinstsev, Azerbaijan: 231.84 (155.97 free skate)
Nikolaj Memola, Italy: 231.02 (155.41 free skate)
Tatsuya Tsuboi, Japan: 228.03 (150.35 free skate)
Liam Kapeikis, United States: 214.29 (140.01 free skate)
Luc Economides, France: 201.36 (129.38 free skate)
Daiwei Dai, China: 190.90 (125.92 free skate)
Corey Circelli, Italy: 190.55 (128.56 free skate)

Kazuki Tomono free skate

It was a rough start for Tomono with two falls, and it turns out to be costly. He finishes the night with a 149.80 score and he misses out on the Skate America title.

Kevin Aymoz free skate

After an emotional short program, Aymoz comes back on the ice and delivers another great showing, capped off with a pose right in front of the judges. Aymoz earns a score of 159.97 to guarantee himself a spot on the podium.

Mikhail Shaidorov free skate

The third-place finisher in the short program from Kazakhstan, Shaidorov took two rough falls in his program. Still, he gets a great score of 161.42.

Daniel Grassl free skate

A few hiccups for Grassl in his free skate, and he gets a 152.76 from the judges.

Jason Brown free skate

The fan-favorite delivers an emotional showing that ends with another standing ovation for the skater. Brown gets a 156.90.

Tatsuya Tsuboi free skate

Tsuboi opens up the second half of the men’s free skate with a powerful program 150.35

Vladimir Litvintsev free skate

The skater from Azerbaijan starts off pretending to smoke a cigarette and executes a performance that ends with a Joker tribute that entertains the crowd. Litvintsev earns a 155.97 from the judges.

Nikolaj Memola free skate

Memola overcomes some early stumbles for a solid finish, getting a score of 155.41.

Liam Kapeikis free skate

Kapeikis has great execution, earning a 140.01 in the free skate.

Luc Economides free skate

The scores continue to go up with Economides nabbing a 129.38 score.

Daiwei Dai free skate

Dai gets a 125.92 on his free skate.

Corey Circelli free skate

Circelli opens the men’s free skate with a score of 128.56.

Men’s free skate order

Corey Circelli, Italy
Daiwei Dai, China
Luc Economides, France
Liam Kapeikis, United States
Nikolaj Memola, Italy
Vladimir Litvintsev, Azerbaijan
Tatsuya Tsuboi, Japan
Jason Brown, United States
Daniel Grassl, Italy
Mikhail Shaidorov, Kazakhstan
Kevin Aymoz, France
Kazuki Tomono, Japan

Women’s short program final standings

Rinka Watanabe, Japan: 74.35
Alysa Liu, United States: 73.73
Lara Naki Gutmann, Italy: 69.69
Anastasiia Gubanova, Georgia: 68.07
Chaeyeon Kim, Korea: 67.28
Starr Andrews, United States: 64.38
Haein Lee, Korea: 64.06
Wakaba Higuchi, Japan: 60.12
Lea Serna, France: 59.25
Ekaterina Kurakova, Poland: 56.05
Hana Yoshida, Japan: 57.22
Josephine Lee, United States: 54.24

Chaeyeon Kim short program

The final skater in the women’s short program gets herself in the top five with a 67.28.

Anastasiia Gubanova short program

The skater from Georgia has a solid showing. The judges give her a score of 68.07.

Alysa Liu short program

Liu delivers an emotional short program that gets the crowd on their feet. She gets a score of 73.73.

Hana Yoshida short program

Performing a ‘Kill Bill’ inspired routine, Yoshida slices through the ice. She receives a score of 57.22.

Lara Naki Gutmann short program

Gutmann delivered a beautiful performance and catapults up the standings with a score of 69.69.

Rinka Watanabe short program

Coming off a third place finish at Cup of China, Watanabe puts on another great routine. She gets a whopping 74.35, a season-best for Watanabe.

Haein Lee short program

Lee closes out the first group with a strong showing, earning a score of 64.06.

Ekaterina Kurakova short program

A passionate performance, Kurakova earns a season-best 56.05.

Wakaba Higuchi short program

The 2024 Skate America winner has a minor slip-up but still puts up a season-best score of 60.12.

Lea Serna short program

The French skater puts up a clean performance, gets a 59.25.

Starr Andrews short program

With a Beyonce medley, Andrews executes and gets emotional after her performance.

Andrews receives 64.38, a season-best.

Josephine Lee short program

Lee has two early stumbles, including one fall, but recovers to close out her performance.

She finishes with a score of 54.24.

Women’s short program order

Josephine Lee, United States
Starr Andrews, United States
Lea Serna, France
Wakaba Higuchi, Japan
Ekaterina Kurakova, Poland
Haein Lee, Korea
Rinka Watanabe, Japan
Lara Naki Gutmann, Italy
Hana Yoshida, Japan
Alysa Liu, United States
Anastasiia Gubanova, Georgia
Chaeyeon Kim, Korea

Pairs results

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (Japan): 215.99
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (Georgia): 195.73
Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier (Canada): 182.87
Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe (United States): 180.02
Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel (Germany): 176.56
Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin (Armenia): 170.98
Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez (United States): 163.26
Olivia Flores and Luke Wang (United States): 161.44

Madison Chock, Evan Bates lead rhythm dance

The three-time reigning world champions shine on the ice to their Lenny Kravitz rhythm dance program. Chock and Bates received a score of 84.77 for a comfortable first place finish, with Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha of Canada scoring 77.42.

“We definitely made a lot of improvements,” Bates told USA TODAY Sports. “We felt good about it. There’s obviously a lot of room for growth and improvement as the season goes on with both programs, but we’re happy with just in two weeks, how much progress we can make.”

Rhythm dance results

Madison Chock and Evan Bates (United States): 84.77
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha (Canada): 77.42
Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud (France): 76.72
Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier (France): 73.47
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko (United States): 72.74
Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek (Czech Republic): 72.73
Oona Brown and Gage Brown (United States): 70.25
Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez (Great Britain): 66.81
Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer (Canada): 65.37
Celina Fradji and Jean-Hans Fourneaux (France): 56.21

Skate America schedule

Saturday, Nov. 15 (2 p.m. ET)

Rhythm dance 
Pairs’ free skate
Women’s short program 
Men’s free skate 

Sunday, Nov. 16 (2:15 p.m. ET)

Free dance 
Women’s free skate 

Stream Skate America on Peacock

How to watch Skate America: TV, streaming

Skate America will broadcast on E! Network on Saturday, Nov. 15. It will air on NBC on Sunday, Nov. 16.

All of Skate America will stream on Peacock.

Who is competing in 2025 Skate America?

Several of the international stars in Lake Placid are U.S. skaters who could compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, including:

Alysa Liu
Jason Brown
Madison Chock and Evan Bates

Skate America US skater times

All times Eastern

Ice dance rhythm dance

Oona Brown and Gage Brown: 2:22 p.m.
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko: 3:01 p.m.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates: 3:14 p.m.

Pairs’ free skate

Olivia Flores and Luke Wang: 3:46 p.m.
Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez: 3:54 p.m.
Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe: 4:09 p.m.

Women’s short program

Josephine Lee: 6:25 p.m.
Starr Andrews: 6:31 p.m.
Alysa Liu: 7:28 p.m.

Men’s free skate

Liam Kapeikis: 8:35 p.m.
Jason Brown: 9:13 p.m.

Men’s short program results

From Friday, Nov. 14.

Kazuki Tomono (Japan): 95.77
Kevin Aymoz (France): 93.56
Mikhali Shaidorov (Kazakhstan): 89.67
Daniel Grassl (Italy): 83.68
Jason Brown (United States): 82.69
Tatsuya Tsuboi (Japan): 77.68
Vladimir Litvintsev (Azerbaijan): 75.87
Nikolaj Memola (Italy): 75.61
Liam Kapeikis (United States): 74.28
Luc Economides (France): 71.98
Daiwei Dai (China): 64.98
Corey Circelli (Italy): 61.99

The dark blue uniform design is inspired by LA at night and the architecture of SoFi Stadium.
The Rams have brought back a former design element requested by fans.
For the 2025 season, all teams in the AFC East and NFC West will wear ‘Rivalries’ uniforms once.

The clock will strike midnight … on Sunday afternoon for the Los Angeles Rams.

The NFC West co-leaders will become the latest team to sport their new ‘Rivalries’ uniforms when they take on the Seattle Seahawks with first place on the line at SoFi Stadium. The Rams and Nike dubbed the new alternate look ‘Midnight Mode,’ a theme meant to evoke LA at night along with Tinseltown’s civic duality − which is evidently steeped in hard work but also the perpetual limelight.

‘The Rivalries jersey embodies the intensity, grit and pride of what it means to be an Angeleno,’ said Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick, the club’s chief marketing officer, when the uniforms were first revealed in August.

‘Above all, the design was inspired by the energy and glow of the Rams House at night with a look that will both pop in the sunshine during the day and shine under the bright lights in primetime.’

What’s new about the Rams’ ‘Rivalries’ uniforms?

According to the team’s website, the ‘Midnight Mode’ look is meant to reflect ‘the team’s deep connection to Los Angeles, the city where so many work in the dark to earn the spotlight.’

The uniform predominantly sports a dark blue look deemed ‘matte Midnight’ with touches of the team’s customary royal blue, ‘which echoes the evening hue and energy at SoFi Stadium and pays homage to the hard work of so many across Los Angeles who grind around the clock to turn their dreams into a reality.’

It’s also meant to tie into their building, the ‘intricate detailing inspired by SoFi Stadium’s unique architecture and curvature, Royal & Sol accents designed to mirror the lighting system, detailing on the sleeves, pants, and number set inspired by SoFi Stadium’s monumental perforated semi-translucent roof.’

At the request of fans, a ram’s horn wrapped around the shoulder and sleeve has also been restored after the team moved away from that design element when the current uniforms debuted in 2020. ‘Rams House’ is stitched inside the collar with the ‘same font as the old Hollywood Park Racetrack which used to sit where SoFi Stadium now resides.’

The Rams, who can go crazily deep on the meaning of uniform details as well as any team, also assert, ‘Champions aren’t made under the lights − they’re forged in the dark. The midnight palette captures LA’s true spirit: the grind nobody sees, the work that earns the spotlight, the relentless pursuit that defines our city and our team.’

What are NFL ‘Rivalries’ uniforms by Nike?

Think of them as the football version of the sports apparel company’s NBA ‘City Edition’ uniforms or Major League Baseball’s ‘City Connect’ jerseys. Signaled during the NFL draft and unveiled in August, Nike has strived to create something that further strengthens NFL teams’ bonds to their unique civic environments. And, as “rivalries” would suggest, all of them will be worn in intra-divisional matchups.

‘The 2025 Rivalries uniforms will celebrate storied local traditions and unite fan communities with designs unique to select cities and teams,” Nike announced during the rollout.

‘The designs are rooted extensively in the legacies and inspirations true to each team, serving as authentic, competitive expressions of community pride while giving athletes and fans an opportunity to connect like never before.’

Which NFL teams have ‘Rivalries’ uniforms?

Eventually all of them. But for 2025, each team in the AFC East and NFC West is scheduled to wear its “Rivalries” unis one time this season. Two additional divisions will be added to the rotation in each of the next three seasons, and the “Rivalries” option then becomes part of a team’s closet for the following three years.

When will NFL teams wear ‘Rivalries’ uniforms in 2025?

 New York Jets: Dec. 7 vs. Miami Dolphins

 San Francisco 49ers: Jan. 4, 2026 vs. Seattle Seahawks

 Seattle Seahawks: Dec. 18 vs. Los Angeles Rams

Joyce Edwards and Raven Johnson both had double-doubles as the No. 2 South Carolina women’s basketball team defeated No. 8 USC, 69-52, on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Edwards had 17 points and 10 rebounds while Johnson added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Four of the Gamecocks five starters scored in double figures. Edwards lost a shoe late in the fourth quarter, but played on, almost making a layup while slipping around the court.

The game was even throughout the first half, as South Carolina went into the locker room with a 32-30 lead over the Trojans. The Gamecocks locked down on defense in the second half and outscored USC, 37-22, to win the top-10 matchup and improve to 4-1.

South Carolina held USC to 1-14 shooting from behind the 3-point arc. The Gamecocks also outrebounded USC, 56-32.

Kennedy Smith led the Trojans (2-1) with 12 points while Kara Dunn added 10.

‘We want these games to teach us where we need to be and where we need to get to,’ USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. ‘Credit South Carolina, they did a lot of things well … I saw things from our team I really liked. Not yet where we need to be but this game will help us get there.’

Dana White, UFC’s CEO, clearly does not think Jake Paul would fare well in a boxing match against Anthony Joshua. Representatives for boxers reportedly are finalizing a deal to fight in Miami in December.

“Um, that’s a (expletive) bad idea,’’ White said when asked about he prospective fight during a press conference after UFC 322 was held in New York Saturday, Nov. 15. “That’s a bad idea.

“But let me tell you what, a lot of people will watch that one.’’

Will you watch it, a reporter asked.

“Sure,’’ White said. “You know what everyone’s tuning in for on that one. And I think everyone’s going to get what they’ve finally been waiting for.’’

White clearly is among those waiting on Paul to get knocked out. Paul has repeatedly criticized White allegedly underpaying UFC fighters and has become a polarizing figure in boxing.

Unless the boxing match is an exhibition, the 6-foot-6 Joshua would present a massive challenge to the 6-1 Paul, who has never stepped into the ring with someone of Joshua’s caliber.

Joshua, 36, is a two-time former heavyweight champion who has weighed in at 250 pounds or more for his last five fights.

Paul, 28, typically fights as a cruiserweight, which has a 200-pound maximum at weigh-in. He has fought as a heavyweight just once, in his unanimous-decision victory over Mike Tyson when Paul weighed in at 227 pounds.

But not everyone thinks Paul will get slaughtered against the British boxer who won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.

Ole Miss football took home a win in the ‘Lane Kiffin Bowl’ in Week 12 with a 34-24 come-from-behind win vs. Florida.

Just as the Rebels closed off their 10th win of the season, moving one step closer to appearing in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, Ole Miss fans at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium made one thing clear to the Rebels brass and Kiffin: They want Lane.

As captured by the ESPN broadcast, ‘We want Lane’ chants broke out in the Ole Miss student section after Kiffin has been linked to the Florida open head coach vacancy, on top of numerous other Power Four conference openings. It appeared not to faze him, as he remained locked in on the final 60 seconds of the game:

Given what he has done in seven seasons at Ole Miss, Kiffin has become a regular on coaching hot boards as positions become available across college football.

On top of his ties to the state of Florida, former Gators coach Steve Spurrier, who told USA TODAY Sports’ Blake Toppmeyer last month that he is a fan of Kiffin and thinks he is a ‘very good coach.’

‘I wanted to be Steve Spurrier,’ Kiffin said during a recent appearance on the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast. ‘When I watched him and his offenses in the visor and kind of the way he’d throw jabs at other coaches and team and stuff, I was like, Steve Spurrier is the man. That’s what I want to be.’

Kiffin himself has talked at length about his name being tossed around in the coaching carousel, including saying on an appearance on ESPN’s ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ that he will never ‘make a decision based on money’ and that he hasn’t made one based on money in his coaching career.

The win over Florida moved Ole Miss’ record to 54-19 overall under Kiffin.

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SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated that expanding the college football playoff to 16 teams should be a priority.
The Big Ten and SEC have not yet agreed on a format for a potential 16-team playoff.
The Big Ten has favored a model with more automatic bids, while the SEC prefers a format with more at-large selections.

ATHENS, GA – SEC commissioner Greg Sankey desires playoff expansion, but the hour grows late to strike a deal to grow the playoff by next season.

Speaking with reporters before Saturday’s Texas-Georgia game, Sankey raised a call to grow the College Football Playoff by four teams, but the SEC and Big Ten remain unable so far to agree on how those bids should be allocated.

“The move to 16 should be a priority for all of us in conference leadership,” Sankey said.

There’s a Dec. 1 deadline to expand the playoff for next season. If the SEC and Big Ten can’t agree to an expanded format,  “we’re at 12” for next season, Sankey said.

This meshes with what CFP executive director Rich Clark has said previously: If the SEC and Big Ten don’t agree on a 16-team format, then that will prolong the current format for at least another season.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has pushed for a 16-team format that pre-assigns multiple automatic qualifiers to each of the Power Four conferences. Petitti also likes the idea of play-in games determining which teams receive those automatic bids.

The Big Ten, though, found itself alone on an island this summer favoring a 3+3+2+2+1+3 format, which would allocate three automatic bids apiece to the Big Ten and SEC, two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the Group of Five, leaving three at-large bids. This format, loaded with auto bids, would achieve Petitti’s goal of reducing the selection committee’s role in determining bids.

The SEC does not share that goal.

For years, Sankey has preferred formats using at-large selection to determine bids. When the playoff expanded from four, Sankey initially wanted to keep all bids assigned by an at-large process, but the SEC compromised and accepted the current 5+7 format that’s in place for the 12-team format, with five automatic bids and seven at-large selections.

The SEC threw support behind a 5+11 playoff format last summer, a plan ACC and Big 12 officials have said they would support. The Big Ten remained a holdout on that plan, and playoff expansion cannot occur without the two main power brokers — the SEC and Big Ten — coming to terms.

Is there any format the SEC would accept other than 5+11?

“Sure, 16+0,” said Sankey, referring to a 16-team playoff in which all 16 bids would be awarded via at-large selection. “But, that’s not reality.”

“The opportunity to have a 16-team format with five conference champions with access and 11 (at-large) is something we could accept,” he added.

The question persists of whether the Big Ten can accept that 5+11 plan.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.