Greg Sankey seems to take shot at ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 for scheduling weekday night games

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey defends the conference’s stance against playing conference games on Fridays, but did so in a way that was a clear shot at some of his biggest rivals.

Sankey was speaking with reporters Monday at the APSE’s annual Southeast Region meeting, and the topic of mid-week and Friday night games came up. The commish offered up the SEC’s stance as an example of how money doesn’t motivate every decision they make, though he seemed to heavily imply that’s not the case for everyone else.

“For everybody that thinks we just grab money, we could grab money just by putting games on different nights of the week,” he told reporters.

Of course, the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC all play Friday night games, with the Friday night primetime slot being a cornerstone of Fox’s Big 12/Big Ten coverage. Not only do they all play Friday night games, but they also very often schedule games on Thursdays, giving some of their programs a little extra shine instead of being sandwiched amid a sea of college football games each Saturday.

The SEC, of course, doesn’t feel the need to expand its scheduling needs beyond Saturdays. They have effectively dominated the days for years, especially now with so many of their games on ABC and ESPN.

Fox Sports’ Tim Brando came to the Big 12 and Big Ten’s rescue, responding to Sankey’s comments by saying that his network’s Friday night schedule gets a ton of eyeballs on teams and has been roundly considered a success.

“To suggest that you’re above that ‘money grab’ is a condescending bureaucratic statement that was a shot across the bow at our announcement,” added Brando.

It’s true that Friday night college football is having a moment, but it’s also worth noting that major programs like Ohio State and Michigan have been adamant about not playing on Friday nights, so it’s not as though everyone else is on board.