Sankey ‘disappointed’ in CFP ranking backlash
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Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Writer
HOUSTON — SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told ESPN he was “disappointed in the acrimony” that ensued following the College Football Playoff selection committee’s controversial final ranking last month, which for the first time excluded an undefeated Power 5 champion in Florida State.
The CFP selection committee chose No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama at the expense of the undefeated ACC champion and No. 5 FSU. Both Texas and Alabama had one loss and ended the season with a defeat in their respective CFP semifinal games.
Committee members have received significant backlash, including threats, since the group’s most debatable decision in a decade of the CFP and conspiracy theories have run rampant on social media platforms.
“I didn’t need so many incoming emails I received,” Sankey said. “I can only imagine hearing from those on the selection committee who are volunteers what they received. I think some of the statements made in the immediacy of selection were disappointing to me as a colleague, and I would maintain that the strength of our league — sure we lost some games — but as I look at what were the four best teams, I would maintain that we had two of those four.
“But again, the selection committee makes that decision, and we respect the decision.”
Immediately following the reveal, Florida State athletic director Michael Alford released a scathing statement in which he called the committee’s decision “unforgivable.” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips called it “unfathomable,” saying it “calls into question the selection process and whether the Committee’s own guidelines were followed.”
On Sunday, Phillips told ESPN by text that he will continue to defend the conference.
“As the ACC Commissioner, I am absolutely going to support our student-athletes, member schools and our conference at every moment. Period. That was precisely what occurred. This was an historic decision. For the very first time an undefeated, Power Five conference champion was excluded. To be certain, I look very much look forward to working with my colleagues to continue to refine the CFP and shape the future of college football.”
Sankey contributed to the controversy on championship weekend when he appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” show and lobbied for his league’s continued representation in the CFP. In reference to other teams competing with Georgia and Alabama for top-four spots, Sankey said, “Let’s go back to like Sesame Street … one of these things is not like the other, and that’s the Southeastern Conference.”
On Saturday, Sankey said he respected the committee’s decision to exclude two-time defending national champion Georgia, which sank from No. 1 to No. 6 after losing to Alabama 27-24 in the SEC title game.
“The morning of selection we had prepared a statement that said we have a different view, but we’re not going to point fingers and cast blame,” he said. “We’re going to focus on how do we improve and prepare for the 12-team playoff? That’s it. … I think three or four times we’ve had the fifth-ranked team. Do I think every decision has been perfect? No, but that the authority we allocated.”
Sankey said he will attend Monday night’s national championship game between No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington even though this is the first time since 2014 — the inaugural season of the four-team playoff — that his conference doesn’t have a team playing.
Sankey and Phillips, along with the other FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, will have their annual meeting Monday morning prior to the title game, but no changes to the selection committee’s protocol are expected to be made at this time. The new 12-team format will begin this fall, which will prevent an undefeated Power 5 conference champion from being excluded.
On Monday, the 11 presidents and chancellors who have the ultimate authority over the playoff could approve the commissioners’ proposal to reward the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams with spots in the 12-team field.
Still, Sankey wondered if it would become more challenging for the CFP to recruit people to serve on the 13-member committee tasked with choosing the best teams in the country.
“Are people going to want to serve in that capacity given the level of vitriol directed?” he said. “They’re volunteers. They fulfilled their charge. There’s always disagreement, but it shouldn’t sink to the level it has.”
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said he doesn’t think the aftermath of this selection day will prevent others from serving on the committee.
“At the end of the day people really respect the process and realize how important it is,” he said. “Whether you’re an athletic director or someone who’s played and has been asked to join or may not be a current administrator, I think there’s so much love for the game and how important the job is people will always stand up to do it. It’s our job to make sure those people feel safe and comfortable.”
Petitti said his focus was “respecting how difficult that job is,” and that this season’s controversy further showed that four “isn’t the right number” of teams in the field.
“I say that because I look at Ohio State’s season,” he said. “It’s not just Florida State. We had some pretty good teams that could get on a roll and win a national championship that weren’t included.”
Mountain West Conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez said this year’s controversy prompted her to rethink the “small data set” of a football season, and wondered if there were a better way to determine strength of schedule.
“Right now strength of schedule spits out a number, but you can’t lean on it like you do in basketball because there’s so much less data going into that number,” Nevarez said. “That’s from my mind the core of the issue for the debate that happened this year both with Liberty and Florida State. If we could figure out a way to get a metric that we feel better about — no one is going to agree with it, someone is always going to be upset — but to me that was the weakness in this year’s argument, the ability to feel good about strength of schedule.”
Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said this season demonstrated that there are enough teams to legitimately fill a 12-team bracket.
“This proves the point,” he said. “If you didn’t have people upset that they weren’t in the event, I’d question the intensity and interest in the event. When we have 12 teams, we’re going to have people who aren’t happy they’re not in the event. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the decision, I have no doubt in the integrity of the people making those decisions.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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