NASHVILLE, Tenn. >> The leaders of the SEC and Big Ten want to see how the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff works before deciding what comes next.

They met Thursday with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti to go over the changing landscape of college athletics.

College football’s 12-team playoff format, which debuts this season, was at the top of the list. Sankey made clear the presidents and athletic directors want to see how this works first and didn’t spend time talking about “what ifs.”

“This just has to go incredibly well,” Sankey said. “This has to be a successful launch. This isn’t the time to talk about governance in ’26 or the format in ’26. But the immediate implementation is in front of us.”

There’s a chance two teams will be added in 2026 when ESPN’s six-year, $7.8 billion contract to televise the playoffs begins.

The conferences have made little secret about someday wanting more than the single automatic bid they’ll be allotted this season and next. They have spoken about wanting more guarantees, and less unpredictability, most of which would stem from the selection committee that begins posting its rankings on Nov. 5.