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Yeah, very pleased to have Commissioner Sane join us. Do you have any opening remarks or you just wanna look straight real quick? Uh, I don't know how many people were in the big room today. Just *** couple of things. One, it's really, really good to be here in, in Dallas. I was uh back in Texas, June 30 to celebrate with the University of Texas their entry. And then in Norman on July 1st, I spent 11 years of my career nearby here when I was Commissioner of the Southland Conference. And, uh, to be here representing the Southeastern Conference is an exciting thing for me. It's an exciting opportunity for us to bring sec football media days to, to Dallas as we have grown to 16 teams. So I'll stop. See what's on your mind. Hi, Commissioner *** P, Stidham *** P and Kelly as we see it. Syndicate Radio. Do you have uh, top three priorities to accomplish with football this year on the field, off the field? Something that you could share there. There's always *** set of um objectives and I was, I was thinking about all that's on our plate. I wish I only had to worry about football. I once, um, told, uh, um, an NFL coach, man, if I could just worry about one sport, that'd be great. Um, but we have 21. Uh, I think the things that are on my mind, one is the integration to 16 and that's been *** three year work effort for us. So it's not simply related to this year but to actually have it play out. That means, uh, we've got scheduling right? We've got tiebreakers, right? I was asked about that leading into our championship game. The second is to maximize our opportunities, uh to have teams represented in the college football playoff with the growth to 12. There's obviously an opportunity for our champion to have *** preferred status if you will, but then to have teams hosting first round games and competing and advancing. Um I think big picture you think about returning to the national championship game, which we missed last year. That's an oddity for us, but there's *** lot of little things between now and then that put that in the background, not as forefront, Greg Dennis Todd CBS Sports. This is *** question that could go back to 2015. But how important is it for the power forward to control their own destiny, at least governance wise now that it's really kind of becoming *** reality. So the question was, how important is it? And I go back to what, maybe 2014 when autonomy was created to have more authority. And that experience, I think there were maybe 17 drafts of the how and we, we started with maybe *** big ask because that's where we're, we're re requested that we provide. I was not the commissioner at the time, I was *** staff member working on the project. And then it's like we negotiated back from there. The reality is we have to acknowledge the great differences within division one. The desire to keep together for March and what we do around basketball at the top of that list, but not everybody that's in division one needs to be involved in the same decision making in the same way. And those involved in division one cannot be in the habit of creating risk for others in division one. And that's not like the top, creating risk for the bottom. I look at it from *** competitive standpoint, creating risk for the, the top competitive tho those are hard issues. Um I think the, the commitment is we want to try to work together among the autonomy conferences with our division one colleagues. Uh But achieving um uh *** fully updated model, there are some miles ahead of us, Mr Commissioner. How are you? Um you know, now looking ahead to 26 there's only three schools that have *** full slate of four nonconference games. I'm curious, does that mean you guys are, are close to pushing along AAA nine game conference schedule, if not. Is that something you guys are looking for? And then could you speak to the formats? Because I know 24 and 25 the conference schedule is just kind of kind of pieced together as far as like *** 17 or 36 where you guys are looking as far as that, I'll do my best to answer *** couple of things while I'm doing well. It's exciting to be here. So that was your first question. Uh The second is, you know, we've had *** couple of years out programs over time with schedule gaps. That's not *** anomalous and it's not linked up to expansion. The, the bigger part of your question relates to our scheduling decisions. And right after we announced expansion three years ago, we went through an interview survey, evaluation process of all the options. It was decided then that remaining for 24 with eight games because of the disruption and the our members schedules and others being so great was the wise decision. We looked at options and said, well, rather than create confusion by doing something in different in 25 we can just flip the schedules from what we used to do in divisional formats. There's actually *** narrowing of the competitive disparities that doesn't mean that everybody has *** perfectly balanced schedule for competitive purposes. And now we're into the 26th dialogue, I would not read into those open dates right now. As for or against nine games, but both eight and nine games are firmly on our agenda for consideration. Uh, when that concludes, I've been asked when and we use time pretty effectively. I do think what has to be understood is some of you, you can only predict so many games in an eight game schedule and some of these long standing rivalries or restored rivalries that people really cherish, uh, are *** part of the thinking along with the CFP. So we get to see the first year of the 12 team playoff, the impact on bowl games and our bowl relationships and how we place games for television purposes. So we're, we're using the time for evaluation and, and that's how we look at it more so than perhaps the open dates that may exist on the aisle, Tyler Shaw with K BT X in College Station. You spoke this morning about *** conversation you had with Henry Coleman. Um when he said, uh, you know, just how much he was looking forward and just couldn't wait to play Texas. I don't know if you have any more insight on that conversation you had with him and then with adding Texas, let me, let me jump in on that one. Absolutely, because I saw him in Destin and I said, Henry, I think this was you, but I've never told the story. And so I wanna make sure you remember this the way I remember it, which he did and it was him and, and so I could use the story and we had um AAA video, excuse me, *** conference call. I think, I don't think it was *** video conference of our uh basketball men's basketball student athlete leadership council right after like *** month or so after the announced expansion, at least I was on by phone. And when I was talking about when the entry, which was going to be 2025 at that point, he followed up and said, I just wanna understand when are they entering? And I said, do you want them to join sooner or later? I wasn't sure because I didn't know Henry as well as I do now. Um And I didn't know his perspective. I know his response was, hey, I wanna play him as soon as we can. And I think that's that I use that as an example of the competitive spirit. Our, our student, ale young people have, they want to challenge themselves in those rivalries and at high level so that there's my insight and when, when you have, you know, conversations and you see anecdotes like that, how much are you looking forward to Texas and *** and M kind of this renewed rivalry becoming part of the SEC and joining all these other great rivalries in 21 I looked forward. So in 2004, I went, I attended, um I think it was 2004 because I have the game program, Texas, Arkansas and I had not been to ***, *** Texas and Arkansas game and it was in Fayetteville and I was blown away by the crowd and the intensity and then I went to the game in 21 which was six weeks, seven weeks after the announced uh edition of Texas and the, the passion and intensity, you know, the, the home crowd rushed the field which we don't want them to do. But man, it was *** pretty special night and I think that presets the expectation for special nights with these rivalries and obviously *** lot of focus on Texas *** and M and Texas playing. So I'm looking forward to that experience, I think on the oil. Yeah. Commissioner Sanki Evan Cico from Pig Trail Nation, uh kind of right off of that actually was gonna ask about that. But what excites you about being able to bring back these old historical rivalries from the Southwest Conference now to the common day sec *** little bit personal. Not that that drives the why, but I lived here when Reunion Arena used to be full of Arkansas fans and Nolan Richardson was coaching. You remember those days? Um uh I can remember the centrality of the Southwest conference when I moved here. I, I was in Longview, Texas um in college at Eternal College in 1982. And I, I remember buying *** three quarter t-shirt with all of the Southwest conference school logos on it. And Arkansas was *** part of it, obviously back then. And so I have appreciation for that. Fred Jacoby became *** friend, someone who I knew and watching the, the change uh in the leagues over the years to be *** part of, I think the growth of all of the individual programs, but of this conference is rewarding and I know um the power and the interest that's present around our new programs, both Oklahoma and Texas. And we've experienced that with *** and M and Missouri. I, I think that's just *** really special, special experience, particularly when you use the phrase that I use pure athletic programs and pure universities. I think that's part of all of our collective future in an exciting way back row commissioner. The expanded playoff is here this year, obviously hope that multiple sec teams will represent the conference in the postseason. Are you, uh, in favor of *** system with automatic qualifications for the college football playoff? Or would you prefer *** committee choose the type top 12 teams regardless of, uh, regardless of conference affiliation or conference championships? Uh I, I was always one that who, who would have advocated for just the top fill in the blank number of teams. So there was *** lot of speculation back in 2019 when the, the focus on changing the 14 format came into being that I'd be fine with just picking the top eight. I'd be fine picking with the top 12, but there's always compromise in there. So we have not allocated automatic bids but spots for conference champions since that was one of the philosophical underpinnings of the selection process that includes uh *** selection committee's role. I, I do think we have to be really clear about how that selection committee will conduct its business. Uh We've done much of that work but we're gonna go through some learning processes like you look at Georgia's schedule this year. I think that's *** great football team from what I read. Uh They play at Alabama at Texas and old at Ole Miss. I don't think there's another team in the country that faces that type of away schedule, that's almost half of their conference schedule. How do you evaluate *** nine and three or *** 10 and two team that faces that rigor plus Clemson in the nonconference game and Georgia Tech on the back end. So 10 of their total schedule is, is *** five or *** four in the modern era or the updated era against another team, even from going to the power conferences that might be 11 to 1 or 10 or two, but doesn't play close to that rigor of schedule. Um So that's my, my focus, the, the notion of greater numbers of automatic allocations uh that arose in February. Um We move forward without that, we'll come back again. We'll see. I'm probably not the one who's gonna bring it up. I do think the criteria used for selection. We have to be very attentive to that reality because of these rigor differentiations between, um, schedules, both our leagues and others. And I didn't think I'd be using rigor differentiation as *** phrase at all. Uh Eric Bailey with the Tulsa World commissioner Sy, we got to talk to you before the ou Texas game last October. I wanted to ask you after the fact sitting and seeing the atmosphere in the game itself, how just your thoughts on that game, then we always talk about ou football, but just your thoughts on Oklahoma's athletic department as *** whole different sports that they have the, the game itself. I had, I, I said, I think maybe I said an interview last year I had driven on the interstate outside the stadium when I was Southland commissioner living here going to games wondering what it was like inside and it was *** wild moment that experience stayed for the first half, bought *** funnel cake on the way out for everybody that was traveling with me. Um You appreciate the atmosphere outside and inside. I arrived in college station as Oklahoma walked into Kyle Field as Oklahoma scored to win the game and there was another crowd eruption um, that day, which is part of the reward. So it, it was for me, uh, really just *** great experience and to have that integrated. Now, it's *** 230 central kick off into our schedule. It will be pretty special from the standpoint of the overall Oklahoma um athletics program. First of all, you know, Joe, if he's not the longest serving athletic director contiguously or continuously at one school, I don't know who it used to be. Like Chris Hill and Jeremy Foley and Joe were all close. Um, so he's established himself as *** leader and that shows in the programs, the level of success they've had and you start out most recently with Patty and their softball team, you know, to win *** national championship four times in *** row. Uh That is John Woods that, that defies definition. We're really proud to have won like five baseball World Series in *** row as *** conference. Um And so you look at what, what Patty's achieved, I think real high quality people throughout the athletic program, you know, the ability to, to meet KJ Porter others that I've seen uh real high quality leaders and high expectations of themselves and their teams and of each other. Um And I think that's said at the top, Joe Hartzel obviously sets those high expectations for both performance but for, for conduct and for who they are. As does Joe Castiglione final question on the left Jesse Doherty from the Washington Post, Greg, you mentioned earlier that we should stop by the *** I panel later this week. Um What are some potential applications of that, that maybe most interests you. We, we've initiated *** conversation within our office about uh officiating use, you know, is there machine learning? So it's *** little bit different than just an *** I piece. Is, is the game speeds up and you're asking officials to process more, is there *** way to be helpful? You've, you've got automatic balls and strikes in baseball, which is *** little bit of that, it's *** little bit different, it's optical. Um And so that's, that's one that we've talked about. Um intentionally, we've also tried to think ahead within our office about how might it be used in uh in athletic departments from *** recruiting standpoint, game planning standpoint. I don't think it's developed to that level yet. Um There's obviously *** lot of analytics use, but there's still the both the head and the heart that are part of decision making all the time. So I think there's some, some care um that exists around that. I, I'll, I will leap to um *** *** lot of credit to the leadership from that, the think tank group about helping our faculty manage artificial intelligence presence on campus and in the classroom. And there's plenty of articles written about the role of artificial intelligence. But what does it mean as you're trying to learn and grow and help people grow? Uh I will say from time to time, I've asked it like, what should I say? And so far, I think it's like, oh for four and guiding me through preparation on things, but maybe that relates to entertainment value. Hopefully that's responsive on some of the ways we've talked about. Thank you, Commissioner. I appreciate you stopping by.