On weekends, the big games take place in football as they should. However, in the NFL, there is a new trend of playing weeknight games. The NFL had a Friday night game in Brazil and has adopted Black Friday and Christmas as its own. The NCAA is not innocent either, as on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in November, we have MACtion. Plus, the Big Ten has adopted Friday-night games. The good news is you don't have to worry about seeing the Vols play any time soon on a Friday night.
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Greg Sankey catches a lot of heat from Tennessee Vols fans, but this is one issue where he deserves credit. Sankey has reiterated that the SEC will not partake in Friday night games. I love that he stood firm against the Friday night SEC football trend and didn’t cave to the recent trend. The SEC will let Fridays belong to high schools as they should.
NO FRIDAY GAMES: The SEC will remain as the only power conference to not play any football games on Fridays. Sankey said "For everybody that thinks we just grab money, we could grab money just by putting games on different nights of the week," when asked about Friday games.… pic.twitter.com/M68k4CtnNw
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) May 12, 2026
No Friday games in the SEC
I never thought I’d say this, but good job, Greg Sankey. Friday nights should stay about high school football and small-town communities packing the stands under the lights. Not to watch Purdue lose by 40 to "Big Ten" powerhouse Oregon like Tony Petitti has adopted. If the SEC had taken part in this, I would have lost my mind. We already spent all Saturday and Sunday watching football, and don't get me wrong, I love watching football, but more Friday games are just too much. Sannkey made a great point too, saying it's just a money grab and hes 1000% spot on.
Sankey has even said that a Friday night primetime game often feels more like an excuse for conferences to secure massive television payouts from networks. Fox or ESPN will overpay for games that don’t carry much national interest. And honestly, if the SEC ever started putting games like the Florida vs. Georgia rivalry on Friday nights, it would completely ruin part of what makes college football special. Half the fun is spending all Saturday tailgating, building anticipation, and making the game an all-day event, not rushing from work straight to the stadium and barely making kickoff.
Imagine how weird the vibe would feel in Neyland Stadium on a Friday night. It would still be packed and loud, but it just wouldn’t hit the same as a Saturday after hours of tailgating all morning. And honestly, a lot of Tennessee fans care deeply about local high school football too. Friday nights and Saturdays each have their own place. Both are sacred and that's why they need to be on different days.
I hate to give credit to Sankey for this, but he's right. Saturdays are where SEC football belongs. The extra money from networks isn't worth the holiness of the Friday night high school games, followed by college football on Saturday, and the NFL on Sunday. Why try to ruin something that isn't broken? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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