📡 The 20 most powerful people in college sports. - NY Post.

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The 20 most powerful people in college football

The season begins in earnest this weekend, but most of the big players won’t be wearing helmets or shoulder pads. They are the coaches on the sideline, the commissioners and executives in their pri…

nypost.com

The season begins in earnest this weekend, but most of the big players won’t be wearing helmets or shoulder pads. They are the coaches on the sideline, the commissioners and executives in their private luxury boxes.

College football is run by the men who control the money and make the most of it. Here are The Post’s 20 most influential people in the sport:

1. Greg Sankey
The SEC commissioner and chairman of the NCAA infractions committee has been in charge of college football’s most powerful conference for the past five years. He began building a massive network of relationships upon joining the league in 2002 and is one of the sport’s most well-liked and respected officials. The SEC is still king in college football, and Sankey is its most important voice.

3. Nick Saban
The architect of the greatest dynasty in college football history — an unprecedented five national championships in a nine-year span at Alabama — Saban is tied with Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most national championships all time (six). He creates a staggering number of headlines with his thoughts on the state and future of the game, and is considered by many to already be the greatest coach of all time.

11. Jimmy Sexton
The most powerful agent in college football represents head coaches such as Saban, Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher, Gus Malzahn, Dan Mullen, Willie Taggart and Lane Kiffin. Sexton also has numerous NFL clients and relationships and has the ability to shake up the college and professional game every offseason.

16. Paul Finebaum
The authority on the sport’s most important region — the Southeast — has become one of ESPN’s most recognizable faces. The former sports reporter and columnist built his following by syndicating The Paul Finebaum Radio Network across the region, and is now acknowledged as one of the most popular and respected voices in the game.