SIAP But Wow. Literally the end of college football as we've known it.

[BigBlueFanGA]

While SEC and Big Ten leaders mull major changes, a new Super League concept could radically alter college sports

As SEC and Big Ten leaders prepare to meet this week in Nashville for a historic summit of the industry’s two powers, there is an unreported undercurrent driving the discussion: Project Rudy.

sports.yahoo.com

Something like this is probably going to happen sooner rather than later.

 

[jeffky]

They were discussing this on ksr the other day and will be set up like soccer leagues 6 teams in each league the downfall will be recruiting all the big name teams will get all the great players

 

[gojvc]

You could merge the conferences, end games against G5 teams, and expand the playoff without having some wicked private equity firm coming in and skimming value off the top.

 

[Cotaay]

I don’t think the Big 10/SEC need this so it likely isn’t happening. The tier system would keep the elite teams elite, but after that the leveling of the playing field doesn’t really benefit a majority of the 2 conferences.

No need to split 100% if the pie 70 ways when you can split 80% of it 34 ways. We haven’t really seen the impact these new tv contracts are going to have yet, but why would the big 2 give up their power/advantage?

 

[vhcat70]

Assume UK would be Tier 2.

 

[The-Hack]

As stated in the piece, these ideas are “football only.”

Oddly, UK might welcome being outside the first proposed tier of distribution, as it is one of a handful of schools to have a clearly profitable basketball program, allowing it an undivided revenue stream unavailable to most. With the naming rights still available for an on campus arena, the $$ generated from selling those rights, plus the cokes and popcorn, tickets, and TV money would likely make more money for UK than would be shorted by being below the 16 team “First Tier.”

Yes, “this is being driven by football, alone,” as college basketball across the spectrum is essentially a break even proposition at best. But for select schools like Kentucky, Kansas, U of L, and maybe 10 or 12 others, the exclusion of basketball proceeds from a division of profits is a net-plus, worth millions per year.

 

[The-Hack]

We haven’t really seen the impact these new tv contracts are going to have yet, but why would the big 2 give up their power/advantage?

They would only do so if they decide to screw their less profitable current members. In other words, Bama, Georgia LSU and the other big boys conspire with Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, to leave Vandy, Mississippi State, IU and Illinois on a lower tier.

Again, oddly, for the handful of schools with profitable basketball programs, the complete exclusion of basketball from this idea might make it more palatable.

Perhaps the ultimate question is if the Top 16 most profitable football schools are willing to cast aside the long-held affinity for less profitable conference brethren.

And when money is involved, I suspect the Top Schools are likeliest to say “I am not my brother’s keeper.”

 

[bthaunert]

College football already went through something similar in 1978 with the creation of Division I-A and I-AA. 1982 was more significant because that's when the entirety of I-AA was established after a lot of schools couldn't meet the I-A perimeters. This will be more of that, with a lot more money involved.

 

[LowerLevelSeatA]

I think schools should be ranked by the amount of nil money available to each school. Then divide schools into groups based on what nil tier they fall into. then have Playoffs/championship for each of those tiers.

 

[know1]

I like it. I'll bet the SEC is the conference that nixes it, though.

 

[truebluewildcat]

That’s nothing earth shattering. It’s logical and been a long time coming.

Only issue I have is that 70 may be 15-20ish teams too many. Unless you want to do something like soccer overseas…tiers and relegation.

Obviously the P5 60ish teams or so pulled away from the other 300 “D1” programs long ago and it really hasn’t been close since.

However even within that potential supergroup of 60-70 there’s a separation that’s widening. This is one of the problems cfb was going to have to reconcile with regardless of NIL, portal, realignment. Even in a reality where none of that stuff was happening, cfb was going to have issues with unwatchable games. Not just puff OOC games but games between upper tier p5 programs and lower tier. Along with things becoming very regional. Basically two conferences having the platform, money, tv, etc.

Realignment brought in a few programs with some weight into the main conference along with fan bases, markets. So now you basically have a professional structure. two conferences that cover all the valuable demographics coast to coast. What was regional and stale with handful of programs dominating now has at least an infusion of variety and competition from the scattered few and far between best the rest.

We know what the biggest and best are doing and want to do. The more curious changes will be what everyone else does.

I suspect they will have to fall back to a more traditional collegiate athletic model. They’re just not going to have the interest, weight in tv deals, nor interest to pay players or compete on field with super group.

 

[bthaunert]

One thing that would happen is G5 schools will be crushed by this. As an example, Bowling Green played Penn State and TAMU this year. Penn State paid them $1.5 million and Texas A&M paid them $1.6 million. That's over 10% of their anticipated revenue for the year.

 

[Hjack]

While SEC and Big Ten leaders mull major changes, a new Super League concept could radically alter college sports

As SEC and Big Ten leaders prepare to meet this week in Nashville for a historic summit of the industry’s two powers, there is an unreported undercurrent driving the discussion: Project Rudy.

sports.yahoo.com

Something like this is probably going to happen sooner rather than later.

I think NIL was the end of college sports as we have known them.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

I have thought this was the ultimate end of all the realignment we have seen in college conferences. I saw an article where PSU had questions about the travel already.these conferences with teams on each coast is a ridiculous system, and hardly cost efficient. Not a big deal for football, but will eat up the budgets of the non revenue producing sports.

I didn't think it would be a financial group taking over,but I guess they see the money. They were talking about the possibility of 9 billion revenue. At a payout of 90m, that leaves 2.7B a year for administration and profit. But I suspect the payout to be much closer to 75m per school for football only, which about triples the ACC payout.

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

I think NIL was the end of college sports as we have known them.

Yes but at least the traditional structure still existed. This would destroy that as well.

 

[99firerock]

Assume UK would be Tier 2.

Tier 3 likely...UK was ranked 42 at end of last season. Which, puts them in Tier 3 (if record is what determines ranking). Eliminate our cupcakes...and we have an uphill battle to make Tier 2.