NEW: A group of sports execs and college presidents is proposing a football "Super League" of 80 schools, to pay players, collectively bargain and increase revenue. "The current model for college athletics is dead."Story by @AndrewMarchand and me.https://t.co/sffsolyhrO— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) April 3, 2024
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Surely we get included in the 80 schools, right? Right!?
We should as we are mid forties in Athletic Department budget.
To be fair, a lot of this sounds like wishful thinking by a few schools currently on the outside looking in
An 80 school league with centralized authority? This is literally the best possible outcome. Imagine there would also be regional divisions. This would be ideal.
EDIT: I just actually read the piece. PROMOTION AND RELEGATION IS BEING SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED IN AMERICA?!?! Eight 10-team conferences with conference champions going to playoff? No selection committee?!
This proposal has soooo far to go, but the fact that it's actually be discussed by people other than message board posters and talking heads, people who can actually impact decision makers, is huge.
Run by people chosen by individual school presidents and boards and AD'S, maybe with advisor boards made up of coaches, athletes, AD'S and college staff............
But without their head in the sand and with football being governed by different rules than the other sports
Honestly, this is the only viable long-term option for the sport.
Whether the Big 10 and SEC like it or not, they can't simply keep being predators and consuming teams without ruining the sport. They are going to have to be partners at some point.
Neither the B1G nor SEC commissioners have had any discussions about this
Until that happens, this is a pipe dream
They'll follow the money.
If the money goes for this, so will the SEC and the B1G.
This makes more sense that what they're doing, because it will involve more teams. They at least need to entertain the idea.
Of course they're greedy, but so are the media outlets, who probably don't want to kill the cash cow.
I've been saying this for a while, this is all P5 + another ~10 school
I would have 4 regional groups with 2 10 team divisions that play for a region title and those 4 teams get play off byes.
1a cuse, bc, pitt, psu, uconn, rutgers, maryland, ND, army, navy
1b WVU, VT, UVA, UNC, Duke, Wake, NC State, GT, Clemson
2a USCe, UGA, Tennessee, KY, UF, Vandy, Miami, uofl, Cincy, ...
2b Bama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, MSU, memphis Arkansas, FSU, UCF, ...
3a Mich, OSU, Msu, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana, illinois, Northwestern, iowa
3b USC, Cal, Stanford, ucla, Washington, wsu, Oregon, osu, asu, zona
4a Texas, A&M, SMU, TCU, TTU, Baylor, Houston, OU, Ok St, ...
4b Nebraska, CU, Utah, BYU, ku, ksu, Iowa st, mizzou, boise, AF
2b is nasty. I don't think Memphis and UCF want all that smoke.
my other idea is to have 96 team league with 6 conferences and two division of 8. But the divisions are P6 and G6 so each conference has a higher and lower division and regulation happens (for football and basketball and they are different per sport). Play 7 game division schedule 2 opposing division games (can protect rivalries) then 3 from other like conferences so P6 ACC would play P6 from other conference. This means 10 big games, and two mid major games.
But that's a bit much for everyone to get their heads around.
I'll take that 1b!
2a, 2b, 3a, and 4a might not be happy with only one team going to a playoff. But might be mollified by a 12 team playoff with 2 at large.
I would go divisions winners make playoffs, conference winners get byes, 4 at larger if fitting into a 12 team playoff.
i get the logic in the breakdown but region 1a and 4b are off. Highly doubt that its even remotely possible for Army, Navy, or AF to be part of this discussion due to service commitments. Aint happening.
And those cadets aren't there to play football, there's no NIL money, and those kids dont go pro without a general with multiple stars that gives them a delayed service exemption.
I needed some one and those worked, take temple, Villanova (if they add football) and Utah st
Villanova has a pretty good FCS football team...
< fart noise >
I'll miss it, but thank god college football isn't my only interest in life. Mandel must need to get his engagement metrics up.
However the chips fall, and I doubt I will have much say in the matter, all I hope is that VT ends up in the group that's still playing top flight football.
The beast needs feeding. Supply/Demand. If VT wants to field decent sports teams, we need millions of dollars. Hope we can feed the beast.
Eric Schmidt of Google spent some childhood time in Blacksburg, but I don't know if he gives a flip about VT athletics.
AFAIK he's never donated, don't think we're important to him.
He's done a commencement speech before.
Don't get your hopes up. This thing probably never gets off the ground.
Top 80 most valuable brands I'll go for it.
We'll start with the top 40: Alabama, Auburn, Arizona State, Arkansas, BYU, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Missouri, UNC, NC State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, TCU, USC, Utah, Virginia Tech, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia
Then next up P5 teams that won't be left out (16 total): Arizona, Baylor, Cincinnati, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Pitt, Purdue, UCF, UCLA, Virginia
Next highest P5 brands (5): Duke, Houston, Oregon State, Rutgers, Syracuse
So you've got 19 spots left and 30 some schools that fall into several different categories.
Academics: Cal, Stanford, Georgia Tech
These schools have the ability to be in but will they want to be is the question. Stanford has the money to be a top 10 program every year if they wanted to go all in on NIL (so do the Ivy's). So far they don't seem interested in spending it on athletics.
P5 cut line: Boston College, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Washington State
The first four are private schools with little to offer as far as brand name, notoriety, fan base or alumni base. It's difficult to justify including them over the top G5's
High G5's (in order now): Fresno State, USF, ECU, Memphis, San Diego State, Boise State, SMU, UTSA, Colorado State, App State
If all of the academics join then we're down to 1-3 spots left. Boston College and Wake still aren't guaranteed a spot even this far down the list. The last spots would be between them and the following teams:
Liberty Flames - Yeah it sucks but they're spending enough to be in the conversation.
Tulane - Probably enough money and recent success to get in.
James Madison
Probably out but want in:
North Texas, UAB, Florida Atlantic, Marshall, South Alabama, Navy, Army, Air Force, UNLV, Wyoming, Louisiana Lafayette, Texas State
Want in but brands aren't good enough/not enough money:
Tulsa, Charlotte, Rice Middle Tennessee, La Tech, FIU, Uconn, New Mexico State
What does everyone else think?
I think Stanford is too low. Most national championships of any school and had national name recognition. Only think with them is whether or not they actually want to keep playing football.
I'm curious if the NCAA will fight this. How far are schools willing to go if the NCAA's uses non-rev sports as a wedge to prevent or seriously alter any plan for a football super conference?
Will these schools say fine and walk away from the NCAA for all sports and start their own version for volleyball, golf, baseball, softball, etc?
Why would the NCAA fight this? It's the natural progression from everything they've helped develop.
The NCAA is the schools and their presidents. If enough of the presidents agree on something, it will happen
If anything, you'd think the NCAA would want more participation from their members in the semi-pro collegiate series, and not just the members of the P2.