Power 5 Breakaway?

[Lobot]

I don't think the NFL could prevent it but it might make things difficult if the NFL decided to use the "P5 powerhouse schools" as a developmental league. I've seen a few people say the NFL needs a system like the NBA G-League for guys who are ready to go pro early, have financial issues or have no interest in attending college. The other option for the league is to buy the remnants of the XFL and use that as a farm system and leave college ball alone.

If the NFL went the first route it would definitely have a trickle down effect across all levels of the NCAA model.

As far as the draft goes, I don't think it would make anybody at a P5 ineligible but I think the NFL would have to substantially change the draft process.

Honestly the best thing to do would be to blow up the NCAA and the existing conference memberships and realign regionally and go from there. Absolutely no one in the P5 will like that idea but it probably needs to be done. From a striclty sports perspective, the P5 conferences have dead weight schools that are basically there to make the academic standing of the league look better. (Northwestern, Vanderbilt) If the P5 seperates from the NCAA, I would hope that they would drop the dead weight and fill them in with larger competitive G5 schools like UC or UCF.

[red_n_black_attack]

Could the NFL prevent this from happening. I know they don't control college sports. But if only college players are eligible to be drafted, and the P5 operates as a league outside the purview of the NCAA, could it make players in the P5 ineligible to be drafted? Thus effecting the players that would play in the P5.

It wouldn't affect draft eligibility. Players are eligible at three years after graduating high school. The P5 or whatever colleges joined a break from NCAA would still be college athletes, not that being in college is a pre-requisite. The P5 aren't forming a minor league, they would still be in college. It may get murky if they would still be considered to have amateur status, but again, it doesn't really matter because the NFL will draft players who sit out or skip college, and on some rare occasions have drafted players who never played in college for one reason or another.

[Lobot]

This fits with the thread. TV contracts for the P5 are nearing an end in a few years.

It's funny to think about all the realigment topics in this forum that we've talked about over the years and now the next phase is coming up already.

https://theathletic.com/1870731/2020...12-pac-12-acc/

[bearcatbret]

This fits with the thread. TV contracts for the P5 are nearing an end in a few years.

It's funny to think about all the realigment topics in this forum that we've talked about over the years and now the next phase is coming up already.

https://theathletic.com/1870731/2020...12-pac-12-acc/

The reference that 4 of the power 5 will be included. Which one is not? Thanks.

[Lobot]

It hits all 5 five but they left the ACC to the side in the article because they just signed a big deal in 2016 that doesn't end for a while.

If you were to leave one out I think it would be the PAC-12. Low viewership outside of their footprint because of the time zone. Bad TV deal currently. Would be interesting if Apple TV+ did in fact bid for Tier 1 right with them.

[red_n_black_attack]

I think the SEC is missing the boat. CBS or some Network would give a lot of money to the SEC to schedule an 7 game package starting in October to air one SEC game of the week on Thursday nights in Atlanta. Each of the 14 SEC teams play in one game in Atlanta so all fanbases get the trip in season. This would be the elusive 9th conference game for all conference teams, plus they keep the same amount of home games already on their schedules as this would be a neutral site. This builds their strength of schedule and really wouldn't hurt them getting 12 teams bowl eligible. The big money is in the CFP and if they can still put two teams into CFP most years, the conference could pull ahead of it's rivals. Big money with new package and big money with the game of the week.

Which gam would you rather see: Buffalo v Marshall or most SEC games? Sure there is bound to be the occasionaly Vandy v Missouri bottom feeders, but even those teams are good to great from time to time.

I just hope the next round of tv deals includes something better for UC.

[Lobot]

This idea has come up again in an article from Stewart Mandel. Includes a little bit of history on the NCAA and the dynamic between the group on the conferences. ($)

https://theathletic.com/1944134/2020...from-the-ncaa/

[Bearcats1232002]

https://www.espn.com/college-footbal...tion-promotion

Here is an interesting story that appeared on ESPN today. It discusses the idea of promotion and demotion of teams like they do in soccer.