Power 5 Breakaway?

[Lobot]

The ever optimistic Dennis Dodd at CBS seems to think that the Power 5 could breakaway from the G5 permanently based on the realities of sports financing and coronavirus strapped economy.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...-from-the-fbs/

[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.

[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/

[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]

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.

[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]

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/

[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]

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.

[Illuminerdski]

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.

[red_n_black_attack]

The Alabmas, Clemsons and OSUs would never allow it. They don't want a level playing field. OSU would fight like **** to keep UC out of any inclusion.

Level playing field for players and on the field, but not a level reward level. Schools will still be able to pay top money for best coaches and assistants. I wasn't clear, trying to not have long post, but my proposal would be similar to revenue sharing in NFL and MLB. TV rights would be shared equally for regular season, but tiered increases in rewards for post season goes to the individual team. If I were king for a day, my new organization would keep little of the money made of college athletics. The NCAA is supposed to be a non-profit, non-partisan organization and it simply isn't either. By having top tier college football with an expanded playoff, the money generated would be higher than today, added with vast majority of the college basketball tourney money going back to schools instead of the NCAA. The details can be worked out though the general impression would be many of the same rules in place today, a football playoff that utilizes bowl locations, a faster and more uniformly applied investigation/sanction process, and negotiating with media rights to include expanded programming of non-revenue sports. There's lot's of opportunities to milk this cow. OSU wants to own Ohio, but even they can't make money playing scrimmage games against themselves: a state the size of Ohio will get more than one school in no matter what Gene Smith says.

[Bearcats1232002]

On an aside, I'd eliminate the current conferences, though many of the members of the conferences would remain in the same division, such as the SEC division or Big 10 division. Under the guise of streamlined oversight and saving money for each member instituion, my new organization would be focused on making money for all member schools. This would create a level laying field, all member institutions have same rules and stipends.

The Alabmas, Clemsons and OSUs would never allow it. They don't want a level playing field. OSU would fight like **** to keep UC out of any inclusion.

[red_n_black_attack]

What are the mechanics of breaking away from the NCAA? New member institutions have to apply for membership and get voted upon, but they usually come from lower tiers within the NCAA. How do members leave the NCAA? It would take a large group to leave and join another governing institue.

I read the history of the NCAA on Wikipedia and found it interesting that it had it's roots in the health & safety of student-athletes. In late 1800's and early 1900's there were several severe injuries and deaths, particularly in college football. Also intersting that Penn and Noter Shame were the first schools to have national tv contracts.


On an aside, I'd eliminate the current conferences, though many of the members of the conferences would remain in the same division, such as the SEC division or Big 10 division. Under the guise of streamlined oversight and saving money for each member instituion, my new organization would be focused on making money for all member schools. This would create a level laying field, all member institutions have same rules and stipends.

[swilsonsp4]

I would take this! even though I don't think it would happen. I noticed they put Villanova in the American which is odd. What would happen to the rest of the Big East?

The authors noted in this piece that this is a football-only exercise. They don't address the Big East or any other non-football conference.

[Bearcats1232002]

This probably isn't the way a split would result in realignment, but it's the idea of two SI writers. UC, UH, Memphis & UCF would join an expanded B12 in this scenario.

https://herosports.com/college-footb...-merger-ahah#1

I would take this! even though I don't think it would happen. I noticed they put Villanova in the American which is odd. What would happen to the rest of the Big East?