It has been announced that the B1G and the SEC recently have formed an advisory committee with the “aim to examine the future of college sports while addressing issues impacting the landscape of college athletics today.” This is just the beginning of the future. Call a spade a spade. The B1G and the SEC ARE the future of college sports. These two conferences will lead college sports into its next evolution and not being a part of these conferences could mean your favorite team will be on the outside looking in when it comes to playing major college sports in the future.
To me, this looks like the two major players in the game are growing tired of the NCAA. They are fast becoming a meaningless governing body with no power. Every decision being made by this powerless entity is being met with a new lawsuit. Tennessee gets notice of NIL violations (as if there were any guardrails to begin with) and what is the first thing that they do. Lawsuit. Without serious legislative intervention, the NCAA is the equivalent of a dead man walking.
In step the B1G and SEC. The new power two. I foresee these two conferences working to create their own guidelines and enforcement arms, ultimately breaking away from the NCAA (or taking control of it). Amateurism in its true form will only exist up to the high school level. Deals will be struck with players. Revenue sharing will be a very real thing and the equivalent of a salary cap will be implemented. Unlimited transferring at the “Power 2” level will be limited based on contracts player’s sign.
What does this really sound like? Pro sports. When billions of dollars in revenue are being generated for these institutions, it is hard to argue that players shouldn’t get a cut. The antiquated argument of “they get a free education” is out. Players want their piece of the pie now. And frankly, the value of a college education has been far surpassed by the earnings potential of being a major college athlete.
Since our focus here at RBZ is mainly from a football perspective, what does it mean from a Husker football point of view. Well…look no further than the NFL. A champion of the SEC will play the champion of the B1G. Same playoff structure as the NFL. I see a 40-team league so to speak, all vying for their conference and ultimately a national championship. With many new TV contracts stipulating games on their respective network streaming services, the powers that be at these networks will know exactly the viewership numbers they are getting, and in turn, exactly which teams are driving viewership and engagement. They will be able to formulate contracts for exactly where they see worth.
This puts winning and winning consistently at an all time premium. If you aren’t winning, aren’t drawing numbers, aren’t drawing elite level talent, you become a liability to the league you are in. In all honesty, I don’t think we have seen the end of conference realignment. And by this, I mean not only adding top-tier teams, but also dropping the dead weight. The Huskers have the benefit of being a name brand from their long and storied history. But that is fast fading into the past. We need to continue our upward momentum. In all sports. I have no doubt that Husker nation will do this. We are positioned well. I believe we have the right leaders in place to take us to the promised land. We have no choice but to win and win soon!
IF WE DIE, WE DIE.