It's the middle of March Madness, but there's some tension in the college football scene.
A new report from The Athletic indicates that several influential sports executives and leaders of colleges are pitching an overhaul of the NCAA College Football system. The pitch would eliminate conferences, include a system of relegation and promotion, and would ideally provide more structure to the NIL payouts of athletes.
It's seen as similar to the "Super League" that is being pushed in European soccer.
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The system that CST is pitching indicates that schools from the Power Five conferences — ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC — plus Notre Dame will be permanently included in the upper portion of the league, while another 50 schools in the second portion will compete for the final 10 slots.
The teams will be split into eight divisions, and the division winners will enter the college football playoff alongside eight Wild Cards. The report did not address the break-up of the Pac-12, which will only have two schools – Oregon State and Washington State – in the fall.
If it sounds like this league got inspiration from several different leagues, that's because it clearly did. The report said that the league is taking from the English Premier League, NFL, and Major League Soccer to arrange its format.
Another selling point of CST for its plan is the creation of a singular union for players for NIL, the transfer portal, and any salary rules, should that come into play. The NCAA is facing a class-action lawsuit in California due to it not paying out players prior to the 2021 NIL rule change, and the thought is that losing the case could lead to payouts in the billions that could cripple the NCAA and the conferences.
But while the plan may seem well-thought-out, there has still been a lot of hesitation from important stakeholders. Top members of the SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12 reportedly called off a meeting with CST, while potential broadcasters like ESPN have reportedly been hesitant to meet with CST at the risk of creating tension with the leagues.
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