Way back at the beginning of February, when news first broke about the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference forming a “joint advisory board” to address pressing issues in college sports, the leaders of the two leagues wanted people to know: This isn’t a power play. It was simply an aligning of leaders in the two most powerful conferences to try to steer the enterprise through the turbulent waters of our time.
There was no intent to secede from the NCAA, they said. No intent to walk away from their fellow Division I conferences—particularly the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast, the other two power leagues. Don’t go jumping to paranoid conclusions. Trust us. Really. We want what’s best for everyone.
Such innocent times those were, way back on Feb. 2.
