Super League coming?

The United States Congress is considering proposed legislation called the “Protect College Sports” Act.

Sides are drawn for and against this act. The SEC and Big Ten conferences have come out against while the ACC and Big 12 are in favor.

During a Senate sub-committee hearing this week, former legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban appeared before the committee. Saban spoke in favor of the bill. He also made a statement about the potential formation of a “super conference.”

Within hours, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti released a statement vehemently denying his conference has had any conversations about forming a “super conference” and would not consider it in the future. Shortly after, Greg Sankey, in an interview with ESPN, called “the notion that his conference wants to form a super league -- the specter of which is being leveraged by lawmakers as a central threat to the future of college sports -- as ‘not consistent with the truth.”

Feels like a sensitive nerve may have been struck.

Alliance Option:

While taking Petitti and Sankey at their word, one would think conferences would consider “alliances” with other conferences. Such an alliance may be for scheduling purposes to make their conferences more attractive in the upcoming media rights negotiations. Such an alliance could also cement their power positions at the top of college athletics.

Breakaway Option:

The ACC and Big12 are losing the financial power battle with the Big Ten and SEC. They are also losing the battle over control of the CFP. The Big Ten and SEC have total say over the playoffs .The ACC and Big12 must transform the battlefield. A possibility for these two conference is a two-conferences breakaway from the NCAA with each conference maintaining their autonomy within a new association.

The new association could then reorganize the conferences geographically to resolve those travel and cost issues while providing a more balanced competitive model.

Why is West Virginia, Cincinnati and Central Florida (UCF) so far east and Cal and Stanford and SMU so far west?

Move Cal, Stanford and SMU to the Big12. Move West Virginia, Cincinnati and UCF to the ACC. Such a move would strengthen both conferences and ignite or re-ignite rivalries, not to mention eliminate the current travel and costs issues. However, The ACC probably doesn't want to lose their presence in Texas and northern California.

The new association could then also package their media rights in more attractive scheduling packages for media partners. Would you rather watch Cal play Pitt and West Virginia play or BYU or would you rather watch Cal vs BYU and West Virginia vs Pitt? It’s a no-brainier. Apply common sense.

United Collegiate Association:

For talking purposes, let’s call the new association the United Collegiate Association (UCA).

The UCA would be made up of two conferences, the East and West. Each conference would consist of 18 member schools. Membership would come primarily from the current ACC (17 schools) and Big12 (16 schools). Three additional schools would be invited to join the association, one from the east and two schools out west.

UNITED COLLEGIATE ASSOCIATION

EAST CONFERENCE: WEST CONFERENCE:

North Division:: Central Division:

1. Boston College Texas Tech

2. Syracuse Houston

3. Pittsburgh SMU

4. West Virginia TCU

5. Notre Dame Baylor

6. Virginia Oklahoma State

7. Virginia Tech Iowa State

8. Louisville Kansas

9. Cincinnati Kansas State

South Division: Mountain Division:

1. North Carolina Colorado

2. North Carolina State Boise State

3. Duke BYU

4. Wake Forest Utah

5. Clemson Arizona

6. Georgia Tech Arizona State

7. Florida State California

8. Central Florida (UCF) Stanford

9. Miami UNLV or San Diego State

National Championship Playoffs:

The UCA would conduct a national championship tournament consisting of the top two teams from each division (8 schools).

BOTTOM LINE:

A merger of two conferences into a new ”super conference” doesn’t make much sense, but a breakaway of two conferences from the NCAA makes sense.

Would the ACC and Big12 breakaway? Such a realignment probably won’t happen with the current leadership of the NCAA.

Too many egos with thirsts for power and money.

GO CANES!