The "Power 5" conferences seeking more authority

[8timechamps]

LINK (http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/10121476/power-conferences-seeking-more-autonomy-ncaa)

Basically, the big conferences want to be able to offer things like stipends, separate from the small conferences. That way, the small conferences can remain in the NCAA, but will not have to take on the same financial burden. This is a last ditch effort to keep the NCAA. If this doesn't happen, the Power 5 will break off.

[Mazeppa]

Will they still call them the FBS and the FCS, (Which is still some of the stupidest S*** to come down the pike).

[yermom]

There are 340 schools in Division I, and only 120 of them are in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Just 65 will be in the five power conferences.

65?

that sounds reasonable for some sort of divisional playoffs...

[Eielson]

FIVE power conferences? I'm thinking the AAC conference is going to need some revamping to keep that status.

[Eielson]

FIVE power conferences? I'm thinking the AAC conference is going to need some revamping to keep that status.

In fact, send Louisville, Cincinnati, ND, and Memphis/UConn/one of the Florida schools our way, and we can scrap that conference. The Power 4!

[King Barry's Back]

"Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky agreed that "I think you're seeing more alignment than we've had in a long, long time."

Wondered what the Banowsky's have been up to lately...

[EatLeadCommie]

The smaller schools need to kill this idea and fast. As if the haves don't already have an advantage on the have nots. It's not like Wake Forest and Duke and Northwestern are threatening to win BCS Championships.

[ouflak]

The smaller schools need to kill this idea and fast.

People are allowed to make money. Even if some of those people are making more money than others. Just because you have rich people who want to go off on their own to make money, doesn't mean all of the poor people should get together and stop that from happening. It's a free country (Hi NSA if you're reading this) and a free economy. Why should little schools get to tell big schools how much money they are allowed to make?


As if the haves don't already have an advantage on the have nots.
*shrug* You work hard. You plan ahead. You realize potential opportunities far in the future that you can start acting on now. You are in a good geographical situation that gives you opportunities you can take advantage of. What's wrong with being successful? Why should you hold yourself back for others who haven't put the same effort in, or simply can't? So you can feel good about yourself? Sorry, but good feeling don't make the world go 'round.

And why should small schools get to tell big schools how to run their business?

The only option here is to break away and get some of these massive revenues flowing back into the student athletes. If a small school can qualify to be in the club on its own merit, then they can join. Otherwise, they stay small schools and can run things in a small school way.

[SicEmBaylor]

People are allowed to make money. Even if some of those people are making more money than others. Just because you have rich people who want to go off on their own to make money, doesn't mean all of the poor people should get together and stop that from happening. It's a free country (Hi NSA if you're reading this) and a free economy. Why should little schools get to tell big schools how much money they are allowed to make?


*shrug* You work hard. You plan ahead. You realize potential opportunities far in the future that you can start acting on now. You are in a good geographical situation that gives you opportunities you can take advantage of. What's wrong with being successful? Why should you hold yourself back for others who haven't put the same effort in, or simply can't? So you can feel good about yourself? Sorry, but good feeling don't make the world go 'round.

And why should small schools get to tell big schools how to run their business?

The only option here is to break away and get some of these massive revenues flowing back into the student athletes. If a small school can qualify to be in the club on its own merit, then they can join. Otherwise, they stay small schools and can run things in a small school way.

I agree. It's undeniable that big-brand schools like UT, OU, Bama, USC, ND, etc. have quite an advantage over smaller schools; however, that's life! That's the way it works, and smaller schools really have no right to dictate to any other school how they operate, how much revenue they garner, or how they spend that money.

I detest the NCAA.

[badger]

FIVE power conferences? I'm thinking the AAC conference is going to need some revamping to keep that status.

B1G
Big 12
Pac 12
SEC
ACC

Or were you omitting the SEC, because I agree if so. **** them


I agree. It's undeniable that big-brand schools like UT, OU, Bama, USC, ND, etc. have quite an advantage over smaller schools; however, that's life! That's the way it works, and smaller schools really have no right to dictate to any other school how they operate, how much revenue they garner, or how they spend that money.

I detest the NCAA.

It's the same for colleges in general. A small community college is not going to get the same funding as a major flagship. A 50,000 enrollment university in Texas is going to get more funding that a branch UT/A&M campus with far fewer students.

If we do decide to break away from smaller conferences, I would like to see us find a way to include mid-majors in the postseason, a la the NCAA basketball tournament. A 8-team playoff with the 5 power conference champions, and three at larges (including at least one mid-major) would be fun. expanding it to 12 (like the NFL playoffs) or 16 would be even more fun

[jkjsooner]

I think this is a good idea.

The problem is the split by conference affiliation. There are some much higher profile / competitive schools in smaller conferences than the bottom rung of the big 5 conferences.

At this point I'd be happy to abandon the conference affiliations altogether and create a super division that has a much more centralized control like you see in professional and high school leagues (in football). They could create conferences with roughly the same strength and adjust yearly.

To me that is the only way we could have a playoff composed only of conference champions. As long as the conference sizes and strengths vary so much it doesn't make sense to make conference championship a criteria for post-season eligibility.

[BigTip]

That's the way it works, and smaller schools really have no right to dictate to any other school how they operate, how much revenue they garner, or how they spend that money.

Agreed;
http://oi44.tinypic.com/154gbpu.jpg

[jkjsooner]

People are allowed to make money. Even if some of those people are making more money than others. Just because you have rich people who want to go off on their own to make money, doesn't mean all of the poor people should get together and stop that from happening. It's a free country (Hi NSA if you're reading this) and a free economy. Why should little schools get to tell big schools how much money they are allowed to make?

Agree and disagree.

If you are talking about creating a super division then I agree and I agree that the money making schools have every right to do that.

However, if you're talking about keeping Division 1 as it is then I disagree.

Sports are very different than real life. All sports benefit by at least some level of parity. That's why we have drafts and salary caps in professional leagues and scholarship limitations in college. They know that their long term interests are served well by having more parity within their leagues.

Of course college football doesn't have the level of parity of pro leagues. There are major advantages to the big name schools - better coaches, better facilities, better fan support, more TV exposure, etc. In some ways this is good because there are too many FBS schools for each and every one to be a name brand.

But if we're talking about adding a stipend into the mix that balance will quickly become out of whack. If you do that, games between schools that offer stipends and schools that do not are going to become a joke.

In summary, if you add stipends then you'll need to break up division 1. It just doesn't make sense to have teams that offer stipends compete against teams that do not.

[David Earl]

Hard to see, the dark side is. Smell a Sith Lord, I do.

[EatLeadCommie]

People are allowed to make money. Even if some of those people are making more money than others. Just because you have rich people who want to go off on their own to make money, doesn't mean all of the poor people should get together and stop that from happening. It's a free country (Hi NSA if you're reading this) and a free economy. Why should little schools get to tell big schools how much money they are allowed to make?


*shrug* You work hard. You plan ahead. You realize potential opportunities far in the future that you can start acting on now. You are in a good geographical situation that gives you opportunities you can take advantage of. What's wrong with being successful? Why should you hold yourself back for others who haven't put the same effort in, or simply can't? So you can feel good about yourself? Sorry, but good feeling don't make the world go 'round.

And why should small schools get to tell big schools how to run their business?

The only option here is to break away and get some of these massive revenues flowing back into the student athletes. If a small school can qualify to be in the club on its own merit, then they can join. Otherwise, they stay small schools and can run things in a small school way.

I'm not going into some anti-capitalist rant or something. Far from it. But I'm looking at it from the perspective of the fan. It is bad for the sport, deemphasizes education, makes it less competitive, and will ultimately corrupt it much worse than it is now. The NCAA sucks, but you can't have the fox watching the henhouse. The federal government already tells schools how to run their ADs with the Title 9 crap. So what if the NCAA is a bit of a pain in the *** and makes stupid decisions sometimes.

[8timechamps]

The smaller schools need to kill this idea and fast. As if the haves don't already have an advantage on the have nots. It's not like Wake Forest and Duke and Northwestern are threatening to win BCS Championships.

The small schools are the ones that brought this idea forward. It's their last hope to keep the NCAA together.

If the big conferences leave, it's going to negatively affect the small ones. Teams like Duke and Northwestern don't need to worry, they are part of a power conference. If they want to remain, they'll have to step up. If not, there's probably schools in the smaller conferences that would be more than happy to take their place.

[8timechamps]

In fact, send Louisville, Cincinnati, ND, and Memphis/UConn/one of the Florida schools our way, and we can scrap that conference. The Power 4!

I think this could spark another, much smaller, round of realignment. Could be a chance for the Big XII to **** or get off the pot.

[Eielson]

B1G
Big 12
Pac 12
SEC
ACC


Feelin' kinda dumb. :(

[badger]

Feelin' kinda dumb. :(

Don't, you meant to omit the SEC and we all endorse this omitting :P