Proposed ‘Super League’ Could be the Future of College Football
On Wednesday, Andrew Marchand and Stewart Mandel published a story at The Athletic that has caused quite a stir among the college football community.
A group, formally known as “College Sports Tomorrow” (CST), is seeking to save college athletics by removing it from its currently “dead” system and implementing a new model which many are calling a “Super League.”
Under their proposal, college football’s highest level would be under one league, void of conferences, and would allow Playoff participants to be based solely on the results on the field. It would involve the promotion and relegation of smaller schools, as well as true management of NIL and the transfer portal.
So, where do we sign up, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, but there is hope that the idea will catch some traction in the future. With the current model of college athletics basically in the toilet, there are a lot of big names starting to discuss what the future must look like for college football to survive.
“We are in an existential crisis,” West Virginia president Gordon Gee says. Gee is a part of the 20-person group, which also includes (per The Athletic):
- Brian Rolapp (NFL’s No. 2 Executive)
- David Blitzer (Philadelphia 76ers owner)
- Len Perna (Lead Organizer, TurnkeyZRG)
While the idea has been met with some skepticism, there are some very interesting details that make it a possibility worth looking into.
Here’s a quick outline of some details of the proposal:
- The top 70 teams in college football (all “Power 5” members, plus Notre Dame and new ACC member SMU) in one league as permanent members.
- Perpetual members would be in seven 10-team divisions
- The 50-plus second-division teams would have the opportunity to compete their way into the upper division (like the European soccer league)
- The 70 permanent teams would never move down a level, but the second division would have a promotion/relegation system.
- There would be no CFP committee, as the eight division winners and eight wild card teams from the first division would make up the playoff field.
- Wild card spots would be determined by record and tiebreakers, much like the NFL model
Traction has been difficult to come by for the group though, as ACC board of directors heard a presentation from the group in February, but the Big Ten, SEC, and Big 12 have all canceled meetings.
According to the report, the cancellations could be tied to keeping current broadcast partners (ESPN, FOX, CBS, etc) happy.
The biggest issue standing in the way of this proposal is the conferences just now agreeing to a brand new six-year, $7.8 billion extension with ESPN for the exclusive rights to the expanded College Football Playoff.
While ending the current conference structure of the sport would be one heck of a legal battle, having one entity that can regulate NIL and the transfer portal would be a dream come true for many people close to the sport. Plus, having a way to avoid the legal turmoil that the NCAA finds itself in would be a huge bonus.
“The only way to solve the problem is to have a solution that is legally defensible, politically acceptable, commercially prudent, and is able to strike a partnership with student-athletes in a way that’s really good for them,” Len Perna told The Athletic.
Another very important aspect to understand in this proposal is that football is the only sport that would be affected by the changes. All other sports would remain under the current conference structure.
“Athletes need to be paid and are going to be paid,” Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverud said. “Most of the rules against paying athletes, including some of those that are still in place, are likely to fall in the courts. We’re going to need to sustain women’s sports, Olympic sports and we’re going to have to have competitive equity and some methods to have a labor structure that is sensible. For all that, I think you need a more centralized national college league.”
Could this “Super League” really be the end-all, be-all for the future of college football? Let us know what you think in the forum!
