The first domino is falling with WSU and OSU. The taxpayers are going to end up on the hook for bailing the OSU athletic department out with their stadium costs that they can’t afford when they go to the MWC. If that starts happening more places there will certainly be more interest. Whether that happens at the federal level or if it is just states that take more control of how their programs are run, I don’t know. But if that were ISU and the state had to take over a $160m budget shortfall, what do you think the reaction would be?
Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)
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The first domino is falling with WSU and OSU. The taxpayers are going to end up on the hook for bailing the OSU athletic department out with their stadium costs that they can’t afford when they go to the MWC. If that starts happening more places there will certainly be more interest. Whether that happens at the federal level or if it is just states that take more control of how their programs are run, I don’t know. But if that were ISU and the state had to take over a $160m budget shortfall, what do you think the reaction would be?
My guess is the Collective Bargaining Agreement would stipulate transfer rules. As long as the Autonomous 3/4 all abide by the same boiler plate CBA, then it could restrict movement or at a minimum add back the sit 1 year requirement.
Why would the players ever agree to bring back the sit 1 year? That’ll only restrict movement and ultimately restrict their value.
That's what collective bargaining is about. If players want X share of revenue, they will need to give in other areas. And maybe immediate eligibility isn't that big a deal to colleges if it gets them a higher percent of revenue or a better deal on medical or other areas of negotiation.
But without some transfer restriction, it would put the Big12/ACC at a disadvantage vs. Big10/SEC who would probably pay their employees more and have better benefits because their TV deal is $30M+ better. IMO it would make the Big12/ACC a minor league where many of the best players would jump for better pay/benefits to Big10/SEC.
I just think that the 1 year sitout is wanted by the fans, but I don’t know that there’s many in that negotiation that would really be advocating for it. The power teams for sure wouldn’t want it. That’s how national titles are decided now. They’ve gotten used to buying titles and I doubt they want to go back to the risk of having down years and having to earn their way back tot he top through recruiting. So you have maybe 1/2 to 2/3 of the schools that would be interested in it. But those will be the same schools that also would be worried about budgets and not want to give up much to get it.
But same can happen between Big10/SEC schools too.
When you get down to it. When athletes become employees and salary/benefits are negotiated and transparent between conferences/schools- then the academic side of things become almost irrelevant for a lot of kids. So why wouldn't a stud player at Iowa or Minnesota not jump to Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, etc. where they will have the most TV visibility?
I think schools are going to want multi-year employment contracts to protect their investment in athlete development investment. No different than pro-sports.
At that point I might just join the rest of my west coast residents and get outdoors more rain or shine.
Not true. Waste Management in West Virginia is hiring. Ray Anderson needs a job and has the leadership these guys need.
Waste Management Bridgeport, WV
District Operations Manager
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Education: Associate's Degree, High School Diploma or GED and 2 years of relevant work experience
Experience: 2 years in a role with supervisory and/or P&L responsibility (in addition to education requirement)
Now. Be nice. I live here in WV and having lived all over the U.S., I was completely surprised by how incredibly beautiful it is here. The people are nice, though eccentric in their stereotypical way. And, the cost of living is incredible; certainly compared to my California days. How many of CF's readers have been here?
The future of college athletics as we know it may be forever changed. We are in the midst of a money grab. Every conference, every school, and even players are trying to find ways to generate more and more money. There will be a breaking point where there won’t be enough money to go around. When that happens, people leave the industry (including investors) and find the next money grabbing industry. When will the “bubble burst”? I’m not sure… but it will get ugly when it does
I can't help but feel a bit pessimistic about the futures of the teams in the big 12, but then, maybe it will be for the best.
football at WVU may be back to where it was 30 years ago. players playing at wvu bc they want to be there, and not just some quick cash, but a college degree.
I enjoy Tulane games here in New Orleans. And their players are not playing for Tulane for money. The service academies dont get NIL. Football will survive.
ill enjoy WVU-Pitt games even if both are not relevant to the "super league" title.
football at WVU may be back to where it was 30 years ago. players playing at wvu bc they want to be there, and not just some quick cash, but a college degree.
I enjoy Tulane games here in New Orleans. And their players are not playing for Tulane for money. The service academies dont get NIL. Football will survive.
ill enjoy WVU-Pitt games even if both are not relevant to the "super league" title.
Players as employees could bring a little (emphasis on little) more parity through 2 or 4 year contracts (which would be good for players too so coaches can’t just cut loose underachievers), 1-year sit out clauses for transfers and/or transfer fees, salary cap, etc.
I think you could collectively bargain education stipulations (minimum gpa, whatever the academic standards are now) to maintain some semblance of college in college football.
Of course this would all require centralized, unified leadership. And the people at the top are all-in on a money grab with different motivations and objectives
Another issue would be schools would have to take a haircut on staff, benefits, infrastructure, etc. If players negotiate like 10-20% of annual revenues for salary, that comes directly out of schools’ budgets. It’s an expense that isn’t forecasted for right now (I hope Jaime and team have models for future forecasts that include player salaries).
And it doesn't require lots of schools or a majority vote. One solid lawsuit can crack the nut if the legal theory is sound. I think ESPN, Fox, and the NCAA all have significant exposure.
No problem, they could start here. From Ross Dellengers article.
Agreed. Obvious choice to start making cuts (from an ROI perspective).
But salaries don’t typically go down historically speaking. They go up or positions/departments get eliminated.
Coaching salaries are a joke. When A&M's job came open, Dan Campbell's name came up. That would have been unheard of many years ago. College coaches used to leave for the pros for more money, not the other way around.
ESPN wants everyone to look at the shiny object of a national title and forget about what built the sport to begin with. Saturday's Farmageddon is irrelevant to the national playoff, but I'll be cheering for the 'Cones anyway. In fact, if the national championship becomes more removed from ISU and the Big XII, I will care less and less.