Kirk Herbstreit has not been holding back this college football off-season with his opinions on the current state of the game, and he recently added another opinion that is getting headlines. His latest comments focus on the lack of power that the NCAA has over the sport, as well as a possible solution to try to get everyone on the same page.
While on the OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich podcast, he shared the following comments:
“I feel like the NCAA has lost any power whatsoever in college football…I feel like, at this point, as we go to this new world, I would not be surprised,” Kirk Herbstreit said about the NCAA’s power. He added, “I don’t know how they’d get there. You’d take the Big Ten, whoever it’s going to be – it’s like 60 teams, it’s the Big Ten, it’s the SEC, the ACC and the Big 12 and whoever else…”
NCAA Has Very Little Power in College Football
Although the NCAA and College Football are in some ways very connected, particularly in the minds of common fans, the reality is that the NCAA actually has very little control over college football in today’s modern era.
The NCAA does not run the College Football Playoff or control the rankings, and last week, it was announced that the NCAA has no control in limiting or putting caps on NIL. Additionally, in November, another judge ruled that the NCAA couldn’t enforce transfer rules for basketball players transferring for a second time, setting another precedent of the lack of power the NCAA has in today’s sports.
Kirk Herbstreit’s Idea Makes a Lot of Sense
Kirk Herbstreit suggests that for college football to get back on the same page, there needs to be a total restructuring and a breakaway from the NCAA. He suggests that right now, there are essentially “nine different commissioners,” and that is causing many of the problems that are currently going on.
His suggestion is for the conferences to come together, especially the Big 10, Big 12, ACC, and SEC, and come up with a commissioner-like figure to bring everyone together and under a set of the same rules. While technically possible under the NCAA, in many ways, it feels like that ship has already sailed, and the way forward is to go in a totally new direction.
By doing this, conferences could come together under some kind of agreement over NIL caps to start. Many universities are suffering without a cap as top donors are feeling forced to donate to NIL to keep up with other teams rather than donate to general funds that universities have been relying on for decades. Even with better TV contracts, losing these donations long-term could cripple universities, particularly when it comes to Olympic sports.
A commissioner could also help with setting up a set scheduling model (SEC plays conference games while the Big 12 plays nine) and even making rules to when the transfer portal opens up, setting up events (early season games, international events, etc…), and just giving a sense of stability in the sport that isn’t currently there.
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