MEGA Conference Realignment and lawsuits Megathread: Stories, Tales, Lies, and Exaggerations

This thread has proven quite devastating. We should have killed it a long time ago. Now it can’t be contained. Even in the midst of a title run.
 
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⚠️: Long Post @Tony4Canes

I’ve read the proposal put forth in great details, & while I like the framework I saw some flaws that eliminate rivalries, & diminishes the value of the regular season. I have my thoughts on this, & I’m sure there would be flaws in my proposal, as well.

Here would be my proposals:

1. Break CFB away from the NCAA as its Governing Body. B/c there’s so much revenue involved, including TV contracts tied to the NCAA, their involvement within college athletics cannot be fully eliminated. With that said, the NCAA’s sole purpose within the confines of CFB would be strictly to monitor academic eligibility, only. They would still be the Governing Body of FCS, Div. II, & DIII.

2. Appoint A Commissioner overseeing all CFB matters, including: Transfer Portal Regulations, Shared Revenue, NIL, Scheduling, etc that will work with the CFP & a Student Body (more on this)

3. Universities will remain w/in their respective conferences, but regarding CFB, they will be separated into regions. All revenues will go towards the conference payout.

4. Propose a $20m shared revenue for the student athletes, & remove “pay for play” regarding NIL. Scholarship Athletes (85), would have $18.75m to be divided, & $1.25m to be divided among the 30 walk-ons. NIL is unlimited, but cannot be used as tampering within college athletics proposed by Collectives. All NIL contracts proposed by said entities should have an impartial board to review, as to protect the student athletes from potential predatory language w/in their collegiate and potential future professional careers.

5. For draft eligible players who receive a draft grade of 2nd round or higher, provide insurance to protect them in the event an injury jeopardizes their draft stock (call this the Willis McGahee/Jaylon Smith rule)

6. FBS-I should be at 90, instead of 134 (soon to be 135).

-I would have 9 Conferences w/in the 90 FBS-I, including some G5 teams that have proven to be competitive within the landscape of CFB. (There are currently 10 conferences, now)

My conferences would be:

FBS-I (90):

West: (Stanford, Cal, Fresno St., SDSU, UCLA, USC, SJSU, Arizona, Arizona St., UNLV)

Northwest: (UO, OrSt, UW, WSU, Boise St., Utah St., Air Force, Colorado, BYU, Utah)

Southwest: (A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, OKSt, Marshall, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Houston, SMU)

Midwest: (Iowa, Iowa St, KU, KSU, Missouri, Neb., Northwestern, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota)

Mideast: (UofM, O$U, Cincy, Toledo, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Mich St, CMU, Eastern MI.)

Southeast: (Bama, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St. UGA, GT, Auburn, FSU, UF, Miami)

East: (UK, WKY, UL, UTenn, Vandy, Memphis, Arkansas, UVA, VT, Liberty)

Atlantic: (UCF, USF, USCe, Clemson, Duke, UNC, NCSt., WF, App St., Tulane)

Northeast: (WVA, JMU, Pitt, PSU, Syracuse, BC, Navy, Army, Rutgers, Maryland)

FBS-II (45)

North: (Akron, Bowling Green, Kent St. Miami (OH), Ohio, Ball St., Northern IL, Western Michigan, ODU, Buffalo)

West: (Hawaii, Nevada, Col. St., New Mexico, New Mexico St., Wyoming, UTEP, Tulsa, UTSA, TX State, Sam Houston, North TX)

South: (Southern Miss., Louisiana, LA Tech, UL Monroe, GA St, GA Southern, FIU, So. Alabama, Rice, Troy, UAB, Kennesaw St)

East: (UConn, Delaware, UMASS, Temple, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, ECU, Ark St., Middle TN., FAU, Jax. St.)

7. Play an 11 game schedule:
•1 FCS, 1 OOR (Out of Region), 9 regional game schedule
•Winner of each region is determined by regional record (no more championship games).
•Winner of each region gets an automatic bid, and seeding is determined by CFP polls.
•Regarding the Group Division, play a 10 game schedule. Top 4 from each region play in a Final 4 grouping. Winner of Final 4 grouping automatically gets a bid in the CFP.
•6 At Large Bids determined by CFP committee

8. CFP increase to 16 teams (Begin 3rd week in December)
•Round 1 is home field for top 8 teams (Incorporate & rotate Tier 1 Bowls; eliminate site venues only when used in CFP format)
•Round 2 Neutral Site Games. (NY6 Bowls rotated)
•Round 3 Neutral Site Games. (NY6 Bowls rotated)
•National Championship Game (2 weeks after Round 3)

9. End of the year, non-CFP bowl games (exception of NY6) will still have Conference Tie-ins for qualifying teams (6 wins or more). Allow for NIL opportunities for student athletes who participate in bowls (i.e signing events, speaking engagements, commercializing for sponsors, etc.)

10. Transfer Portal:
•Windows:
-Winter (After Season-including bowl games, before Spring Semester begins)
-Spring (After Spring Semester)
-Summer (Before Fall Semester begins)

•Can transfer w/o penalty one time for any reason, including playing time, coach fired, family, graduate, etc.

•Upon 2nd transfer, it must be due to a coach being fired, a graduate, immediate family illness or the penalty is sitting out first 2 games to begin the season, “unless” player transfers to a lower division program.

•3+ transfers, it must meet the same criteria of the 2nd transfer, or the penalty is sitting out the first 4 games to begin the season, “unless” player transfers to a lower division program.

11. Redshirt is designated for injuries sustained either in practice before the season, during the season if it happens before game 7 of the season, or player has played in 4 games or less in a season.

12. Create a Student Athlete Body Union comprised of former CFB athletes to engage w/ the newly formed Governing Body/Commissioner to make sure all rights of CFB players are met with fairness, along w/ keeping up with current market.

13. TV slots:
-I would have all FBS-II games air Tuesday-Thursday (except the Final 4 games which would be on Saturdays), & all FBS-I games air Thursday-Saturday (including Rd 1 of CFP)

Is this perfect? Probably not, but I think this accomplishes several things:

1. It’ll present a more balanced approach including recruiting

2. Endorsers like Adidas, Nike, UA will gain more exposure as their lesser known schools will now be advertised, generating more revenue for both these brands, and Universities.

3. It will keep in tact long standing rivalries, while renewing old ones, driving more fan interest

4. Smaller schools like JMU, Toledo, Liberty, as examples, who have been competitive (at times beating) P4 schools will now have more exposure to recruits, as they will be included. This will also allow highly ranked 3*, lower ranked 4* players have more options, fielding more playing time benefits.

5. Allowing the Group of 45 to battle for a spot will also keep fan interest for these schools, meaning more revenue opportunities/exposure

6. Allowing bowls to remain in tact will still satisfy sponsorship commitments, and by rotating Tier 1 bowls into CFP, it brings a different value for teams who miss out on the CFP-16.

7. Helps mitigate a portal issue. One of the dark sides about the portal is the vast amount of student athletes who don’t make it out, killing their football dreams. It’s an absurd amount, actually. This way, caution can be exercised by placing light guard rails before one makes a potentially life altering decision.

8. The insurance will protect student athletes on potentially losing out on millions due to injuries, and it can help curve the opt outs in bowl games, making them a bit more meaningful = more revenue.

9. Including smaller schools like JMU, CMU is no different than the SEC having teams like Vandy, the ACC having teams like WF, the B1G having teams like Purdue, etc. In a lot of instances, these schools r actually better due to solid coaching, and with more exposure, it will allow them to potentially recruit at a better rate.

10. The regular season will remain meaningful

Of course there could be other details included, but imho, something along these lines will satisfy the fan bases, networks, give smaller, competitive schools a nice opportunity to grow, and student athletes will remain student athletes w/ better protection restoring better competition.

Jmo.
 
Last edited:
⚠️: Long Post @Tony4Canes

I’ve read the proposal put forth in great details, & while I like the framework I saw some flaws that eliminate rivalries, & diminishes the value of the regular season. I have my thoughts on this, & I’m sure there would be flaws in my proposal, as well.

Here would be my proposals:

1. Break CFB away from the NCAA as its Governing Body. B/c there’s so much revenue involved, including TV contracts tied to the NCAA, their involvement within college athletics cannot be fully eliminated. With that said, the NCAA’s sole purpose within the confines of CFB would be strictly to monitor academic eligibility, only. They would still be the Governing Body of FCS, Div. II, & DIII.

2. Appoint A Commissioner overseeing all CFB matters, including: Transfer Portal Regulations, Shared Revenue, NIL, Scheduling, etc that will work with the CFP & a Student Body (more on this)

3. Universities will remain w/in their respective conferences, but regarding CFB, they will be separated into regions. All revenues will go towards the conference payout.

4. Propose a $20m shared revenue for the student athletes, & remove “pay for play” regarding NIL. Scholarship Athletes (85), would have $18.75m to be divided, & $1.25m to be divided among the 30 walk-ons. NIL is unlimited, but cannot be used as tampering within college athletics proposed by Collectives. All NIL contracts proposed by said entities should have an impartial board to review, as to protect the student athletes from potential predatory language w/in their collegiate and potential future professional careers.

5. For draft eligible players who receive a draft grade of 2nd round or higher, provide insurance to protect them in the event an injury jeopardizes their draft stock (call this the Willis McGahee/Jaylon Smith rule)

6. FBS-I should be at 90, instead of 134 (soon to be 135).

-I would have 9 Conferences w/in the 90 FBS-I, including some G5 teams that have proven to be competitive within the landscape of CFB. (There are currently 10 conferences, now)

My conferences would be:

FBS-I (90):

West: (Stanford, Cal, Fresno St., SDSU, UCLA, USC, SJSU, Arizona, Arizona St., UNLV)

Northwest: (UO, OrSt, UW, WSU, Boise St., Utah St., Air Force, Colorado, BYU, Utah)

Southwest: (A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, OKSt, Marshall, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Houston, SMU)

Midwest: (Iowa, Iowa St, KU, KSU, Missouri, Neb., Northwestern, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota)

Mideast: (UofM, O$U, Cincy, Toledo, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Mich St, CMU, Eastern MI.)

Southeast: (Bama, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St. UGA, GT, Tulane, FSU, UF, Miami)

East: (UK, WKY, UL, UTenn, Vandy, Memphis, Arkansas, UVA, VT, Liberty)

Atlantic: (UCF, USF, USCe, Clemson, Duke, UNC, NCSt., WF, App St., Coastal Carolina)

Northeast: (WVA, JMU, Pitt, PSU, Syracuse, BC, Navy, Army, Rutgers, Maryland)

FBS-II (44)

North: (Akron, Bowling Green, Kent St. Miami (OH), Ohio, Ball St., Northern IL, Western Michigan)

West: (Hawaii, Nevada, Col. St., New Mexico, New Mexico St., Wyoming, UTEP, Tulsa, UTSA, TX State)

South: (Southern Miss., Louisiana, LA Tech, UL Monroe, GA St, GA Southern, FAU, FIU, Jax St, Rice, North TX)

East: (UConn, Delaware, UMASS, Temple, Buffalo, Charlotte, ECU, ODU, Ark St., Middle TN.)

7. Play an 11 game schedule:
•1 FCS, 1 OOR (Out of Region), 9 regional game schedule
•Winner of each region is determined by regional record (no more championship games).
•Winner of each region gets an automatic bid, and seeding is determined by CFP polls.
•Regarding the Group Division, play a 10 game schedule. Top 4 from each region play in a Final 4 grouping. Winner of Final 4 grouping automatically gets a bid in the CFP.
•6 At Large Bids determined by CFP committee

8. CFP increase to 16 teams (Begin 3rd week in December)
•Round 1 is home field for top 8 teams (Incorporate & rotate Tier 1 Bowls; eliminate site venues only when used in CFP format)
•Round 2 Neutral Site Games. (NY6 Bowls rotated)
•Round 3 Neutral Site Games. (NY6 Bowls rotated)
•National Championship Game (2 weeks after Round 3)

9. End of the year, non-CFP bowl games (exception of NY6) will still have Conference Tie-ins for qualifying teams (6 wins or more). Allow for NIL opportunities for student athletes who participate in bowls (i.e signing events, speaking engagements, commercializing for sponsors, etc.)

10. Transfer Portal:
•Windows:
-Winter (After Season-including bowl games, before Spring Semester begins)
-Spring (After Spring Semester)
-Summer (Before Fall Semester begins)

•Can transfer w/o penalty one time for any reason, including playing time, coach fired, family, graduate, etc.

•Upon 2nd transfer, it must be due to a coach being fired, a graduate, immediate family illness or the penalty is sitting out first 2 games to begin the season, “unless” player transfers to a lower division program.

•3+ transfers, it must meet the same criteria of the 2nd transfer, or the penalty is sitting out the first 4 games to begin the season, “unless” player transfers to a lower division program.

11. Redshirt is designated for injuries sustained either in practice before the season, during the season if it happens before game 7 of the season, or player has played in 4 games or less in a season.

12. Create a Student Athlete Body Union compromised of former CFB athletes to engage w/ the newly formed Governing Body/Commissioner to make sure all rights of CFB players are met with fairness, along w/ keeping up with current market.

13. TV slots:
-I would have all FBS-II games air Tuesday-Thursday (except the Final 4 games which would be on Saturdays), & all FBS-I games air Thursday-Saturday (including Rd 1 of CFP)

Is this perfect? Probably not, but I think this accomplishes several things:

1. It’ll present a more balanced approach including recruiting

2. Endorsers like Adidas, Nike, UA will gain more exposure as their lesser known schools will now be advertised, generating more revenue for both these brands, and Universities.

3. It will keep in tact long standing rivalries, while renewing old ones, driving more fan interest

4. Smaller schools like JMU, Toledo, Liberty, as examples, who have been competitive (at times beating) P4 schools will now have more exposure to recruits, as they will be included. This will also allow highly ranked 3*, lower ranked 4* players have more options, fielding more playing time benefits.

5. Allowing the Group of 44 to battle it out for a spot will also keep fan interest for these schools, meaning more revenue opportunities/exposure

6. Allowing bowls to remain in tact will still satisfy sponsorship commitments, and by rotating Tier 1 bowls into CFP, it brings a different value for teams who miss out on the CFP-16.

7. Helps mitigate a portal issue. One of the dark sides about the portal is the vast amount of student athletes who don’t make it out, killing their football dreams. It’s an absurd amount, actually. This way, caution can be exercised by placing light guard rails before one makes a potentially life altering decision.

8. The insurance will protect student athletes on potentially losing out on millions due to injuries, and it can help curve the opt outs in bowl games, making them a bit more meaningful = more revenue.

9. Including smaller schools like JMU, CMU is no different than the SEC having teams like Vandy, the ACC having teams like WF, the B1G having teams like Purdue, etc. In a lot of instances, these schools r actually better due to solid coaching, and with more exposure, it will allow them to potentially recruit at a better rate.

10. The regular season will remain meaningful

Of course there could be other details included, but imho, something along these lines will satisfy the fan bases, networks, give smaller, competitive schools a nice opportunity to grow, and student athletes will remain student athletes w/ better protection restoring better competition.

Jmo.
Looks good to me. I agree with just about everything you propose. Thanks for doing the leg work.

Although, no Auburn? Bama fans might like that

90 teams is a bit much for FBS-1 IMO, I'd prefer 72, but not a dealbreaker. lol

I'd be more stringent on the portal. 1 less window. Fewer opportunities to transfer.

Overall, it covers just about all sticking points both on and off the field.

Unfortunately, it makes too much sense and would be good for the game as a whole. It would require the conferences (and therefore, TV networks) giving up their power.
 
Looks good to me. I agree with just about everything you propose. Thanks for doing the leg work.

Although, no Auburn? Bama fans might like that

90 teams is a bit much for FBS-1 IMO, I'd prefer 72, but not a dealbreaker. lol

I'd be more stringent on the portal. 1 less window. Fewer opportunities to transfer.

Overall, it covers just about all sticking points both on and off the field.

Unfortunately, it makes too much sense and would be good for the game as a whole. It would require the conferences (and therefore, TV networks) giving up their power.

Bro, whew….that actually just saved my brain b/c I was like I’m off on this. I forgot Auburn. I was legit wrecking my brain wondering what team was I missing. Lol. About to correct that right now.
 
Looks good to me. I agree with just about everything you propose. Thanks for doing the leg work.

Although, no Auburn? Bama fans might like that

90 teams is a bit much for FBS-1 IMO, I'd prefer 72, but not a dealbreaker. lol

I'd be more stringent on the portal. 1 less window. Fewer opportunities to transfer.

Overall, it covers just about all sticking points both on and off the field.

Unfortunately, it makes too much sense and would be good for the game as a whole. It would require the conferences (and therefore, TV networks) giving up their power.

I also sincerely thought about that portal window, but with a college athlete student body on behalf of the athletes, I can see them wanting more opportunities if there’s going to be consequences w/ multiple transfers. I figured that’s a happy medium.
 
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⚠️: Long Post @Tony4Canes

I’ve read the proposal put forth in great details, & while I like the framework I saw some flaws that eliminate rivalries, & diminishes the value of the regular season. I have my thoughts on this, & I’m sure there would be flaws in my proposal, as well.

Here would be my proposals:

1. Break CFB away from the NCAA as its Governing Body. B/c there’s so much revenue involved, including TV contracts tied to the NCAA, their involvement within college athletics cannot be fully eliminated. With that said, the NCAA’s sole purpose within the confines of CFB would be strictly to monitor academic eligibility, only. They would still be the Governing Body of FCS, Div. II, & DIII.

2. Appoint A Commissioner overseeing all CFB matters, including: Transfer Portal Regulations, Shared Revenue, NIL, Scheduling, etc that will work with the CFP & a Student Body (more on this)

3. Universities will remain w/in their respective conferences, but regarding CFB, they will be separated into regions. All revenues will go towards the conference payout.

4. Propose a $20m shared revenue for the student athletes, & remove “pay for play” regarding NIL. Scholarship Athletes (85), would have $18.75m to be divided, & $1.25m to be divided among the 30 walk-ons. NIL is unlimited, but cannot be used as tampering within college athletics proposed by Collectives. All NIL contracts proposed by said entities should have an impartial board to review, as to protect the student athletes from potential predatory language w/in their collegiate and potential future professional careers.

5. For draft eligible players who receive a draft grade of 2nd round or higher, provide insurance to protect them in the event an injury jeopardizes their draft stock (call this the Willis McGahee/Jaylon Smith rule)

6. FBS-I should be at 90, instead of 134 (soon to be 135).

-I would have 9 Conferences w/in the 90 FBS-I, including some G5 teams that have proven to be competitive within the landscape of CFB. (There are currently 10 conferences, now)

My conferences would be:

FBS-I (90):

West: (Stanford, Cal, Fresno St., SDSU, UCLA, USC, SJSU, Arizona, Arizona St., UNLV)

Northwest: (UO, OrSt, UW, WSU, Boise St., Utah St., Air Force, Colorado, BYU, Utah)

Southwest: (A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, OKSt, Marshall, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Houston, SMU)

Midwest: (Iowa, Iowa St, KU, KSU, Missouri, Neb., Northwestern, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota)

Mideast: (UofM, O$U, Cincy, Toledo, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Mich St, CMU, Eastern MI.)

Southeast: (Bama, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St. UGA, GT, Auburn, FSU, UF, Miami)

East: (UK, WKY, UL, UTenn, Vandy, Memphis, Arkansas, UVA, VT, Liberty)

Atlantic: (UCF, USF, USCe, Clemson, Duke, UNC, NCSt., WF, App St., Tulane)

Northeast: (WVA, JMU, Pitt, PSU, Syracuse, BC, Navy, Army, Rutgers, Maryland)

FBS-II (45)

North: (Akron, Bowling Green, Kent St. Miami (OH), Ohio, Ball St., Northern IL, Western Michigan, ODU, Buffalo)

West: (Hawaii, Nevada, Col. St., New Mexico, New Mexico St., Wyoming, UTEP, Tulsa, UTSA, TX State, Sam Houston, North TX)

South: (Southern Miss., Louisiana, LA Tech, UL Monroe, GA St, GA Southern, FIU, So. Alabama, Rice, Troy, UAB, Kennesaw St)

East: (UConn, Delaware, UMASS, Temple, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, ECU, Ark St., Middle TN., FAU, Jax. St.)

7. Play an 11 game schedule:
•1 FCS, 1 OOR (Out of Region), 9 regional game schedule
•Winner of each region is determined by regional record (no more championship games).
•Winner of each region gets an automatic bid, and seeding is determined by CFP polls.
•Regarding the Group Division, play a 10 game schedule. Top 4 from each region play in a Final 4 grouping. Winner of Final 4 grouping automatically gets a bid in the CFP.
•6 At Large Bids determined by CFP committee

8. CFP increase to 16 teams (Begin 3rd week in December)
•Round 1 is home field for top 8 teams (Incorporate & rotate Tier 1 Bowls; eliminate site venues only when used in CFP format)
•Round 2 Neutral Site Games. (NY6 Bowls rotated)
•Round 3 Neutral Site Games. (NY6 Bowls rotated)
•National Championship Game (2 weeks after Round 3)

9. End of the year, non-CFP bowl games (exception of NY6) will still have Conference Tie-ins for qualifying teams (6 wins or more). Allow for NIL opportunities for student athletes who participate in bowls (i.e signing events, speaking engagements, commercializing for sponsors, etc.)

10. Transfer Portal:
•Windows:
-Winter (After Season-including bowl games, before Spring Semester begins)
-Spring (After Spring Semester)
-Summer (Before Fall Semester begins)

•Can transfer w/o penalty one time for any reason, including playing time, coach fired, family, graduate, etc.

•Upon 2nd transfer, it must be due to a coach being fired, a graduate, immediate family illness or the penalty is sitting out first 2 games to begin the season, “unless” player transfers to a lower division program.

•3+ transfers, it must meet the same criteria of the 2nd transfer, or the penalty is sitting out the first 4 games to begin the season, “unless” player transfers to a lower division program.

11. Redshirt is designated for injuries sustained either in practice before the season, during the season if it happens before game 7 of the season, or player has played in 4 games or less in a season.

12. Create a Student Athlete Body Union compromised of former CFB athletes to engage w/ the newly formed Governing Body/Commissioner to make sure all rights of CFB players are met with fairness, along w/ keeping up with current market.

13. TV slots:
-I would have all FBS-II games air Tuesday-Thursday (except the Final 4 games which would be on Saturdays), & all FBS-I games air Thursday-Saturday (including Rd 1 of CFP)

Is this perfect? Probably not, but I think this accomplishes several things:

1. It’ll present a more balanced approach including recruiting

2. Endorsers like Adidas, Nike, UA will gain more exposure as their lesser known schools will now be advertised, generating more revenue for both these brands, and Universities.

3. It will keep in tact long standing rivalries, while renewing old ones, driving more fan interest

4. Smaller schools like JMU, Toledo, Liberty, as examples, who have been competitive (at times beating) P4 schools will now have more exposure to recruits, as they will be included. This will also allow highly ranked 3*, lower ranked 4* players have more options, fielding more playing time benefits.

5. Allowing the Group of 44 to battle it out for a spot will also keep fan interest for these schools, meaning more revenue opportunities/exposure

6. Allowing bowls to remain in tact will still satisfy sponsorship commitments, and by rotating Tier 1 bowls into CFP, it brings a different value for teams who miss out on the CFP-16.

7. Helps mitigate a portal issue. One of the dark sides about the portal is the vast amount of student athletes who don’t make it out, killing their football dreams. It’s an absurd amount, actually. This way, caution can be exercised by placing light guard rails before one makes a potentially life altering decision.

8. The insurance will protect student athletes on potentially losing out on millions due to injuries, and it can help curve the opt outs in bowl games, making them a bit more meaningful = more revenue.

9. Including smaller schools like JMU, CMU is no different than the SEC having teams like Vandy, the ACC having teams like WF, the B1G having teams like Purdue, etc. In a lot of instances, these schools r actually better due to solid coaching, and with more exposure, it will allow them to potentially recruit at a better rate.

10. The regular season will remain meaningful

Of course there could be other details included, but imho, something along these lines will satisfy the fan bases, networks, give smaller, competitive schools a nice opportunity to grow, and student athletes will remain student athletes w/ better protection restoring better competition.

Jmo.
@Rellyrell was hacked by @TheOriginalCane
 
I'm sorry but prestigious Universities like Berkeley and Stanford add significantly more value to a conference than schools like Memphis and USF. If Memphis and USF were top tier athletic institutions I could see that offsetting the prestige of Cal and Stanford but they're not good athletic or academic institutions.
From a football perspective, what do Stanford and Berkeley really offer over Memphis or USF?

Nada.
 
⚠️: Long Post @Tony4Canes

I’ve read the proposal put forth in great details, & while I like the framework I saw some flaws that eliminate rivalries, & diminishes the value of the regular season. I have my thoughts on this, & I’m sure there would be flaws in my proposal, as well.

Here would be my proposals:

1. Break CFB away from the NCAA as its Governing Body. B/c there’s so much revenue involved, including TV contracts tied to the NCAA, their involvement within college athletics cannot be fully eliminated. With that said, the NCAA’s sole purpose within the confines of CFB would be strictly to monitor academic eligibility, only. They would still be the Governing Body of FCS, Div. II, & DIII.

2. Appoint A Commissioner overseeing all CFB matters, including: Transfer Portal Regulations, Shared Revenue, NIL, Scheduling, etc that will work with the CFP & a Student Body (more on this)

3. Universities will remain w/in their respective conferences, but regarding CFB, they will be separated into regions. All revenues will go towards the conference payout.

4. Propose a $20m shared revenue for the student athletes, & remove “pay for play” regarding NIL. Scholarship Athletes (85), would have $18.75m to be divided, & $1.25m to be divided among the 30 walk-ons. NIL is unlimited, but cannot be used as tampering within college athletics proposed by Collectives. All NIL contracts proposed by said entities should have an impartial board to review, as to protect the student athletes from potential predatory language w/in their collegiate and potential future professional careers.

5. For draft eligible players who receive a draft grade of 2nd round or higher, provide insurance to protect them in the event an injury jeopardizes their draft stock (call this the Willis McGahee/Jaylon Smith rule)

6. FBS-I should be at 90, instead of 134 (soon to be 135).

-I would have 9 Conferences w/in the 90 FBS-I, including some G5 teams that have proven to be competitive within the landscape of CFB. (There are currently 10 conferences, now)

My conferences would be:

FBS-I (90):

West: (Stanford, Cal, Fresno St., SDSU, UCLA, USC, SJSU, Arizona, Arizona St., UNLV)

Northwest: (UO, OrSt, UW, WSU, Boise St., Utah St., Air Force, Colorado, BYU, Utah)

Southwest: (A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, OKSt, Marshall, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Houston, SMU)

Midwest: (Iowa, Iowa St, KU, KSU, Missouri, Neb., Northwestern, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota)

Mideast: (UofM, O$U, Cincy, Toledo, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Mich St, CMU, Eastern MI.)

Southeast: (Bama, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St. UGA, GT, Auburn, FSU, UF, Miami)

East: (UK, WKY, UL, UTenn, Vandy, Memphis, Arkansas, UVA, VT, Liberty)

Atlantic: (UCF, USF, USCe, Clemson, Duke, UNC, NCSt., WF, App St., Tulane)

Northeast: (WVA, JMU, Pitt, PSU, Syracuse, BC, Navy, Army, Rutgers, Maryland)

FBS-II (45)

North: (Akron, Bowling Green, Kent St. Miami (OH), Ohio, Ball St., Northern IL, Western Michigan, ODU, Buffalo)

West: (Hawaii, Nevada, Col. St., New Mexico, New Mexico St., Wyoming, UTEP, Tulsa, UTSA, TX State, Sam Houston, North TX)

South: (Southern Miss., Louisiana, LA Tech, UL Monroe, GA St, GA Southern, FIU, So. Alabama, Rice, Troy, UAB, Kennesaw St)

East: (UConn, Delaware, UMASS, Temple, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, ECU, Ark St., Middle TN., FAU, Jax. St.)

7. Play an 11 game schedule:
•1 FCS, 1 OOR (Out of Region), 9 regional game schedule
•Winner of each region is determined by regional record (no more championship games).
•Winner of each region gets an automatic bid, and seeding is determined by CFP polls.
•Regarding the Group Division, play a 10 game schedule. Top 4 from each region play in a Final 4 grouping. Winner of Final 4 grouping automatically gets a bid in the CFP.
•6 At Large Bids determined by CFP committee

8. CFP increase to 16 teams (Begin 3rd week in December)
•Round 1 is home field for top 8 teams (Incorporate & rotate Tier 1 Bowls; eliminate site venues only when used in CFP format)
•Round 2 Neutral Site Games. (NY6 Bowls rotated)
•Round 3 Neutral Site Games. (NY6 Bowls rotated)
•National Championship Game (2 weeks after Round 3)

9. End of the year, non-CFP bowl games (exception of NY6) will still have Conference Tie-ins for qualifying teams (6 wins or more). Allow for NIL opportunities for student athletes who participate in bowls (i.e signing events, speaking engagements, commercializing for sponsors, etc.)

10. Transfer Portal:
•Windows:
-Winter (After Season-including bowl games, before Spring Semester begins)
-Spring (After Spring Semester)
-Summer (Before Fall Semester begins)

•Can transfer w/o penalty one time for any reason, including playing time, coach fired, family, graduate, etc.

•Upon 2nd transfer, it must be due to a coach being fired, a graduate, immediate family illness or the penalty is sitting out first 2 games to begin the season, “unless” player transfers to a lower division program.

•3+ transfers, it must meet the same criteria of the 2nd transfer, or the penalty is sitting out the first 4 games to begin the season, “unless” player transfers to a lower division program.

11. Redshirt is designated for injuries sustained either in practice before the season, during the season if it happens before game 7 of the season, or player has played in 4 games or less in a season.

12. Create a Student Athlete Body Union comprised of former CFB athletes to engage w/ the newly formed Governing Body/Commissioner to make sure all rights of CFB players are met with fairness, along w/ keeping up with current market.

13. TV slots:
-I would have all FBS-II games air Tuesday-Thursday (except the Final 4 games which would be on Saturdays), & all FBS-I games air Thursday-Saturday (including Rd 1 of CFP)

Is this perfect? Probably not, but I think this accomplishes several things:

1. It’ll present a more balanced approach including recruiting

2. Endorsers like Adidas, Nike, UA will gain more exposure as their lesser known schools will now be advertised, generating more revenue for both these brands, and Universities.

3. It will keep in tact long standing rivalries, while renewing old ones, driving more fan interest

4. Smaller schools like JMU, Toledo, Liberty, as examples, who have been competitive (at times beating) P4 schools will now have more exposure to recruits, as they will be included. This will also allow highly ranked 3*, lower ranked 4* players have more options, fielding more playing time benefits.

5. Allowing the Group of 45 to battle for a spot will also keep fan interest for these schools, meaning more revenue opportunities/exposure

6. Allowing bowls to remain in tact will still satisfy sponsorship commitments, and by rotating Tier 1 bowls into CFP, it brings a different value for teams who miss out on the CFP-16.

7. Helps mitigate a portal issue. One of the dark sides about the portal is the vast amount of student athletes who don’t make it out, killing their football dreams. It’s an absurd amount, actually. This way, caution can be exercised by placing light guard rails before one makes a potentially life altering decision.

8. The insurance will protect student athletes on potentially losing out on millions due to injuries, and it can help curve the opt outs in bowl games, making them a bit more meaningful = more revenue.

9. Including smaller schools like JMU, CMU is no different than the SEC having teams like Vandy, the ACC having teams like WF, the B1G having teams like Purdue, etc. In a lot of instances, these schools r actually better due to solid coaching, and with more exposure, it will allow them to potentially recruit at a better rate.

10. The regular season will remain meaningful

Of course there could be other details included, but imho, something along these lines will satisfy the fan bases, networks, give smaller, competitive schools a nice opportunity to grow, and student athletes will remain student athletes w/ better protection restoring better competition.

Jmo.
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From a football perspective, what do Stanford and Berkeley really offer over Memphis or USF?

Nada.
I guess you didn't understand my post. I agree with you. They're pretty much equal to Memphis/USF when it comes to football (at least they actually bring a lot of success in other sports). But at least they add academic prestige and credibility and influence to the conference.
 
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