Well, this is interesting:
A group of influential sports leaders and college presidents are pitching a drastic change to the current CFB model as the best way forward.
theathletic.com
The current CST outline would create a system that would have the top 70 programs โ all members of the five former major conferences, plus Notre Dame and new ACC member SMU โ as permanent members and encompass all 130-plus FBS universities.
The perpetual members would be in seven 10-team divisions, joined by an eighth division of teams that would be promoted from the second tier.
The 50-plus second-division teams would have the opportunity to compete their way into the upper division, creating a promotion system similar to the structure in European football leagues. The 70 permanent teams would never be in danger of moving down, while the second division would have the incentive of promotion and relegation.
The playoffs would not require a selection committee, as the eight division winners and eight wild cards from the top tier would go to the postseason. The wild-card spots would be determined by record and tiebreakers, much like the NFL.
CST borrows ideas from leagues like the NFL, Premier League and MLS to create a system that they believe would bring more television value and sustainability. Not coincidentally, some of its most influential members have direct ties to those leagues.
Chief among the obstacles this new venture faces are the billions of dollars in TV deals that all the top conferences have locked in with the major networks: ESPN/ABC, Fox, NBC and CBS. The FBS conferences recently signed off on a six-year, $7.8 billion extension with ESPN for the exclusive rights to the expanded College Football Playoff.
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Universities would own a percentage of the league, a model derived from MLS where it was devised by former president Mark Abbott, who is involved with CST. Unlike the soccer league, the revenue distribution would not be an even split among all competitors, as top brands like Alabama and Notre Dame would receive more of the financial pie. CST believes there would be added value in negotiating TV deals as one entity and creating broadcast windows that make more sense, much like the NFLโs approach.
While the CST model would eliminate the longtime conference structure for football, it would create one entity to negotiate with a prospective union that would represent the players on NIL, transfer portal and salary structure rules. This embrace of collective bargaining could allow it to avoid the antitrust issues that have limited the NCAAโs ability to enforce its own rules.
Not super thrilled by private equity trying to get into the college football game, but man, this sounds more thought out than just about any of the other competing options for how to handle college football.