SEC, B10: No private funds; football not ‘broken’

• Heather Dinich, ESPN

  • Elder WriterOct 10, 2024, 06:12 PM ET Close College football reporter
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of Indiana University

NASHVILLE, Tenn.– Following an “unprecedented” meeting between the SEC and Big 10 on Thursday, the commissioners of both conferences addressed numerous weighty problems dealing with college sports and strongly pressed back on recent pitches from personal equity groups to assist balance out increased expenses that will result from the NCAA’s expected Home settlement.It was an essential united front from two of the most effective people in college sports, as any extreme changes that would include personal equity are unlikely to garner national support without the support of the SEC and Big Ten.” I have yet to see a single thing in any strategy that I’ve learned details about which contains things that we could not do ourselves and our A4 colleagues also,”Big 10 commissioner Tony Petitti said.” At the end of the day, there’s a strong dedication that you have the ability to do all of this ourselves.”… The concept that college football is broken– what we do is broken– is

simply wrong.” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, left, and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stated the understanding that they are pulling away from everyone else in college athletics is incorrect, but, Sankey said, they do” accept the obligation of leadership.”AP Photo/George Walker IV In February, the SEC and Big 10 revealed the formation of a joint advisory group, and this one-day meeting at the Grand Hyatt was a continuation of that– albeit with legal counsel present to make certain both conferences weren’t crossing any lines that could be interpreted as collusion. “Our legal counsel is extremely skilled at this point in defining the boundaries of what we can talk about and what we can not talk about,”SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said.With the SEC now at 16 groups and the Big 10 at 18 following expansion, they are now the largest, most affluent conferences in the nation.

And Sankey and Petitti have the bulk of control over the future format of the College Football Playoff in 2026 and beyond.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Yet even with the optics of Thursday’s meeting– and the written guarantee of separation in both power and wealth in the newest CFP contract– Sankey stated the understanding that the SEC and Big Ten are retreating from everyone else in college athletics with this collaboration is unreliable. He said he recognized there was “lots of commentary about the 2 of us meeting,”however he restated both leagues”accept the responsibility of management. “”We talk routinely with our other 2 coworkers in the autonomy groups,” he said, referencing Huge 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips. “Do we bring everybody together? It was hard enough to schedule 2 conferences of sports directors. I can’t think of attempting to arrange four.”We’ll share from this with our associates. This is the start of a conversation for us. I don’t think that perception is consistent with our conversation today, where we recognize we become part of a bigger community, however we’re also thinking about what we might be able to achieve together.

“With all 34 athletic directors from the supersized conferences collected in a conference room, the conversation focused largely on the looming House settlement, which just recently got initial approval, but there was also interest from both leagues in discovering a way to set up

more football games versus each other. “Is there a way for us to be intentional about our scheduling?” said Sankey, who remained in Ann Arbor last month to see Texas at Michigan.”Simply an incredible experience, and you stand on the sideline prior to kickoff thinking, what if we can do this more with our nonconference games? We respect where we have in-state competitions that

take place in nonconference scheduling, however we had a genuine general discussion about the what-ifs in football and basketball.” Petitti stated part of the conversation is about those games being set up naturally on campus through athletic directors having discussions. “The concern is there a structure where the 2 league workplaces interact to create more of those matches?”Petitti said.” We had a pretty big discussion about the course to play each other more– see if you can determine how you can in fact do it; choose what games you want, the number of– but that’s a broad conversation.”Sankey said some athletic directors in the space mentioned some games being played this year were set up a years earlier,” almost a point of support to state,’let’s not wait that long.'”Leaders in both leagues also went over the pending roster limits and future of NCAA governance, with Sankey stating”it has to alter. “At a recent Division I Council meeting, Sankey stated he informed

the space that “the Division I Council does not work, given what’s altering around us.””The board of directors at the Division I level needs to alter, and it needs to alter rapidly,” Sankey stated.”

That’s the view of my conference membership, our presidents and chancellors. I shared that viewpoint, however I do not believe we’re alone. I don’t believe it’s just 2 conferences that share that.” Sankey and Petitti agreed they both want to see the 12-team CFP field unfold before they make any decisions about what might alter when the next agreement begins in 2026.”This just needs to go incredibly well, “Sankey said.”This has to be a successful launch. This isn’t the time to talk about governance in ’26 or the format in’26, however instant implementation is in front of us.”Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said the conferences were productive, with”considerable time”focused on the application of your house settlement.” It was a chance to learn from each other and have crucial discussions,” Castiglione stated.” It was excellent to get in a space and compare notes with other athletics directors who deal with typical difficulties.”