Saw this today while eating lunch. First thought I had was of course the Big Ten and SEC want student athlete revenue sharing. They have the most revenue to share without diminishing what “the house” takes home. Further down the feeding chain other schools would have a lot of problems splitting revenue and staying afloat. Am I too cynical or missing something?
Once they allowed the NIL it’s all downhill from there with regards to College Football. The chasing of “the bag” has taken out all of the traditions and what’s good about College Football. None of these smaller schools have any shot at competing for a championship anymore. It will be the SEC, the “BIG” conferences in the playoff year after year after year.
I was looking at prior champions last week. It’s stunning to me that Florida was the last team in the FBS to win the national title for the first time (1996). That’s been a while. The powers that be seem adamant about not sharing it with anyone – ever again! Here’s what’s really shocking to me though…
Go back to 1981. Clemson won a national title that year in January '82. We emerged the next year on the heels of Bear Bryant passing away. To me, that didn’t just rock Alabama, I think it rocked the entire SEC. They weren’t a big factor in the '80s really. Miami and other independents seem to rule the sport for a bit. In fact, from 1981-2005 (25 years) the SEC won FOUR national titles in football - 4 - and that’s it. Alabama beat us in '92, UF won in '96, Tennessee in '98 and LSU shared one with USC in '03. That was it! Four titles in 25 years.
Starting with UF’s upset of Ohio State in 2006 and going to present day?..the SEC has won 13 national football titles in 17 years! No league had ever won more than three in a row and then the SEC won seven in a row and it’s at 13 of 17 today with UGA favored again for '23. Oh, and in the four seasons the SEC didn’t win it, FSU came from behind to beat Auburn, Clemson beat Alabama twice and Ohio State came from 15 back to beat the Tide in a semifinal before smoking Oregon in the '14 final. So if not for FSU, Ohio State and Clemson, it could be 17 straight years for the SEC!
What’s different now? M O N E Y !!! A ton that goes into the broadcast rights. The B1G and SEC always made more than the ACC, Pac and B12 but on the payout per school there might have been a $3-5 million disadvantage in money for the other leagues. Now it stands to be $30 million or more per year! Something the ACC/Big 12 probably won’t be able to survive over time. The Pac is already over, Big 12 has been picked clean of blue bloods and the clock’s ticking on the ACC next.
Can it be survived? If you think our grant of rights can’t be toppled, then the SEC/B1G will get to go back to the negotiating table one more time in the 13 years that our deal still has to run. Seems pretty hopeless, doesn’t it?