@DanWolken: As BCS celebrates playoff this week, talk about NCAA breakaway now out in the open http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nca...t/2097115/

The headline is a little misleading. The main quote he has about a breakaway is from a situation that happened in September 2011.

Then he has this from Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione:

Quote:"I think we're still in a position to try to make this model we have work as best it can," Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione said. "For every minute one thinks something like that would make life easier, they have to stop and take a breath and step back and look at how many other moving parts there are to that type of a decision. I can't begin to list all the issues that we would have to face in looking at something like that. It doesn't mean we wouldn't, it just means we'd have to be very mindful of what we're going to be up against."

Because of those issues, a breakaway from the NCAA would likely be a long way off, if it happened at all. But with the NCAA's governance structure at a functional nadir and its enforcement capabilities under fire, those casual conversations are happening more frequently and a picture begins to emerge of what a post-NCAA world might look like.

And then a list of the major issues:

Quote:But even that comes with a number of significant questions that are yet to be fully explored by college athletics power brokers.

*How many teams would be part of the super division? The 64 in power conferences, or would it also include some of the next tier in the Mountain West and former Big East or all the FBS -- which is getting larger with schools such as Appalachian State and Georgia Southern recently announcing a jump from FCS?

*Would there be a commissioner? What kind of enforcement model would be in place?

*What kind of Title IX implications would there be if football is run and funded separately?

*And another key point: Would the power conference schools have the stomach to just play each other?

I think the power conferences want to stay in the NCAA itself but want to break off into their own official subdivision for football only. That way they can still play non power league schools for bowls and can expand the playoff to include both wildcards and autobids for all 5 member leagues but without having to give one to the BE, CUSA or SBC champ since they won't be in their subdivision.

(04-21-2013 08:44 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  I think the power conferences want to stay in the NCAA itself but want to break off into their own official subdivision for football only. That way they can still play non power league schools for bowls and can expand the playoff to include both wildcards and autobids for all 5 member leagues but without having to give one to the BE, CUSA or SBC champ since they won't be in their subdivision.

I think they want more than just football in a separate division.

(04-21-2013 07:45 PM)orangefan Wrote:  @DanWolken: As BCS celebrates playoff this week, talk about NCAA breakaway now out in the open http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nca...t/2097115/

Thanks for the info....

(04-21-2013 08:51 PM)4x4hokies Wrote:  

(04-21-2013 08:44 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  I think the power conferences want to stay in the NCAA itself but want to break off into their own official subdivision for football only. That way they can still play non power league schools for bowls and can expand the playoff to include both wildcards and autobids for all 5 member leagues but without having to give one to the BE, CUSA or SBC champ since they won't be in their subdivision.

I think they want more than just football in a separate division.

Im sure they would like their basketball revenues back but I think that's the deal they are willing to make the NCAA: We continue to recieve your amateur athletic protection status and keep our football revenue and in return, you keep the basketball revenue you depend on.

What they want is to pass reforms that don't get over-ridden by low budget schools playing low scholarship football or not playing football at all.

They want an NCAA that makes sure the schools they compete against follow the rules but an NCAA that follows the rules in enforcing the rules.

The top schools give away nearly half of the money they bring to the table in basketball in NCAA overhead, paying for Divisions II and III to have top quality championship events, for basketball wealth to the non-big time football schools who do well in the tournament and to pay for the championship events in the non-revenue sports. In football they retain a MUCH larger share of the money. Splitting in football to share less produces very little money.

(04-21-2013 08:44 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  I think the power conferences want to stay in the NCAA itself but want to break off into their own official subdivision for football only.

And that is what the rest of the schools have to refuse to allow. Either break off completely...or be inclusive in football.

You don't get your own little playground in football and then enjoy the popularity of the NCAA tourney and its cinderellas.

If you want to play with just yourself....do it in all sports.

Whether or not all of the small fry can actually stick together and be unified is a big question.

(04-21-2013 08:44 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  I think the power conferences want to stay in the NCAA itself but want to break off into their own official subdivision for football only. That way they can still play non power league schools for bowls and can expand the playoff to include both wildcards and autobids for all 5 member leagues but without having to give one to the BE, CUSA or SBC champ since they won't be in their subdivision.

I think they will probably split it so that the MW and AAC are part of a new Super-FBS. I don't think the power 5 will want all thier games to be within the power conferences. The new playoff will give a slot to all 7 conferences or maybe there will be a AAC vs MW play-in game so that there are 6 BCS playoff autobids and 2 wild cards for the selection committee to determine.

The MAC, CUSA, and Sunbelt will continue as FBS along withe the top players in FCS. There will be a separate playoff there. FCS will soldier on minus 10 to 20 of its top programs.

I think people should be very careful what they wish for. If this happens as described I will guarantee you that there will be all kinds of unforeseen consequences - almost all of which will be negative.

(04-21-2013 08:51 PM)4x4hokies Wrote:  

(04-21-2013 08:44 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  I think the power conferences want to stay in the NCAA itself but want to break off into their own official subdivision for football only. That way they can still play non power league schools for bowls and can expand the playoff to include both wildcards and autobids for all 5 member leagues but without having to give one to the BE, CUSA or SBC champ since they won't be in their subdivision.

I think they want more than just football in a separate division.

That's a big can of worms to open. The NCAA tourney magic is more about Cinderella than it is Goliath. People can debate it, but you pull all of the cinderellas out and you will kill the goose.

If they break away in football does the bowl system split as well? What if the remnant NCAA members vote not to participate in bowls against the break aways? Which bowls go, which bowls stay? How long until the break-aways playing just each other in regular season and bowl games becomes meaningless?

The effect on other Olympic sports....and the US Olympic program itself you have to wonder about.

Too much greed.

(04-21-2013 10:20 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  I think people should be very careful what they wish for. If this happens as described I will guarantee you that there will be all kinds of unforeseen consequences - almost all of which will be negative.

There already are unintended consequences.

The value of Cinderella is in the round of 64 and round of 32. After that, they don't do much for the event.

There are probably 100 schools who would be relieved if there were a breakaway because they are only in Division I because their alums demand it or some past president thought it was a cure-all that they really cannot afford but can't voluntarily move down for fear of backlash.

I only watch Louisville games and ACC and SEC games most of the time. I do watch important Big 12, PAC 12 and Big games on a selective basis. I do not care to watch the others, due to lack of on field quality.

So, yes, I can see a new division or even a break away happening. Their is a big a difference in college football teams, as their is between Freshman, J.V, and Varsity Football teams in High School!

(04-21-2013 10:27 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  That's a big can of worms to open. The NCAA tourney magic is more about Cinderella than it is Goliath. People can debate it, but you pull all of the cinderellas out and you will kill the goose.

The thing is, they don't get the basketball money anyway, so it wouldn't be their loss. The Big Five could break off, have total basketball revenue from the new tourney be half of what it is now, and they'd still be in the black.

But either way, that article claims straight up that CBS has already said they'd pay the same rate with or without Cinderella.

Exactly.

Cinderella needs the Power 5 more than the Power 5 needs Cinderella.

The NCAA lives and dies by it bball tournament revenue that would disappear if the P5 broke off from it. They know that which is why they would be very willing to let the P5 have their own subdivision for football...which will NOT include the AAC or MWC any other G5 league.

That way there can be an 8 team playoff with 5 AQ bids and 3 wild card slots

(04-22-2013 08:08 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  That way there can be an 8 team playoff with 5 AQ bids and 3 wild card slots

From a marketing standpoint, I think they may actually be better off with five conference champs and then three wildcards. Wildcards keep the regular season FAR more interesting. Just look at baseball. The wildcard keeps multiple teams from different divisions alive for a playoff spot, and that keeps people tuning in and going to the games.

If they drop college football down to four conferences with four divisions each, it all gets too neat. It's basically an automatic Sweet 16, with the winners of the 16 "quads" being the playoff teams every year. It wouldn't be nearly as interesting as 5 AQs and 3 wildcards.

I bet you people would have been all for segregation as well, huh?? Include only who you want to include??

(04-22-2013 08:08 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  Exactly.

Cinderella needs the Power 5 more than the Power 5 needs Cinderella.

The NCAA lives and dies by it bball tournament revenue that would disappear if the P5 broke off from it. They know that which is why they would be very willing to let the P5 have their own subdivision for football...which will NOT include the AAC or MWC any other G5 league.

That way there can be an 8 team playoff with 5 AQ bids and 3 wild card slots

Not that anyone cares, but that's the day I stop watching collegiate sports....or at least those in the new division. I don't claim it will make a difference. I just will have had enough.

Doubt the above statement is true though or they would have already gone through with it.

(04-22-2013 08:08 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  Exactly.

Cinderella needs the Power 5 more than the Power 5 needs Cinderella.

The NCAA lives and dies by it bball tournament revenue that would disappear if the P5 broke off from it. They know that which is why they would be very willing to let the P5 have their own subdivision for football...which will NOT include the AAC or MWC any other G5 league.

That way there can be an 8 team playoff with 5 AQ bids and 3 wild card slots

Yup. And half the big boys will be sub .500 and will not be heading to bowls. That's not what the fans of those teams, the alumni, or their AD's want. The Texas Techs, UCLAs, and N Carolinas of the world dont want to qualify for a bowl once evey 4 or 5 years. The P5 will at least include the MW and the AAC in the break away (if not most of FBS). I could see minimum budget criteria being set or some other logical basis for a reasonable split. The remaining FBS left behinds would combine withe the top of FCS to rebuild FBS. FCS would basically become small college football---which would work just fine for those that were left there.