(01-20-2014 02:39 AM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote: With apologies to Orwell, they want a world where all FBS schools are equal, but some are more equal than others -- not just in terms of athletic funding (where disparities are inevitable and rightfully outside the NCAA's control), but now also with respect to the rules governing compensation of athletes. The danger from a G5 perspective is the precedent this sets for the P5 to eventually also establish their own rules for recruiting, scholarship limitations, playoff structure and playoff access. Where will the line be drawn?
It already is a world where some are more equal than others. CFB has been that way since before any of us was born, though the list of "more equal" and "less equal" teams has shifted slightly over the years.
What rules will the P5 enact?
Recruiting, very possibly. We might see something like that proposal floated by a few SEC teams to permit teams to expand the permitted size of the football staff, to have both full-time recruiters and coaches who don't have to recruit. The same would be helpful (for those who can afford it) in basketball and baseball (who might also want another game-day coach as well) and probably other sports. When I hear Big Boys say that they ought to be able to spend the money their programs generate, hiring more people is what they mean, I think. (Because we know they don't want to pay real compensation to players, and there are already no restrictions on coaches' salaries or lavish facilities.)
Taking recruiting/rules enforcement out of the hands of the NCAA and giving it to a separate organization hired by the P5 leagues? Maybe. Inconsistent enforcement and dubious NCAA ethics have created a constituency for this, but it would take a couple of years to set up.
Increase in scholarship limits? For football, I doubt it. Apparently some in the G5 are concerned about that, but there doesn't appear to be any significant P5 push for it. Men's basketball and baseball are sports where many in the sport have wanted more scholarships for years. Also, adding 2 hoops scholarships or 5-7 baseball scholarships doesn't have the heavier Title IX impact of adding 15-20 football scholarships, so it is more feasible. That might happen in either or both sports if an influential group decides to push for it.
Playoff structure? Already outside the purview of the NCAA. Expanding the 4-team playoff and whether or not to have autobids for P5 champs is in the hands of the P5 presidents and commissioners and the TV guys who write the big checks.
The ultimate threat is to leave the NCAA, start a new basketball tournament, and use the TV money from that to fund national championships in all sports (like the NCAA does with March Madness money). My guess is that this remains a threat and doesn't happen unless the P5 believes that other D-I schools and/or the NCAA bureaucracy are blocking things that the P5 consensus wants.