https://theathletic.com/5383639/2024/04/03/college-football-super-league-cst-realignment/?source=user_shared_articleInside the college football 'Super League,' one powerful group's idea to fix a 'dead' system

"The current CST outline would create a system that would have the top 70 programs all members of the five former major conferences, plus Notre Dame and new ACC member SMU 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."

Bobodeluxe said:

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https://theathletic.com/5383639/2024/04/03/college-football-super-league-cst-realignment/?source=user_shared_articleInside the college football 'Super League,' one powerful group's idea to fix a 'dead' system

"The current CST outline would create a system that would have the top 70 programs all members of the five former major conferences, plus Notre Dame and new ACC member SMU 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."

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It would be great but it would require every conference to vote to dissolve (or just release football and give up their GORs). It will be resisted by conference commissioners and I don't think the B1G and SEC would vote to give up their current positions.

Bobodeluxe said:

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https://theathletic.com/5383639/2024/04/03/college-football-super-league-cst-realignment/?source=user_shared_articleInside the college football 'Super League,' one powerful group's idea to fix a 'dead' system

"The current CST outline would create a system that would have the top 70 programs all members of the five former major conferences, plus Notre Dame and new ACC member SMU 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."

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Except looking at this part:

Quote:

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Thus far, the group is struggling to gain traction with the schools that would play in their proposed "Super League." The ACC board of directors heard a presentation from the group in February. However, planned dinners with administrators from the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 all were called off. Spokespersons for the Big Ten and SEC said commissioners Petitti and Greg Sankey, respectively, have not met with Perna's group.

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Suggests that this is a non-starter if the ACC is the only P4 that has even been pitched to let alone the Big 10 and SEC not being on-board.

Seems to me that those with greater resources would prefer to maintain that advantage - and those with lesser resources will want to level the "playing field" and those both can't happen.
If I'm the SEC/B1G, I press my advantage now - and cry crocodile tears when 70 programs end their football programs.
I don't know what Alabama will do when it can't schedule SouthEast Arkansas Teacher's College, but there will be the Rutgers and Vanderbilts (unless the conferences kick them out).
The ACC already had to deal with going to unequal distribution - and I don't know why Alabama hasn't done the same thing to the SEC.

I'd rather have Cal focus their attention on developing a 2030 plan. This plan would have two parts.

Plan A - Make Cal desirable to the B1G.
Plan B - Talk with the top half of schools in the Big 12 and ACC to form a new conference once FSU, Clemson and the other top tier programs get absorbed, and form a nation wide best of the rest conference that drops dead weight like Wake Forest but has some regional logic.

I'm skeptical.

Pro:

1) sports TV is now a monopoly, so why not a monopoly to negotiate back?

2) Even with a playoff, you have room for bowl games and their tradition

3) Payoffs bowls, bowl slots, etc. based more on merit (no-one is beleiving full merit)

4) You can have top team matchups played at desired times for TV.

5) The current system is not sustainable

6) An ability for more parity and stability with Divisions, NIL, the Portal and collective barraging that likely is more sustainable.



Cons:

1) huge fights over demotion and promotion to divisions and inter-division squabbles (see 6 below).

2) Will anyone care much about lower divisions?

3) Potentially more travel with your Division members being all over the place

4) To work, football has to come out of Title 9 compliance for teams to pay large salaries. Gee, anyone notice Mandel didn't have quotes from people in Congress?

5) Longer season or 9 Division opponents and 2 tractional rivals and no cupcakes (don;t see SEC school signing on for that)?

6) Who enforces rules/collective bargaining agreement? What roles do college play in enforcing school rules and handling academic/college issues. For example, does a college's rules on sexual harassment, PC speech, etc. take a back seat to collective bargaining agreement, which may be vastly different. There some real cultural issues to be addressed here, as say the deep south and California don't have the same perspective. Colleges jay have to get over the idea they control their student-athletes/employees.

7) How do other college stakeholders handle that colleges are paying some players far more that say their faculty and administrators?

8) Many obstacles:
a) probably need an anti-trust exemption from a divided Congress that doesn't seem to pass much legislation
b) need to get a union formed and a contract negotiated and get certain states to allow a public employee unions
c) title 9 (see above)
d) SEC and B1G give up power? The follows a basic issuer that so many parties have to agree to make this happen. See 6, 7, 8e etc. as examples why money colleges may not be willing to approve this approach.
e) Not play usual teams - lot of schools will have more travel
f) Will other sports follow football (should not basketball follow this framework?) or instead play in regional conferences?

I'm sure there many other pros and cons - this is just off the top of my head.