Power Four conferences weigh break from NCAA amid realignment talks

Conference realignment has accelerated as schools seek larger shares of revenue from college football. Programs such as USC and UCLA moved to the Big Ten after falling behind financially compared with peers in that league and the SEC.

College Football Playoff expansion remains under discussion, with the Big Ten and SEC leading the effort. Administrators in those conferences argue that adding more teams and games would generate additional revenue.

A broader debate centers on the NCAA itself and the current structure of college sports. Some officials have proposed that the Power Four conferences leave the NCAA and create a separate league with its own rules and leadership.

Kirk Herbstreit said the Power Four should form its own governing body and allow the Group of Four to do the same. He suggested the new entity could negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with players to address name, image and likeness issues and avoid antitrust concerns.

"I think the Power Four needs to break away," Herbstreit said in an interview with Front Office Sports. "Create their own world, create their own governing body. Allow the Group of Four to create their own world. Allow them to have their own playoff. Much like FCS and Division II and III. Just create a new level, which would be the Power Four. Let’s create a new governing body, let’s put a commissioner. If we need to unionize the players, to allow them to create a CBA to avoid the antitrust laws, make the rules, come to an agreement like the NFL does on both sides."

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said the Big Ten and SEC should leave and take all of their sports with them. He argued that the two conferences should not keep non-revenue sports tied to the rest of the Power Four while breaking away only in football.

"Let them break away. We should break away from them," Pollard said. "Let them go, but they have to go in all their sports and see how fun it is to play baseball, softball and track when it’s just the 20 of you. That’s what I think we should do, but I’m one person & that’s probably a little more draconian."

Pollard added that the conferences should stop discussing the idea and act on it if they intend to leave. He said the Big Ten and SEC provide the most value in college athletics, but the Big 12 and ACC also contribute. A full break by the Big Ten and SEC remains unlikely, though a Power Four exit from the NCAA appears increasingly possible.