He keeps saying that there’s going to be like a “super league” format in college football. That got me thinking about how something like that would even be possible. Then something radical crossed my mind: conference mergers. What if the ACC merged with the SEC and then the Big Ten merged with the Big 12? Assuming Notre Dame would join the SEC/ACC merger (to gain access to the playoff), that would create two conferences of 34 teams each (SEC 16+ACC/Notre Dame 18=34; Big 12 16+B1G 18=34 to the lay person). Which also would make sense both geographically and with TV networks. The B1G/Big 12 merger would be the “FOX” Conference and the SEC/ACC merger would be the “ESPN” Conference. Even though the “FOX” Conference would still have ESPN via the Big 12’s TV Deal, giving ESPN their late night slots on the West Coast via the Mountain Schools+UCLA/USC/Oregon/Washington. Eight of the 12 former Pac-12 schools would become conference mates again, plus the B1G would gain their presence in Florida (UCF) AND Texas via the Big 12. It would also put the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry in the league. And the Nebraska-Colorado rivalry. And it would give eastern outliers Cincinnati, WVU, and UCF much closer opponents. The ACC/SEC merger would give the SEC their presence in North Carolina, Virginia, and much of the northeast. And it would placate Florida State and Clemson. And it would give the SEC a presence on the West Coast with Cal and Stanford (hilarious I know). There’s your P2 of 68 teams.
There are multiple ways to get to what he’s talking about.
One thorny issue is how to shed schools that are under par.
The old PAC kicked out Idaho, but that was pretty exceptional, I don’t know how often that has been done.
Easier to expand existing conferences into super conferences, or create new ones.
Utah’s imperative is to not fall below the bar. I don’t think Whitt can retire until we get through the seismic storm.
(Then we can buy every one in his extended family a Harley, even the G-kids…or some comparable gesture of gratitude. Maybe a throwback idea from the Price is Right - “His and Her Motorhomes” or something of appropriate magnitude for the accomplishment.)
Given the “stranger tides” in play around CFB and college athletics, Whit might end up coaching another two decades based on your statement.
FWIW this raging dumpster fire going on is most likely going to 1) end up killing college athletics, or 2) Turn it into something totally unrecognizable as actually being college sports.
You can’t unwind a clock, but it’s sad what we are losing here.
I dont know anything but I would bet Whitt retires after this year
A lot of people feel the same.
Maybe it’s a new division using existing conferences - like using traditional bowl games as part of the playoff.
I suspect some sanity will return on the horizontal striping of conferences across the country. The former PAC B1G schools will be yelling, probably next year.
Maybe there’s an 8-10 team PAC division that gets revived, within a new level? Utah and the AZ schools are too far west to be part of a conference primarily based in one of the two eastern time zones, and UW, UO, and the LA schools are out of their gords, right now.
I think the opposite. Instead of AD’s secretly meeting in the Denver Airport to create the MWC, it will be Fox and ESPN with VCs inviting AD’s secretly to form a whole new entity - abandoning the NCAA and getting the schools to make a new governing body (at least for football, maybe BB, other sports will perhaps be treated differently).
They want a superleague but without any of the ‘lesser’ teams. They want to purge and it might be some AD’s arguing for some and others letting some go. Vanderbilt, Purdue, etc. Regional rivals either in the same conference or split because each network entity putting up the money feels the area is covered.
Ok, maybe that’s the cynical side of me. But I do feel the seismic shift will be unlike several teams changing conferences or even the demise of the PAC12 which seemed huge. Mergers are so yesteryear. It’s got to be blown up. Still don’t know how they do that with the ACC grant of rights contracts for those schools.
Now if you would’ve said the secret meeting was in the basement of a Pizza Parlor in DC which included “Parties Unknown,” I might join your train of thought here. 
That stated the state of flux includes so many moving parts that Rube Goldberg would be impressed. As we sit here today, who can truly predict the fate of the current sports entertainment platforms future? As this is where the money is, who survives, who dissolves, who emerges, and will be pot of money be as it has been?
M&A and Entrepreneurial disruption doesn’t necessarily move to a result of better for those who pursue them. In my lifetime bigger has rarely resulted in better. In a number of cases all it did was result in a bigger collapse. I wish they would just leave it alone and enjoy what we have.
Ordinarily I would say you’re probably right.
The reason I think the VCs might not get involved is the Josh Pate video of a few months ago, which has (so far) proven to be somewhat prophetic.
The NCAA and big conferences settled the lawsuit brought by former athletes, which is leading to revenue sharing and salary cap talk.
The 2nd part of the Pate video involved the NCAA and big conferences going to Congress to get antitrust protection, otherwise they’ll be sued into the next century over and over again.
I can’t see Congress granting anti-trust to any organization that has VCs blended in. Even Congress can get some things passed, occasionally. Getting enough support in Congress to anti-trust for college athletics may require broader geographic coverage of schools at the highest tier.
IMO
Oh yeah - totally agree. Where we are headed is not better. For the players, the fans, the schools. Only winners will probably be broadcasters, but maybe not for long as it becomes more semi-pro (XFL, Arena, USFL anyone?) with a school licensing agreement/sponsorship, NFL will continue to dominate.
VC’s?
Venture Capitalists
Thanks. I kept thinking Vietcong, Vice Chairman, Voice Chat…???
Might as well be Vietcong
Vito Corleone
They’ll get the deal done by making them an offer they can’t refuse