Future of College Football: Conference Realignment and NCAA Role Under Scrutiny

The landscape of college football is evolving rapidly as schools and conferences search for ways to enhance their financial standing. Recent shifts in conference alignments have been largely driven by financial disparities. Schools like USC and UCLA found themselves behind in revenue compared to peers in the Big Ten and SEC.

The expansion of the College Football Playoff remains a hot topic. The Big Ten and SEC are leading discussions on adding more games and teams to increase potential earnings. Yet, another significant debate examines the overall structure of college football and its relationship with the NCAA.

Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti addressed this during the 2025 Big Ten Football Media Days held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Some suggest that the Power Four conferences should form a separate league, free from NCAA governance. Prominent figures, such as Kirk Herbstreit, emphasized the need for a collective bargaining agreement between players and conferences to address issues like name, image, and likeness (NIL).

The Power Four needs to create their own world with a new governing body, similar to how FCS, Division II, and III operate. A collective bargaining agreement would prevent antitrust violations and establish clear rules, much like the NFL.

Other proposals advocate for the Big Ten and SEC, given their success, to create their own arrangement. Jamie Pollard, Iowa State Cyclones’ athletic director, supported this idea in a recent interview. He urged the Big Ten and SEC to consider independence across all sports, rather than solely focusing on football.

Let them break away in all sports, not just football. See the challenges when it’s just them in sports like baseball, softball, and track.

While tensions exist between major conferences, it’s clear that the Big Ten and SEC hold substantial influence in college sports. Despite the disagreements, the collective goal for all involved is maximizing revenue and fair distribution.

A complete separation of the Big Ten and SEC from the NCAA is an unlikely scenario; however, a breakaway of the Power Four seems increasingly probable. The quest for better financial outcomes is driving these conversations, and change appears imminent.