ATHENS — The SEC and Big Ten have joined forces via a new “joint advisory group” for presidents, chancellors and athletic directors, per a Friday afternoon news release.
All college football needs now is for retired from Alabama coach Nick Saban to return as the sport’s commissioner.
There is nothing, of course, to any such speculation Saban might one day be involved in an oversight position at the moment.
Though, it is quite certain Saban’s have carried great weight in the past and will continue to hold great value even in his retirement from the coaching profession.
What fans know for sure right now is that this new alliance of the two richest leagues looks like the beginning of something that could grow much bigger, particularly where collegiate football is concerned.
College football is in dire need of rules clarity and consistency.
Many coaches have voiced concern and made a call to action for the current recruiting and transfer window calendars to be revised in order to optimize roster management in the interests of programs as well as student athletes and prospects.
Sankey said as far back as 2022 that “we need a bipartisan solution for this national concept to move forward. If we don’t, then we’re going to be left not simply creating conference rules, we’re going to have to deal with state laws that vary in our region.”
RELATED: Flashback to Sankey refereeing SEC coaches feuding over NIL matters
The SEC press release issued on Friday afternoon indicates the conferences will also work together on challenges presented by new NIL legislation and the complexities presented by the lack of uniformity from state to state.
The announcement of the new alignments comes just days after the NCAA’s investigation related to Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava, who signed an NIL deal with a collective in Knoxville while he was still in high school.
Technically, the collective signed Iamaleava, not the school. NIL deals are not supposed to be inducements used in recruiting.
Tennessee has fired back at the NCAA to point out collectives are allowed to meet with student-athletes for NIL dealings, but yet, are not supposed to be in any sort of talks involving recruiting.
Tom Mars, an attorney specializing in NCAA-related dealings, said the collective is “independent of the University of Tennessee or anyone in its athletics program.”
The NIL collectives issues, as well as roster management complexities, are inherent across the collegiate football landscape.
“There are similar cultural and social impacts on our student-athletes, our institutions, and our communities because of the new collegiate athletics environment,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in the release.
“We do not have predetermined answers to the myriad questions facing us. We do not expect to agree on everything but enhancing interaction between our conferences will help to focus efforts on common sense solutions.”
In other words, two heads are better than one, and there’s a common goal here to maximize the college football product that drives the revenue train via massive television contracts that help support entire athletic departments.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti stressed the importance and logic of the leagues working together in this new advisory role.
“The Big Ten and the SEC have substantial investment in the NCAA and there is no question that the voices of our two conferences are integral to governance and other reform efforts,” Petitti said in the release.
“We recognize the similarity in our circumstances, as well as the urgency to address the common challenges we face.”
The alignment of the two most affluent leagues will certainly carry great influence, even as the release clarifies there is no outward intent to exert authority
The new alliance “will only serve as a consulting body,” per the release.
Further, for all the ripe speculation the alliance will tackle NIL-related issues, the release carefully states “its composition, charter and timetable, as well as the specific questions it might examine, have yet to be determined.”
Perhaps not, but the ongoing NIL and recruiting and transfer calendar window issues certainly seem most pressing as 2024 spring football sessions are beginning around the country.
OFFICIAL RELEASE
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (February 2, 2024) - The Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference today announced the formation of a joint advisory group of university presidents, chancellors, and athletics directors to address the significant challenges facing college athletics and the opportunities for betterment of the student-athlete experience.
These challenges, including but not limited to recent court decisions, pending litigation, a patchwork of state laws, and complex governance proposals, compel the two conferences to take a leadership role in developing solutions for a sustainable future of college sports.
The advisory group will engage with other constituencies as necessary, including consultation with student-athletes and other key leadership groups from within both conferences.
“The Big Ten and the SEC have substantial investment in the NCAA and there is no question that the voices of our two conferences are integral to governance and other reform efforts,” said Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. “We recognize the similarity in our circumstances, as well as the urgency to address the common challenges we face.”
“There are similar cultural and social impacts on our student-athletes, our institutions, and our communities because of the new collegiate athletics environment,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “We do not have predetermined answers to the myriad questions facing us. We do not expect to agree on everything but enhancing interaction between our conferences will help to focus efforts on common sense solutions.”
The advisory group will have no authority to act independently and will only serve as a consulting body. Its composition, charter and timetable, as well as the specific questions it might examine, have yet to be determined.
