Plan would empower big conferences

[calfan]

This issue concerns me more than some others. Change is coming and August might be the beginning.

"The NCAA Division I Board of Directors endorsed a plan on Thursday that would change the way college sports are governed and give the five major conferences the authority to make many of their own rules. The board still must take a final vote on the measures in August
after it solicits feedback from member schools."

Read the full article here: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/st...ity-own-issues

[RoyalShock]

If that happens, we're screwed. Try beating out a "power 5" school for a recruit under those rules.

First step toward an official division of college basketball.

[Shock Therapy]

I believe that all D1 schools get to vote on this. Good luck getting 100 plus schools to join the power conferences in voting to essentially demote themselves.

[Cdizzle]

I believe that all D1 schools get to vote on this. Good luck getting 100 plus schools to join the power conferences in voting to essentially demote themselves.

Most of them want it, as they are already unable to compete. The people that will be hurt are quality basketball leagues (AAC, MVC, A10, nBE), and college basketball fans.

I think eventually they will find that they lose much of the money they so covet by removing the amateurism of college athletics.

[tropicalshox]

I believe that all D1 schools get to vote on this. Good luck getting 100 plus schools to join the power conferences in voting to essentially demote themselves.

It sounds that the board of directors will take a final vote to set it in action. I don't believe all member schools get a chance to vote, just give input.

[Shox21]

The NCAA Is afraid if they don't let the "power" conferences have their way with this, the NCAA will lose the tournament money generated by these conferences. Why should this be a "conference" thing. If a non-BCS school (WSU) has the funds to offer recruits the same deal as schools in the so-called power conferences why should we be penalized for our conference affiliation. Do you really think that a recruit faced with a choice between a Big 12 school and WSU (even if WSU has the better team/coach/facility/fan base) that we could even compete if the Big 12 school can offer the recruit all these things we are not allowed to because of the conference we are in. If it's left to the MVC, we have too many smaller schools that don't have the bb budget to allow this. And if the decision is left to individual teams rather than an entire conference, can you imagine the squawk that would be raised if one or two of the MVC schools who do have that budget is allowed to participate. I can see the unfairness to the other MVC schools in allowing WSU to participate and they don't, but what about the unfairness to WSU in not allowing us to compete with the "big boys" for recruits. And another sobering thought -- how long do you think Marshall will stay at WSU with this kind of recruiting handcuff?

[SHOCKvalue]

There's A LOT of big time basketball schools that are not in a P5 conference, so I am sure we are a long ways from the end of this. My gosh it is a laundry list that encompasses probably half of top-level college basketball as we know it. You have the upper half of the AAC/MWC/BE, along with "islands" like VCU, WSU, Gonzaga. No way something like this is going over in current form.

[Shocker1976]

Most of them want it, as they are already unable to compete. The people that will be hurt are quality basketball leagues (AAC, MVC, A10, nBE), and college basketball fans.

I think eventually they will find that they lose much of the money they so covet by removing the amateurism of college athletics.

Could such a move by the NCAA to pacify the demands of the BCS Football schools not provide an opportunity for the Basketball Schools?

I am not an historian but I do recall reading several articles that the NIT was originally the preferred BB tournament for years versus the NCAA Tournament. If the NCAA is going to provide the BCS schools with such clear favoritism, could not basketball focused schools (such as WSU) take advantage of this opportunity to again re-establish the NIT as the preferred basketball championship? Just asking?

[Shock Therapy]

The lawsuits will start flying if this goes through without a provision allowing all D1 schools the ability to align themselves with this new division. Hell, they will probably start flying anyway. Anything that says that the big five conferences will be treated differently and everyone else gets screwed will leave the NCAA in shambles.

[Shock Therapy]

Could such a move by the NCAA to pacify the demands of the BCS Football schools not provide an opportunity for the Basketball Schools?

I am not an historian but I do recall reading several articles that the NIT was originally the preferred BB tournament for years versus the NCAA Tournament. If the NCAA is going to provide the BCS schools with such clear favoritism, could not basketball focused schools (such as WSU) take advantage of this opportunity to again re-establish the NIT as the preferred basketball championship? Just asking?

The NCAA owns the NIT. They have rules that say that you aren't allowed to participate in the NIT if you turn down a NCAA bid in protest.

[shock]

This just makes no sense. Divisions are in place for parity. If they want Division 1, 2, 3 they need to increase the level of competition in the D2, and make it tougher to be a D1 school. There needs to be some pulling of status too. The last 100 need to be cut if they show no improvement over a decade. There are D2 schools that would obliterate 300+ D1 schools. They aren't prepared to spend to keep up with bigger school, and they are in a constant state of flux.

[SHOCKvalue]

This just makes no sense. Divisions are in place for parity. If they want Division 1, 2, 3 they need to increase the level of competition in the D2, and make it tougher to be a D1 school. There needs to be some pulling of status too. The last 100 need to be cut if they show no improvement over a decade. There are D2 schools that would obliterate 300+ D1 schools. They aren't prepared to spend to keep up with bigger school, and they are in a constant state of flux.

There are entire conferences that need to be excised from D1.

[AZ Shocker]

Oh money........will our world not ever have to deal with so much greed. Props to Ohio St. Michigan and the entire SEC conference for being the devil. Way to advocate fair competition.

The other side of this should something like this become a reality....is it probably becomes an negative economic "enigma" for cities like Wichita, Tulsa, Omaha, Boise, Memphis, Houston, Alburquerque, Cincinnati, etc. I mean....would the fans of the teams in Non-BCS conferences be excited to pay for a product (tickets, donations, etc.) that is less than what was once "normal". I'm speaking of level of competition and type of recruits (players) that the non-bcs programs are used to following. In other words...on an even LESS than competitive playing field...how much FURTHER for the non-power 5 product would suffer???

[MoValley John]

The big boys want this for footbal only, but the best solution is not acceptable to them. What they really need to do is simply exclude their football programs from NCAA governance. Create their own football sanctioning body, adopt their own rules pay their players and move on.

Unfortunately, that word eliminate "buy" games from smaller FBS and FCS schools. All other sports would then be unchanged.

[WSUwatcher]

I addressed this yesterday in the Around the NCAA forum, which is where it actually belongs and should probably be moved -- are you listening, moderators?

Here's what I said, along with quoting the ESPN article that was linked above:

...This is obviously football driven, inasmuch as it applies to the "power five" (i.e., not the AAC, and not the new Big East: just the automatic qualifier football leagues). But it could have a big impact on sports other than football as well, if these five conferences can adopt rules allowing their members to pay players, etc., because scholarships in their leagues could suddenly be worth more than they are elsewhere.

Also, how about that transfer rule change -- a sixth year if necessary? That should step up the rate of transferring even more than what we see already. Does the NCAA really want to move even closer to free agency?