College football is evolving, and the paradigm shift is quite stark. The current iteration of the sport is a far cry from what it was even a couple of years ago. The advent of NIL and subsequent salary-like payments akin to pro sports are massive components of this evolution. It’s an era of uncertainty, so you can go down two paths. Be reactive, or be proactive. The governing body, NCAA, often falls in the former category. Take the time it’s taken to resolve the Michigan sign-stealing case, for instance. Hence, the Power conferences are taking the onus upon themselves to fall into the latter proactive category. They’re coming together to defeat a common opponent- inequality.

There’s been plenty of conjecture over the years about how the bluebloods earned that status. They bred success with the best-in-class personnel. The best talent has always been concentrated around certain schools. One reason was history and prestige. Another was geography. But there’s also an underlying notion that some schools broke the rules and paid players before NIL was even a thing. Last season, comedian Shane Gillis guested on College GameDay and accused Nick Saban of illicitly paying recruits to join Alabama. This was veiled in humor, but it came from a place of actual belief. What Gillis said is a prevailing sentiment across fans of the sport. No one will ever find out if it’s indeed true. However, there’s a motion underway to stop it from happening in the future.

NIL has allowed a certain level of parity. Budding programs are now afforded the chance to build rosters that are competitive with the traditional powerhouses. But there’s still a gap, and that too could be ceased soon. The House Settlement kicks in sometime during the summer, and it’s seeking to include a salary cap. But whenever money gets involved, problems arising from it follow.

Owing to this, a new entity is being formed which will govern and regulate the “professionalized aspects” of the sport. Away from the slow-ineffective NCAA. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports wrote the Power conferences are “establishing a new structure to oversee, manage and enforce the settlement-related athlete compensation system for all of NCAA Division I. The newly created LLC, overseen by a CEO or executive director, is centered on a new enforcement arm to police violators of the industry’s new salary cap and is expected to feature revenue-sharing policies and a corresponding penalty structure for violators.”

The NCAA lost a lot of footing in the courts “after court rulings toppled its long-standing amateurism rules.” Hence the powers that be in these conferences, including some of the most prominent Athletic directors, are stepping in to take charge and fill in any loopholes. They’ll be the ones who oversee that all schools are falling in line with the salary cap. By extension, they’ll also be the ones issuing punishment for any misdemeanors. “Members of the committee — unannounced and kept secret now for months — are from some of college football’s biggest brands, including Ohio State’s Ross Bjork, Clemson’s Graham Neff and Texas A&M’s Trev Alberts.” wrote Dellenger.

For years, CFB was akin to the Wild West. No real laws and those that are in place are mere words absent of weight. If Nick Saban’s Alabama and other blue-chip programs did indeed abuse loopholes in the legislature, it went largely unnoticed. As the sport gets closer to a professional operation, things are looking better- at least from a legitimacy standpoint. One CFB savant concurs that the idea is founded in a good place but is skeptical about how it’ll be implemented. If at all.

Scathing allegations against Nick Saban were a product of longstanding inefficiency from the NCAA

Relaying Dellinger’s article alongside his own 2 cents on this development was “Sports Talk J”. Over on his namesake YouTube channel, J said, “There’s a lot of positive things in here. It would sort of give us some structure and allow us some expedited penalty processes, I guess you call it. I see a lot of positives in it. But I just don’t know that it will pass a smell test as far as being legal.” He proceeded to give reasons why this new entity may not be upheld in court.

“They’re trying. They really are. However, they’re in an impossible situation. It’s really just very difficult without antitrust exemption and without collective bargaining,” he said. The reason a salary cap works in the NBA, for instance, is because the players have agreed to its structure in the collective bargaining agreement or CBA. Collegiate sports don’t have one since the student-athletes do not sign contracts. Antitrust exceptions are their own can of worms pertaining to the federal laws around finance. “I hate to be so negative about it, because there’s a lot of effort going into this, and something needs to be done,” remarked J.

If the power indeed goes away from the NCAA into the stakeholders, one thing is fairly conspicuous. It would expedite the processes of reprimand for those who break the law. “The NCAA, they’re a bureaucracy. They move at a snail’s pace, and that’s the way they like it. They’ve been doing it that way for decades,” stated Sports Talk J. Nick Saban allegedly got away with some misbehavior in his time while he built a dynasty. Jim Harbaugh and Michigan have still not received their due punishment. Clearly, change is requisite. This revelation with the governing entity, and a whole lot more, will become transparent come April and the House Settlement’s verdict.