College football has always been a sport of tradition. But tradition never paid the bills. And right now, the biggest names in the game are starting to realize they might not need the NCAA to keep the lights on. It’s a power play that feels eerily familiar to what happened across the Atlantic in October 2021, when the greatest sporting organization, Real Madrid, led by President Florentino Pérez, sent UEFA into chaos by trying to form the breakaway Super League—a league where only the financial titans of the sport would collide, leaving the rest behind. That plan unraveled under the weight of global backlash, but now a new rebellion is brewing in CFB. The SEC and B1G, the two undisputed juggernauts of the sport, are considering a move that could reshape the game as we know it.

The whispers have turned into something louder. Look, change is destined; we saw that first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff a rousing success, but tweaks are coming, and two powerful voices are equipped to get what they want as soon as next fall. Reports suggest that the SEC and Big Ten are actively exploring the formation of their own CFB super league—one that would operate outside the NCAA, pull in select teams from other conferences, and most importantly, lean heavily on a “private money” pool. If successful, this move wouldn’t just shake up the balance of power; it would effectively burn the current system to the ground.

And according to The Monty Show, the conferences aren’t sitting around waiting for permission. “The Big Ten and the SEC are not sitting on their hands waiting for things to happen,” Tim Montemayor reported. With billions already flowing into their television deals and a stranglehold on the sport’s biggest brands, these two conferences don’t just want to control the future of college football—they want to own it outright. That ownership starts with cash and lots of it. As Montemayor explained, private money is the key to making this happen. “This is about private money. It is not going to be cheap to pull this endeavor off,” they said.

“Private money will play a significant role in the future of college football and the formation of the near future of college football—the next iteration of college football.” It’s a simple equation: right now, the NCAA acts as a middleman, imposing financial limits and red tape. But if the SEC and Big Ten break free, they can dictate their own revenue streams, signing deals directly with billionaires and corporate giants. “What you’re doing is making a cash grab because right now, cash is king,” he continued. “This is going to be, if it happens, one of the most expensive operations in the history of all of sports.”

It’s not just about revenue; it’s about control. Right now, even with their overwhelming influence, the SEC and Big Ten are still bound by NCAA regulations and a CFP system that gives smaller conferences a say. That’s not ideal when your conference alone could generate more TV revenue than the rest of the sport combined. “What the Big Ten and the SEC want is to govern their own entity,” the report stated. “They want to be able to drive revenue at their own pace, which is very different than most other entities’ paces.” That’s why they’re eyeing a system that eliminates first-round byes for conference champions in the expanded playoff, instead basing seeding purely on rankings. It’s a not-so-subtle shift that benefits leagues with deeper pools of elite teams—like, say, the Big Ten and SEC.

The writing has been on the wall. We’ve already seen glimpses of what private money can do in CFB. Most notably with Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison’s role in securing a record-setting NIL deal for elite quarterback Bryce Underwood. And if one billionaire can tip the scales in recruiting, imagine what happens when entire conferences are bankrolled by corporate titans looking to turn college football into a commercial powerhouse.

But here’s the catch—while the SEC and Big Ten see dollar signs, CFB fans might see this as the death of the sport they love. If this Super League takes shape, what happens to the schools left behind? The pageantry of bowl season? The Cinderella stories that make the sport special? This isn’t just speculation anymore. After months of closed-door discussions, the SEC and Big Ten are set to flex their muscles at the next CFP meeting, pushing for changes that tilt the postseason in their favor.

“I am just interested in hearing the perspective of my colleagues,” Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill told CBS Sports. However, that perspective may not hold much weight against two conferences that already hold all the power.

CFB’s Power Struggle: Bruce Pearl Sides With SEC

As for actionable items on Tuesday, seeding discussion for 2025 could lead to a vote. And with 2025 CFP format discussions and the potential rise of a Super League, both are a developing story. Both the long-term decisions are expected to receive considerable pushback from the smaller conferences. But this surely displays SEC and Big Ten’s goon power. And if you ask Auburn’s basketball coach, Bruce Pearl, there’s no debate about which conference reigns supreme.

Pearl, never one to hold back, made it clear that SEC football is just built different. Comparing the SEC’s brutal weekly grind to that of the Big Ten, he didn’t mince words. “Top to bottom, Big Ten football is not as strong as the SEC,” Pearl said via Grant Grubbs of On3 Sports. “Go to Mississippi State when they’re having a bad year, and half your kids are in the hospital when you leave the game. It is every single night.”

The physical toll of the SEC is something Pearl believes separates it from the Big Ten, even when it comes to elite programs.“Now, you’re at Ohio State or you’re at Penn State — two teams that got deep into the playoffs… They only had two or three games on the entire schedule, like about seven or eight games for Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, or any of the SEC teams. And I think those football guys were exhausted,” Pearl added. Hopefully, the Super League doesn’t happen, just as it didn’t come to fruition in European soccer.