Today, by a 16-2 vote, the NCAA allowed the five major football conferences (the ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big XII, and Pac-12 -- Notre Dame is included) autonomy to effectively make their own rules.
The first set of rules will be taken up in October and January by the NCAA.
The Board of Directors actually thinks this is going to keep Division I together.
Not only is chairman Nathan Hatch (the president of Wake Forest University) mad if he actually believes that, but, factually, this is the break-away which was threatened.
It's just going to be done within the framework of the NCAA.
Let's recall one of the first trial balloons: The Power 5 actually want to request the other conferences to start playing their seasons in the Spring, so as to get out of the way of the Power 5 so they can have the Fall season to themselves.
And, given the amounts of money they will probably have to rake in in short order (understanding that only "the usual suspects" are making money on their athletic programs at all, and every bowl is a money-loser for the schools!) to survive, the fact is that any real player is going to play in a Power 5 conference to get the benefits, which will economically squeeze the other conferences completely out of any relevant equation.
At that point, it's a death warrant for the NCAA, because, now, you not only get your "Division IV", you get it as the SOLE source of relevant play, because of the imbalances.
I give it one calendar year before a non-Power 5 school throws in the towel on at least their football program.
Five years, and I think the Power 5 will cannibalize the lesser football programs out, and you might have 32 schools left, one for each NFL team as an official minor league ran by the NFL.
Actually, that would be better than the current system. Maybe all of these stupid bowls would go by the wayside. Kraft Fight Hunger bowl? Beef O'Brady's bowl? How lame.
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