(Premier League). They aren't the same thing. The PL has relegation and promotion. Teams can win their way into it each year; and the teams in it, can lose their way out of it. In a Super League, there is a hard ceiling/floor in terms of teams getting into it, or being kicked out of it. If the new model would have relegation and promotion, no one would have an argument about it (other than risk-adverse college presidents and ADs at the current P2 schools). But it would be great for the sport, great for revenue, great for competition, and great for ratings. This is the way. But a Super League would be awful. It would shut out deserving programs. It would limit the growth potential as well. It would make a small group of schools richer. And would be painful for those on the other side of the arbitrary cut off point.

complete elimination of the current conference paradigm for football. The football schools that want to break away would have to abandon their current conference affiliations and form a new league. That's the only way this works. And, since there would certainly be a lot of bad blood boiling in the veins of those that get left behind so these 40-50 can make more money, I can only believe they'd have to take all the rest of their sports with them to this new league. So, really, if you think about it for a second, the only way the "Super League" ever comes to fruition is the creation of a new top subdivision for all sports that includes only those 40-50 schools who all share the same administrative, governance, and compliance structure.

The current playoff is an audition and testing stage. So far, the G5 are failing in their opportunities. And they don't have the money to sustain the brief successes that they have. The PAC is still up in the air for where they will fall (based on grabbing Boise St.). They are clearly ahead of the G5 for money, but also clearly behind the P4 for money. ACC is not dead yet, but I expect to see several schools separating from the pack very soon. Miami has finally combined investment with production and should be able to stay among the top. B12 is already seeing several schools separate from the pack. ASU, Utah, BYU, TT are all out to an early lead for football. ISU, KSU, OSU are all at risk of falling behind quickly. TV ratings, playoff appearances and performance, and investment will all be critical over the next few years, just as we have long discussed here.

Also, 24 team playoff in 40-50 team Super League, would make the regular season pretty much worthless. I think ESPN/SEC want the Super League, but I think the previously mentioned B1G actions are going in a different direction. They really like their AAU for the teams in their conference, and the Super League would take that away.

money. Not only with their conference media deals, but their hold on the post season (playoffs). There have been multiple posts that it is the media companies that are manipulating things, but my opinion has always been skeptical on that, and I'm evolving to where the media companies, while delivering this content, do not own the content - they rent it. The media companies could fix all this in a heartbeat, and give the post season money to the NCAA for an NCAA sanctioned playoff format, in the mold of the FCS. If the top 40 or 50 schools want to break away, and form their own thing, I'm not sure there is anything anyone can do about that. Keep in mind, it's not the P2 plus a few schools that would compromise that league, it would be the top 50 that buy into it. Suffice to say, that the bottom 1/3 of the Big 10 and SEC would not be included IMO.

about. I am talking about where they are going. A year ago the P2 were aligned, but I am not so sure right now. The media pays the schools, not the other way around. If they want to consolidate like many businesses are doing, they can do it and create incredible content if they create a Super League. They simply take the high viewership schools and put them in one Conference/League like the NFL, and create incredible matchups every week. They have already basically done it when the FBS and FCS split. Now no one knows what is going to happen, not you and not me, let’s not pretend we do, but my post was about how it seems the SEC (paid dominantly by ESPN) seems to be going towards a P1 and the B1G with 24 teams in the playoff would be happy to have all the conferences involved, and just dwarf everybody but the SEC in money. It will be interesting to watch whether the P1 Super League like the author wrote about wins out, or whether the B1G keeps every FBS Conference involved and gets the playoff to 24 with their 3 networks paying them money from games.

be the "P2" that break away. I'm saying if there is a different league, it will be the top 40 or 50 schools, and the media deal will be negotiated by that entity, not the conferences. In other words, the top BIG and SEC schools will break from their conferences to form that new league, and will bring with it the top ACC schools, and a few B12 schools as well. There will be no "P2" if a super league is formed IMO.

and the SEC knows it. I think that ESPN is already trying to make the Super League happen, they talk about it repeatedly. Of course I think they want to broadcast it by themselves and probably leave Fox, NBC, and CBS out. Let those other three do the NFL, but I think this behind the scenes is a mud sling contest between the SEC and B1G and their broadcasting networks. It’s going to be interesting to see which big boy on the block wins this one. I could see it going either way.

will use the NFL model on media rights, and not give one network the whole ball of wax. They will attempt to maximize the revenue, and some sort of framework for a negotiated payment for players. The networks don't want that, I assure you. They divide and concur (B12 vs PAC), and if a new "league" or association takes over the media rights, it will be expensive indeed.

It’s plausible if split, while dominating the broadcast and money now, they could move backwards on money and control. We will see, but I am not so sure they want to share the P1 broadcast, money and control.

like the old AFL and NFL in the late 60s when they only played one another in preseason or the Super Bowl. The Big Ten could add 2 more schools to have 4 five team divisions and the SEC to add 4 teams to make their 4 five team divisions. The Big 20 could just play one another and have their own championship. The SEC could do the same. And then the Big 20 champ plays the SEC champ in the CFB Super Bowl. The Big 20 could neatly have 4 divisions by adding UVa and UNC to join PSU, UMCP and Rutgers in the East. OSU, MSU, UM, IU and Purdue in the Midwest. NW, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minn to the Central. And Nebraska, USC, UCLA, Oregon and UW for the west. A Big 24 with 4 6-team divisions could add Syracuse or Pitt to the east, shift NW to the Midwest, shift Nebraska and add Kansas to the Central, and add Stanford and Cal to the west. The SEC-20 might not be as neat because they need 4. But a potential Big 12 exclusive version could be FSU, Clemson, GT, USC-e and NCSU in the Coastal. UF, UGa, UTenn, Vandy and UK in the East. Bama, Auburn, Ole Miss, MSU and LSU in the Deep South. And aTm, UTex, OU, Ark and Mizzou in the west. A SEC-24 with 4 6-team divisions could shift USC-e to the East, remove USC-e and add WVU and VT to the Coastal, add Ark to the Deep South, and shift Ark out and add TT and Ok St to the west. Every team plays only within their conference much like the old MLB until the 2 conference champions play in the CFB Super Bowl. Each division plays one another every year and they play 2 teams from the other 3 divisions every 3 years if they are 24 team conferences. I hate what college football is now, but if they can get back to more regional divisions it might be salvageable. I would miss a lot of the G5 and left out power schools though.

with the P1 League?

co-exist with the NFL, but they have never survived because the American culture has never really embraced "minor league pro sports." Why would the American culture suddenly buy into the "P1 Minor Football League?" Especially if the P1 League is forced to break the connections between a school and its football program. If you could poll the current NFL owners on their view of the NFL forming a P1 "minor league," then it wouldn't surprise me if the NFL owners viewed the NFL's minor league as being no different than MLB's, NBA's, or NHL's minor in terms of taking on extra cost vs. benefits of extra revenue.

now this is not just the SEC replay show, I am betting last night's numbers were incredible too. The expanded playoff, NIL and the Portal, and yes betting are taking the money made on college football through the roof. One thing that is different from minor league baseball is that schools have alumni, parents of alumni, cousins of alumni etc. The network for college football is far greater, so if they keep the connection to the school, they will be fine.

schools though. From a marketing and branding perspective, the owners may want their minor league franchise to be reflective of their NFL franchise (i.e. Richmond Braves type situation). So even if the school is willing to be the primary sponsor of the minor league team in exchange for a reduction in leasing cost of the school's facilities, will fans have the same level of passion for the new team (i.e. VT Jets) as they do their school's team (i.e. VT Hokies)? Particularly if those athletes are now 100% employees with no education requirements.

sponsor of a pro team or owns/co-owns the pro team. The examples that come to mind are soccer and rugby teams, so it could work in the US. Assuming enough people are willing to allow the "sports culture" to evolve/change. Since things can't go back to the way it was before SCOTUS ruled on Oklahoma v. NCAA, it is possible a hybrid model isn't viable for various reasons. It may even be too late for schools to classify athletes under the work-study program which is too bad because that might have been the perfect hybrid model. Then there is the issue of what impact it will have on the non-revenue athletes because the revenue athletes spoiled the situation for everyone (metaphorically speaking).

ND wants to stay independent. ND doesn't like nor want to join any existing conference. But, a super league is not an existing conference. ** Edited by TerryD at 1/16/2026, 3:06:59 PM

Conference, or whatever you want to call it, it won’t be independent. Just like teams in the National Football League are not independent. PS I think if it happens they join, but at least right now, I hope it doesn’t happen.

.....to join a completely new thing, a Super League, rather than any of the old, tired,( undesirable to ND) existing P4 conferences. If ND is going to be strong-armed into giving up its independence against its will, I don't want any of the existing conferences to win that contest. ** Edited by TerryD at 1/18/2026, 8:31:38 AM

Or they do a full copy of *NFL, where for instance there is an NFC North and South, with some teams from both the North and South, and of course other areas too? Would either of these models be appealing enough for ND to join if you had to, to stay in tier 1 IYHO? *NFL could even own it one day. ** Edited by Stech at 1/18/2026, 9:16:03 AM