CFB is currently a mess. Will the 12 team playoff fix it? I don't know. What I do know is this - agreements between sport teams typically can survive antitrust scrutiny if they are necessary to preserve the competitive nature of the product on the field. The NCAA couldn't really justify its prior rules on NIL in the Alston case. We are now developing a body of experience on what a "wild west" approach to college athletics is doing to the on-field product. Is it enough put the "genie back in the bottle" from an antitrust standpoint and governance standpoint? Remains to be seen . . . .
P.S. This is not a defense of the NCAA, which was an extremely flawed organization to begin with. Maybe a new "super conference governing body" will take the first steps towards trying to return some sense to at least CFB.
P.P.S. I also understand and appreciate that NIL has permitted schools like AU to now compete with schools that were willing to bend the rules on player compensation all along. So not saying we jettison NIL. I'm not sure what the answer ultimately is here.
P.S. This is not a defense of the NCAA, which was an extremely flawed organization to begin with. Maybe a new "super conference governing body" will take the first steps towards trying to return some sense to at least CFB.
P.P.S. I also understand and appreciate that NIL has permitted schools like AU to now compete with schools that were willing to bend the rules on player compensation all along. So not saying we jettison NIL. I'm not sure what the answer ultimately is here.
