After getting screwed again by the the SEC and Big10 in the latest round of college football playoff contract the G5 admins discussed options.
Group of 5 administrators have had preliminary discussions in recent months about a G5-only postseason playoff or even wide-scale G5 realignment with the involvement of private equity.
Multiple administrators from within the G5 conferences — the American, Sun Belt, Mountain West, MAC and Conference USA — told The Athletic that former college and NFL coach Derek Dooley has been the salesman on behalf of private equity firms, making contact with schools. The administrators, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, made clear that nothing is imminent and they haven’t been presented with any numbers yet. But conversations are more real than they’ve ever been.
The initial idea circulated among administrators earlier this year, but once the Big Ten and SEC threw around their weight to reshape the new College Football Playoff contract and grant themselves far more guaranteed revenue and almost all of the control, that served as the tipping point for many administrators to chart their future sooner rather than later. While the new CFP will bring in hundreds of millions more in revenue, the payouts to the Group of 5 will be relatively unchanged.
Details of the plans under discussion vary. Some administrators like a smaller-scale idea of creating their own postseason to replace bowl games. Others believe the entire Group of 5 — especially the American, Conference USA and Sun Belt — should reorganize geographically under one banner with multiple divisions and share all revenue equally like a pro sports league.
The idea of G5 reorganization or the creation of a G5 football-only Super League consisting of the top handful of programs was informally discussed among some administrators when the current wave of conference realignment kicked off in 2021. Former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany presented to leagues an idea of the three G5 leagues with southeastern footprints (AAC, CUSA, Sun Belt) reorganizing geographically. A few weeks later, the AAC added six schools from CUSA. The AAC earns millions more per school than other G5 leagues.
At College Football Playoff spring meetings Tuesday, AAC commissioner Mike Aresco dismissed the idea of the G5 doing its own thing. He has long argued that widespread CFP participation is important for the health of the sport and that creating a G5-only format would voluntarily label the leagues as second-class.
The geographic reorganization pitch is obvious: It would be easier for fans to travel to games and cheaper to travel for non-revenue sports. Additionally, it would create more natural rivalries.
There are clear hurdles, however. The Group of 5 conferences have their own television contracts. Would everyone need to pay exorbitant exit fees, or could that be avoided if everyone agrees to do this together? Would AAC and Mountain West schools be willing to give up their financial advantage on the other three leagues? Could current G5 commissioners take control of reorganized divisions? What if the ACC falls apart and needs G5 schools to add to the conference?
Group of 5 administrators have had preliminary discussions in recent months about a G5-only postseason playoff or even wide-scale G5 realignment with the involvement of private equity.
Multiple administrators from within the G5 conferences — the American, Sun Belt, Mountain West, MAC and Conference USA — told The Athletic that former college and NFL coach Derek Dooley has been the salesman on behalf of private equity firms, making contact with schools. The administrators, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, made clear that nothing is imminent and they haven’t been presented with any numbers yet. But conversations are more real than they’ve ever been.
The initial idea circulated among administrators earlier this year, but once the Big Ten and SEC threw around their weight to reshape the new College Football Playoff contract and grant themselves far more guaranteed revenue and almost all of the control, that served as the tipping point for many administrators to chart their future sooner rather than later. While the new CFP will bring in hundreds of millions more in revenue, the payouts to the Group of 5 will be relatively unchanged.
Details of the plans under discussion vary. Some administrators like a smaller-scale idea of creating their own postseason to replace bowl games. Others believe the entire Group of 5 — especially the American, Conference USA and Sun Belt — should reorganize geographically under one banner with multiple divisions and share all revenue equally like a pro sports league.
The idea of G5 reorganization or the creation of a G5 football-only Super League consisting of the top handful of programs was informally discussed among some administrators when the current wave of conference realignment kicked off in 2021. Former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany presented to leagues an idea of the three G5 leagues with southeastern footprints (AAC, CUSA, Sun Belt) reorganizing geographically. A few weeks later, the AAC added six schools from CUSA. The AAC earns millions more per school than other G5 leagues.
At College Football Playoff spring meetings Tuesday, AAC commissioner Mike Aresco dismissed the idea of the G5 doing its own thing. He has long argued that widespread CFP participation is important for the health of the sport and that creating a G5-only format would voluntarily label the leagues as second-class.
The geographic reorganization pitch is obvious: It would be easier for fans to travel to games and cheaper to travel for non-revenue sports. Additionally, it would create more natural rivalries.
There are clear hurdles, however. The Group of 5 conferences have their own television contracts. Would everyone need to pay exorbitant exit fees, or could that be avoided if everyone agrees to do this together? Would AAC and Mountain West schools be willing to give up their financial advantage on the other three leagues? Could current G5 commissioners take control of reorganized divisions? What if the ACC falls apart and needs G5 schools to add to the conference?
