2. Power 4 breakaway, super league or separate top division
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Insiders (sourced entries)
Supporters or predictors
Kirk Herbstreit (2026, Power 4 should break away with its own governing body; also predicts the Big Ten would follow an SEC exit); Mack Brown (2023, "separate divisions"); Ross Bjork (2024, consolidate the highest-resource programs); Dabo Swinney (2025, a 40–50-team super league is "a matter of time"); Charlie Baker (2023, "Project D1" top tier).
“We need to separate divisions.”
In an interview with SI, Brown said amateurism is gone and argued that Division I should split into separate divisions (Power 5, Group of 5, FCS) with their own rules, that athletes should be paid within a regulated system with a salary cap, and that a commissioner should oversee college football.
No verbatim quote recorded for this entry; summary of the source only.
In a letter to Division I schools, Baker proposed a new top tier of Division I in which the richest schools would pay at least half their athletes at least $30,000 a year through a trust fund. He also proposed letting all D-I schools sign NIL deals directly with athletes.
No verbatim quote recorded for this entry; summary of the source only.
In an open letter to athletes about his 'Project D1' proposal, Baker said the new subdivision could write its own rules on scholarships, roster limits, recruiting, transfers and NIL, and invited athlete feedback.
“At a minimum, there needs to be consolidation of the highest resource programs around a new financial and governance model.”
At his introduction at Ohio State, Bjork said the Big Ten and SEC should shape the future. He called for, at minimum, consolidating the highest-resource programs under a new financial and governance model.
“It's not sustainable the way we are. It's just a matter of time.”
Predicted college football will consolidate into one 40–50-team 'super league', possibly 'the best era for college football'; warned that 'the adults have left the room.'
“I think the Power 4 needs to break away, create their own world, create their own governing body.”
At Super Bowl LX radio row, Herbstreit laid out three fixes. He called for a national commissioner, for the Power 4 to break away with its own governing body (leaving the Group of 6 its own playoff), and for players to unionize so they can collectively bargain rules that hold up against antitrust suits.
“If the SEC breaks away, my guess would be Tony Petitti and the Big Ten would also break away, and maybe the ACC and Big 12”
Called SEC breakaway talk a leverage play; if the SEC broke away, the Big Ten and perhaps the ACC and Big 12 would follow, especially if federal help fails.
Predicted consolidation
Matt Leinart (2022, "two conferences"); Tim Tebow (2022, at least three conferences).
“It's gonna become the NFL. You have these two conferences, the transfer portal is free agency. Will there be a player's union at some point? There's no governance right now.”
Predicted college football 'is gonna become the NFL', with two super-conferences, the portal as free agency and possibly a players' union within three to five years.
“I also think that it's important we also kind of put up guardrails in place for the teams and the coaches and everyone to understand the do's and don'ts of it.”
Softened on NIL, calling parts of it 'really cool' but urging guardrails; predicted realignment would settle into at least three major conferences.
Opponents or critics
Pete Bevacqua (2025, "horrible mistake"); Cody Campbell (2025, "gilded monopoly"); Ted Cruz (2026, warns of a 30–50-team pro league).
“This isn't about left or right; it's about right and wrong. The NCAA is broken, but handing the keys to a few fat cats is worse.”
Warned that giving the Big Ten and SEC an antitrust pass would create a 'gilded monopoly' super conference that starves everyone else; he favors pooled media rights under the Sports Broadcasting Act and geographically sensible conferences.
“We shouldn't be the NFL. We're something different. We're something that's special.”
On The Dan Patrick Show, called a super league a 'horrible mistake' that would make college football a compromised small version of the NFL.
“we are very quickly going to be in a world of 30 to 50 college football teams that are basically a mini NFL”
Cruz warned that without congressional action the sport would shrink to 30 to 50 football programs functioning as a mini-NFL, leaving Division II and III behind. He urged Senate Democrats to help reach 60 votes.
SEC and Big Ten position
Greg Sankey (June 2026) called super-league talk "not consistent with the truth," though in July 2026 he acknowledged "real" talk of conference governance options. Tony Petitti (2026) said conference-based rules would not be a breakaway.
“I think the notion that we would simply rush to say we support is not the appropriate position.”
On The Paul Finebaum Show, denied any SEC–Big Ten merger or super league plan, calling claims by Protect College Sports Act backers 'not consistent with the truth'; declined to endorse the bill yet and questioned voluntary media-rights pooling.
No verbatim quote recorded for this entry; summary of the source only.
At SEC Media Days, acknowledged 'real' discussions of governance breakaway options that could distance the SEC from the NCAA, then walked back talk of actually breaking away.
“I do not believe that is a leverage point. I think that's just honest communication.”
Sankey said SEC talk of breaking away is real and not a bargaining tactic. He described it as a sign of deep frustration over how national rules on tampering, the House settlement and eligibility are being enforced.
“That's not necessarily breaking away, that doesn't mean you're not going to play anybody else. But is there a path to have rules that we can at least operate from the conference?”
Asked about Sankey's 'breakaway' remarks, said the question is whether conference-based rules are needed if the Protect College Sports Act fails; that is not a breakaway, but the Big Ten is preparing for every scenario.
Earlier autonomy push
Bob Bowlsby (2014) favored power-conference autonomy.
“a little less magnanimous about the 350 schools and spend a little time worrying about the most severe issues that are troubling our programs among the 65.”
Pushing for Power Five autonomy, Bowlsby said the big leagues needed to worry less about all 350 D-I schools and focus on the most serious issues facing the 65 power-conference programs.
From outside the sport
Outside proposals
Full reform plans from fans, writers and advocacy sites, not insiders. Kept separate from the sourced insider entries above.
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