The SEC and Big Ten 'alliance' seems to be on a path toward divorce. How have the two bedfellows fallen so far apart in such a short time? "Self interest.'
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Only 11 months ago, from a high rise in New Orleans, athletic directors from the SEC and Big Ten huddled in a room for their latest installment of a joint effort (an Alliance, some might call it) with an expressed mission to find solutions to what ails college athletics.
In fact, the SEC and Big Ten’s partnership was serious enough that the two commissioners, Greg Sankey and Tony Petitti, held a joint news conference after that meeting — the second such gathering following the creation of the alliance in February 2024.
In announcing their league marriage, commissioners described the partnership as a “meaningful step” to “fix things” and “a common-sense solution” to a “much brighter horizon.”
On Sunday, from a luxury hotel in South Beach, as FBS conference leaders met, darkness remains on the horizon.
Disagreements rage. Divide exists.
The two wealthiest conferences in college athletics — just months ago locked into what appeared to be a long-term relationship for the betterment of the industry — have seen their relationship fade. No more joint meetings, shared ideals or future plans.
The SEC and Big Ten seem to be on a path toward divorce — the latest bickering fight playing out here on a rare gloomy day on Miami Beach during annual meetings of College Football Playoff leaders (the FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director).
The storm outside was emblematic of the one raging within the walls of the Loews Hotel: two conferences, suddenly, that cannot agree on much. The college football calendar, the playoff, the level of enforcement over athlete compensation, private equity’s inclusion in the sport, etc.
During a three-hour meeting Sunday among power conference executives here, they failed to reach an agreement on expanding the 12-team playoff, each dug into its current position: The SEC is in support of a 16-team field and the Big Ten is backing a 24-team bracket. The leagues hold sole authority over any format decisions, a move granted to them in spring of 2024 by the eight other FBS conferences.
A compromise proposal — introduced more than a month ago — would move the playoff to 16 teams for a set amount of years (perhaps two) before an agreement to shift to 24. Officials have not reached an agreement on that concept and may not. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and his presidents are against making any guarantees in this unpredictable environment of college athletics.
How have the SEC and Big Ten, compadres so few months ago, fallen so far apart?
“Self interest,” said one person while exiting the CFP meeting room.
The instability within college athletics — little to no enforcement of an industry professionalizing before our eyes — is at the heart of indecision and dysfunction within the playoff room. All of this is tethered together. These are competitive conferences, waging what are now high-priced recruiting bidding wars, battling one another on the field and yet trying to work in tandem off of it — a reason that the SEC is at least in the preliminary stages of considering a conference-only governance model.
All of that said, there remains faint hope from some that a playoff agreement on expansion can still be reached by this Friday — a deadline set by ESPN for the implementation of any new format next season.
Sunday was “not a deadline day,” noted CFP board of managers chair Mark Keenum, the Mississippi State president. Friday’s deadline is the final extension that ESPN will give, according to CFP executive director Rich Clark.
The playoff will remain at 12 teams if a compromise cannot be reached by then.
Is an agreement really possible?
“That’s up to two people in the room,” American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti said.
“They are negotiating,” Keenum said. “We’ll see where it comes out.”
“Still more work to do,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti told reporters as he left the room.
Outside of the SEC and Big Ten, what do the other conferences want?
Most of them have voiced public support for a 16-team model with automatic qualifiers for each of the four power leagues and the best non-power league conference champion plus 11 at-large selections. However, some of them privately are more than open to a discussion about the Big Ten’s proposed 24-team model, which includes four automatic qualifiers for each of the four power leagues, plus two Group of Six bids and six at-large selections (that’s at least one of many proposals discussed as it relates to a 24-team bracket).
The SEC and its presidents are against growing to that many programs as such a move impacts conference championship games, bowls, the regular season and the calendar itself.
In perhaps an ominous comment, Keenum reminded reporters here Sunday of the painstakingly slow process of the last expansion.
“It took five years for us to go from four to 12,” Keenum said. “I think the fact we are having conversations is a good thing, but there’s a lot of things to weigh on this.”
This is only Year 2 of the new 12-team playoff. In fact, expansion conversations beyond 12 started even before the completion of the first 12-team field last year.
Back then, the SEC and Big Ten got along, agreed on plenty and even held joint meetings. Those days feel over — a microcosm of the now years-long fracturing of the entire industry.
“It is an embarrassment for the sport,” scoffed one college leader here Sunday.
In fact, while conference commissioners and their corresponding presidents met Sunday over playoff matters, a young child was heard crying down a hallway from the meeting room.
“Hey,” one reporter playfully said upon hearing the child’s wailing, “the commissioners are arguing again.”
Category: General Sports
