A lot has changed in the landscape of college athletics in the six months since novel coronavirus spread to the United States. The Big 12 Conference basketball tournament was cancelled. That was followed up with the NCAA Tournament and then all college athletics soon followed. It left a lot of doubt as to whether there would be college football in the fall.
There is still plenty of concern surround the idea of a full college football season in 2020. The situation surrounding the Miami Marlins and Major League Baseball creates more concern over if they can finish a football season. If they are able to finish the year, what could they mean when it comes to fall championships? Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated makes the case for the Power Five conferences hosting their own.
In anticipation of the NCAA Board of Governors potentially canceling or postponing fall sports championships, Power 5 conference leaders have begun exploring the possibility of staging their own championships in those affected sports, multiple sources have told Sports Illustrated. This could be seen as a first step toward a long-theorized breakaway from the NCAA by the 65 schools that play college sports at the highest level.
In recent days, Power 5 conference officials began seeking feedback from their members about the feasibility of staging their own championships during the fall, sources told SI. When asked if such a move away from the NCAA championship structure could be seen as a precedent-setting rift between the national governing body of college sports and the Power 5, one athletic director said, “If I were (NCAA president Mark) Emmert, I’d be really worried about it. He’s got to keep the Power 5 together.”
Another Power 5 athletic director said he thinks the chances of breakaway fall championships are remote, but added, “I think this is representative of the poor relationship between the (NCAA) national office and our conferences.”
When it comes to Division I football, it is the Power Five conferences that truly run college football. A breakaway from the NCAA with hosting their own fall sports championships could shake the foundation it currently stands on. Especially since the foundation it is built on is shaky to begin with. NCAA has sat and watched as the Power Five schools, conference and leadership have made their decisions on the upcoming season. As stated in Dellenger’s article, this could cause a crack in the armor to grow. Essentially burning the whole thing down to the ground.