Like a bodybuilder competition, the Big 5 power conference commissioners this week flexed their muscles from coast to coast.
Bottom line: The rich want to take care of their own. They want stipends for their student athletes, money that schools outside of the Big 5 can’t possibly generate.
Some commissioners have been more audacious then others but all have said, in one form or another, they would like to remain under the NCAA tent. Of course, their area of the tent would have those nice blow up mattresses, a couple of Vornado fans and maybe even live-streaming TV.
The Group of Five, sorry boys but you’re going to have to rough it.
So here’s a thought for the Group of Five — the MAC and the independents, the Sun Belt and Conference USA, the Mountain West and the American Athletic Conference: Toss out from your tent those high ‘dolers’ and create your own 16-team college football playoff.
March Madness is the greatest three-week ride in American sports. December Delirium might be pretty thrilling as well.
Imagine this:
A nationally televised selection show the first Sunday night in December after the completion of the league title games. The bracket is set up to keep an East-West flavor and the highest-seeded teams get home-field advantage for the first two rounds to reduce travel costs.
The six league championship game winners gain automatic berths. If a regular-season champ doesn’t win its league title game, it gets in. There are a few at-large berths for independents, such as BYU, Army or Navy.
This is a true playoff tournament featuring full scholarship teams, not the four-team playoff the money schools have gone to. That’s not a playoff, it’s a cotillion.
Monday morning you’re at the water cooler, or the chai latte machine, whatever goes these days, filling out your bracket.
You love Frank Solich’s Ohio University team to upset Boise State in a first-round game. You think South Florida is going all the way. You’re sure Carl Pelini, if he can scream every other sentence instead of every sentence, is going unleash hell at Florida Atlantic.
Your nephew goes to Tulsa and he swears the Golden Hurricane are ready. Your wife says she loves Southern Mississippi’s Golden Eagles logo and that’s the play.
The bookies have Central Florida installed as a 12 1/2-point favorite over Northern Illinois. No way. You’re taking the Huskies and the points.
You need a national TV network, but there are enough syndicates out there televising bass master or cricket that would love to get their hands on this property.
What would you rather watch the third week in December, the Gildan New Mexico Bowl or a real playoff game?
Under the college football playoff which goes into effect next year, the ‘Group of Five,’ will receive about $95 million per year to split, which isn’t pocket change.
But what are the odds of any of those teams actually getting into the four-team playoff the big boys have created?
We have yet to see a finished list of the selection committee that will choose the four teams for the playoff but according to reports, at least one athletic director from each of the five power conferences will be included.
There is no mention of any athletic directors from the Group of Five being included in the selection committee.
Realistically, if Central Florida, for example, goes 12-0, is that College Football Playoff committee going to take the Knights ahead of a one-loss SEC team — say LSU — or a one-loss Big Ten team — say Nebraska?
Nope, the guys in the luxury wing of the NCAA tent are going to look within before they consider the merits of one of the Group of Five. Anyone that doesn’t think so is being naive.
The Group of Five is going to continue to get squeezed by the five power conferences, which enjoy the view in the mirror of their flexing biceps almost as much as they love the money they’re rolling in.
Let them pitch their own tent and make the most of yours. Create a real playoff. Get in an office pool. December Delirium.