Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the Texas Longhorns in 2021, upon the revealing of their plan to flee the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. We性视界传媒檙e just following the money.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the Oklahoma Sooners. We性视界传媒檙e just following Texas to follow the money.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us for kneecapping the Big 12, said the SEC. When Texas knocks, you answer.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said ESPN. Unconvincingly.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the USC Trojans in 2022, upon the revealing of their plan to flee the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. We性视界传媒檙e just following the money. And besides, Texas started it.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the UCLA Bruins. We性视界传媒檙e just following USC to follow the money. Because we性视界传媒檙e broke.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us for kneecapping the Pac-12, said the Big Ten. Alliances are made to be broken.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said Fox. Unconvincingly.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the Colorado Buffaloes in 2023, upon the revealing of their plan to flee the Pac-12 for the Big 12. It性视界传媒檚 not our fault USC and UCLA left. And we never fit that well anyway.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks, when they dealt the death blow to the Pac-12 by agreeing to join the Big Ten. And besides, USC started it.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said Fox. Again, unconvincingly.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils and Utah Utes, when they jumped aboard the Big 12 life raft. Washington and Oregon forced our hand.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the Stanford Cardinal and California Golden Bears, when they took the last chopper out of a falling regime, headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference. We had nowhere else to go but clear across the country.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the SMU Mustangs. We性视界传媒檙e just trying to buy our way into the club.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the ACC, for signing on to realignment madness. We性视界传媒檙e just protecting ourselves in case our own unhappy member schools leave.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said unhappy ACC member school Florida State in December, upon suing to create a less expensive exit path from the league. If alliances are made to be broken, so are binding long-term contracts. We don性视界传媒檛 have enough money and it性视界传媒檚 not fair, and we性视界传媒檙e going to use our College Football Playoff snub as an excuse to file suit now.
Don性视界传媒檛 blame us, said the Clemson Tigers on Tuesday, after . We性视界传媒檙e just following Florida State and following the money, like a dozen schools before us.
Nobody is to blame. Which means everybody is to blame.
Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports
Something akin to the psychological concept of diffusion of responsibility is killing college athletics. When nobody is accountable for antisocial behavior性视界传媒攕uch as discreetly destroying and/or destabilizing conferences性视界传媒攂ad things go unchecked. The entire industry is crying out for help, but nobody in the crowd is willing to act. Everyone is waiting for someone else to do the first right thing, and none of them are moving a muscle.
The NCAA is powerless to make its member conferences cooperate in a mutually beneficial way. that he is concerned about realignment, but concern doesn性视界传媒檛 equate to actual authority to do anything about it.
The conferences themselves are self-interested warlords engaged in turf battles. What性视界传媒檚 bad for one league性视界传媒檚 peers is good for that league. Anything to get that next dollar of advantage.
Nowhere is that more true than in the Big Ten and SEC, who could lead everyone toward a stable future but instead chose predation. They officially got their way this week in receiving unequal revenue shares of the future CFP contract. They性视界传媒檙e going to preemptively take it instead of earning it. Because they can.
(That heavily tilted deal also provided cover for Clemson性视界传媒檚 lawsuit to be filed. The timing of those two news events is not coincidental.)
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey can continue to point back at the disastrous 性视界传媒淎lliance性视界传媒 between the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 as the decision that spoiled a fair CFP deal. He性视界传媒檚 not wrong, but the statute of limitations is past due on using that 3-year-old mistake as a justification to use the nuclear option. Sankey is a lifelong product of the college athletic ecosystem that he性视界传媒檚 napalming.
As for heavy-handed Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti: There性视界传媒檚 no indication he cares about anything other than maximizing league revenue. He性视界传媒檚 just the latest wheeler-dealer from outside the college sports sphere who was appointed to wheel and deal by university presidents who have abdicated any responsibility for the greater good.
This cannibalization is in part driven by the great revenue panic of what性视界传媒檚 to come when athletes get more of the money. As the NCAA continues to get its ass kicked in courtrooms across the land, the financial reckoning is coming. Trev Alberts, who just left the Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic director job for the same position with the Texas A&M Aggies, said the added expense could be 性视界传媒$15 million to $20 million性视界传媒 annually.
A consideration for how to make those payments more affordable: lower administrative and coaching salaries. Alberts was making $1.7 million as AD at Nebraska and assuredly got a raise to go to A&M. (Terms of his new deal are not yet known.) There also was a $4 million buyout payment in his Nebraska contract.
At Alabama, Greg Byrne just got an extension to 2031 that in 性视界传媒24 and escalate from there. Byrne is at least the fifth AD at a public school making $2 million or more.
But instead of reining in salaries, College Sports Inc., will continue to seek out the next media revenue gusher. And then those spoils will be divided among an increasingly small pool of conferences.
They性视界传媒檙e killing off the larger enterprise, one decision at a time. But don性视界传媒檛 blame any of the people making those ruinous decisions. It性视界传媒檚 never their fault.