Woelk: Alliance Could Have Dramatic, Positive Change On College Athletics

BOULDER — There is plenty to unwrap from Tuesday's announcement that the Pac-12, ACC and Big Ten have formed a historic alliance.

Quite simply, it is an effort that could shape the future of college athletics for the next generation. 

If you're looking for a historic comparison, try this:

In the late 1970s, five conferences and four independents banded together to form the College Football Association, a group that ultimately challenged the NCAA's monopoly on television rights. The case ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court, the NCAA lost — and college football on television (and the ensuing revenue) exploded.

Now, three of the nation's Power Five conferences — 41 schools — have agreed to form an alliance that will provide leadership and guidance for some of the most pressing issues facing college athletics in a generation.

It is indeed a shift in the balance of power, a voting bloc that guarantees one conference will not be able to shape the future of college sports for its benefit — especially at the expense of every other conference.

The official press release issued by the alliance noted that the schools are "committed to collaborating and providing thought leadership on various opportunities and challenges facing college athletics." Those issues include student-athlete mental and physical health, safety, wellness and support; academic experience and support; diversity, equity and inclusion; the future structure of the NCAA; federal legislative efforts; and postseason championships and future efforts.

The alliance will also actively engage in a scheduling component for football and men's and women's basketball that should greatly enhance the visibility of all the schools involved.

"We believe we can positively influence the future evolution of college athletics," said Colorado Athletic Director Rick George. "We can provide additional support and experiences for our student-athletes, and this will create an increased excitement for our alumni and fans from coast to coast. As part of this alliance we're committed to leading the nation in support of our student-athletes academically, athletically and in health and wellness safety. We want to lead the nation in those areas."

And, George noted, helping provide the best possible experience for student-athletes means making the best possible decisions on issues that are staring college athletics directly in the face. Those issues range from name, image and likeness legislation to what will almost certainly be a change in the NCAA's governance structure to the College Football Playoff.

"There's a lot going on in our industry," George said. "This alliance allows us to collaborate on these issues and bring stability to college athletics and the collegiate model."

As for how the alliance will benefit CU specifically, George touched on a number of areas.

"It's going to allow our student-athletes to compete on a bigger stage by having some marquee games around the country," he said. "I think it's going to bring visibility to our department and our university, playing on the East Coast to the West Coast. It's going to provide more eyeballs on opportunities for Heisman Trophies and other national awards … And it's going to bring some excitement to our fan base and our alumni around the country."

Some possibilities in scheduling could be:

— Multi-team events in a variety of sports (basketball, soccer, cross country) featuring teams from the three alliance conferences.

— Inter-conference early season marquee events in men's and women's basketball with home-and-home series (say, Colorado vs. Ohio State in basketball).

— The opportunity to compete and appear on television in all four time zones across America.

Football, of course, offers a different challenge because most schools fill their schedules six, eight and even 10 years into the future. CU already has a handful of games against Big Ten and ACC opponents in the future (Minnesota, Northwestern, Georgia Tech). 

George said contracts with teams already scheduled would be honored, but there will still be opportunities to add ACC and Big Ten opponents in the years ahead.

And, there is always the possibility that the alliance could decide to shift to eight-game conference schedules. Because the Pac-12 currently has nine conference games a year, that would automatically open up another slot for an alliance game every year.

"We've been very comfortable with the nine-game schedule," George said. "Could we get comfortable with an eight-game schedule and adding another opponent in the future? We can get comfortable with that, too, and so what we'll do collectively as an AD group and our coaches in our conference, we'll work together on what we think is best for us and for our student athletes moving forward."

There is, of course, one other issue that the alliance will help shape — that little matter of the College Football Playoff, a billion-dollar event that will change the landscape of the sport. A proposal to expand the playoff from four to 12 teams was recently put forth by the CFP Board of Managers, but recent events — beginning with the impending move of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC — have other conferences rethinking the number and timing of the expansion.

This is where the alliance will wield major power. If the 41 schools involved remain steadfast as a voting bloc, they will be able to craft the future of the playoff. It will not be one conference (or one network) bulldozing its preferred path.

George, of course, must be diplomatic when addressing the issue. But it is clear from Tuesday's news that the alliance will play a significant role in the CFP's future composition.

"I'm speaking as the Athletic Director at the University of Colorado," said George, who also serves on the CFP Selection Committee. "These are my thoughts, not the CFP Selection thoughts.

"I do think expansion is good. Whether 12 is the right number, I'm not totally sure yet, and I don't have a final opinion on that as we look at all the information … But there's still some opportunity to get more data that would maybe change where that direction is, moving forwards. There's still a lot of time to do that."

Indeed, there will be a CFP meeting in September that will include the alliance conferences, the SEC and the Big 12. The alliance holds 41 votes. The SEC and Big 12 have 24 votes combined.

That is the kind of math that can create generational change — not just with the CFP, but for a laundry list of other issues on the doorstep of college athletics, from NCAA governance to uniform NIL policies.

That is why Tuesday's announcement is one that five years from now could be remembered as the moment college athletics changed for the better.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu