Paul Finebaum predicts timetable for Power 5's eventual breakaway from NCAA

The last year has seen the entire terrain of college athletics shift in the NCAA. The addition of policies like the transfer portal and NIL has given the association a complete makeover. Even with the new, modern take on amateur sports, a lot of changes are still required to ensure this transition comes smoothly. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum thinks it could lead the Power 5 schools to break away from the NCAA.

On a recent appearance on ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’, he talked about the potential of those conferences going off on their own. He says these recent changes could lead to it happening sooner rather than later.

“(Jack) Swarbrick at Notre Dame said by 2033 or something. It can’t wait that long,” said Finebaum. “We are a week short of one year in NIL and we’ve already seen a revolution. I think it will be in the next couple of years.”

In his opinion, the biggest argument against the NCAA is the nature of those in charge. The lack of consensus amongst them is what has them in some of the holes they’ve found themselves in to begin with. Changing the mindset on the urgency of these decisions is the first step. Finebaum believes it can’t be about talk anymore. There needs to be action taken.

“(What) concerns me most is while leaders talk about the problems in intercollegiate athletics, they’re also at the root of the problem. Until college conference commissioners start reacting like CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, we’re not going to make much progress,” said Finebaum. “These are bureaucrats. They all talk a good game. Until someone moves (or) until a commissioner says we’re changing and we have to change by next year, we’re not going to get very far. They talk in this bureaucratic, nonsensical speak in that until they get past that, they’re not going to ever get closer to the end.”

A move of this magnitude would take time. It’s not something that’s realistic in the very near future. With the changing of the guard amongst major conferences, though, they may begin to take more autonomy. From that point of view, Finebaum thinks it may come even sooner than we think.

“Five years minimum. 10 years probably on the high side. But not soon enough.”