Scott Stricklin sees potential major shakeup in college athletics
The landscape of college football is changing, and Florida Gators Athletic Director Scott Stricklin thinks this is just the beginning.
With conference expansion, NIL and the transfer portal, the sport will evolve in the coming years. Speaking with Steve Russell on WRUF radio, Stricklin was asked where he sees the NCAA and the Power Five heading.
“It’s going to change from the standpoint that it’s an open market,” Stricklin said. “Look at all markets. Typically in markets, if you study business or economics, the bigger brands become more and more dominant. If you look at college athletics, the SEC is one of the biggest brands.
“Right now, we have a Power Five. In a few years, it may be a Power Two. Not to say those other leagues won’t exist. But just like the Big East was a major power six football league. Then there’s some realignment and they don’t have football anymore.”
Which conferences will have the funds and resources to thrive in this new climate?
The Gators have an annual rivalry with ACC foe Florida State, and they open this season against a Pac-12 opponent in Utah. Stricklin thinks there’s another Power Five league, however, that can sustain longevity with the SEC.
“My guess is the SEC will continue to get strong,” Stricklin said of his conference, which will add Oklahoma and Texas in 2025. “My guess is the Big Ten will also remain strong. The other leagues will still be viable, but I think the economics are going to put the Big Ten and the SEC on a different level than a lot of the other leagues. You can just further stratification in that way.”
Since the Power Five consolidated back in 2014, it has been rumored that they could one day separate from the NCAA. Stricklin’s comments suggest that, as the market continues to change, the two biggest conferences could take more and more of a share.
Ohio State AD on conference expansion
Currently, NIL is a mess. It’s the wild west and teams are operating without guidance or fear of penalty from the NCAA, at least not until this week. President Mark Emmert already announced that he will be stepping down from his position by June 2023, or sooner if a replacement is picked.
Just last week Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said that the 10 FBS conferences could operate under the umbrella of the College Football Playoff with their own rules and structure. The NCAA could still run postseason tournaments.
In an interview with ESPN, Smith had this to say.
“The CFP model needs to be looked at differently,” Smith said. “As we consider expansion, we ought to consider the structure. The reality is we need to begin to control our own space. We’ve got to make sure we’re careful with antitrust, but at the end of the day, we need different rules.”
