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College football is in the midst of some huge changes, led by the Power Four conferences. The Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, and the Southeastern Conference, have come together in a bid to unite college football and, potentially, improve on the situation as it is under the NCAA.

Currently, they are circulating a document to Power Four schools. On the one hand, signing the contract will limit the schools’ abilities to sue over enforcement decisions. But, on the other, a failure to sign could see schools expelled from their leagues and games against member schools boycotted.

College Football Popularity

College football is hugely popular and is generally considered the second most popular sport after the NFL. Of the major Power Four conferences, it is the Southeastern Conference (SEC) that typically attracts the most interest. 26 million people watched the Ohio State Buckeyes triumph over Notre Dame on ESPN alone. Their victory has also seen them installed as favorites for the upcoming season, at odds of +500 with non Betstop bookmakers.

Because these sportsbooks are not part of the Betstop self-exclusion program, they offer unfettered access to a larger group of people and their easier registration processes make it quicker and easier to register for accounts. According to online betting expert James Briscoe, some of the sites can also offer features like in-play betting and crypto payments as well as generous bonuses and rapid payouts.

College Football And The NCAA

College football is currently overseen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA has come under heavy scrutiny from different groups amid accusations of greed and even corruption. It has come under further fire for its handling of rules enforcement and other issues.

NIL Rules

One particular bone of contention for fans, but especially players and schools, is the handling of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights. These rights govern whether players can make money from the commercial use of their names and images. In particular, it determines whether the player receives any money from the sale of jerseys bearing their names.

Before 2021, college athletes were not allowed to profit from the sale of jerseys or other merchandise bearing their names. Schools and leagues were able to financially benefit, however.

Following a Supreme Court decision in 2021, the NCAA introduced interim rules that gave some rights to players. Under certain circumstances, collegiate athletes were able to engage in NIL activities to make money but schools weren’t permitted to assist in NIL activities for its players.

In April 2024, this changed when the NCAA allowed schools to assist and actively seek deals between players and third parties. In May 2024, another court decision meant that the NCAA would permit colleges to compensate players, including by paying for the use of their NIL. The NCAA would also be required to pay nearly $3bn in compensation to athletes who missed out under the old rules.

State Laws Vs The NCAA

However, the whole process has been muddied by state laws. Some states have introduced their own statutes to deal with collegiate and general NIL challenges. The NCAA claims that where state laws and NCAA rules differ, colleges must abide by NCAA rules. They and other groups have called for a federal law to govern all NIL negotiations and permissions, but none has been announced as yet.

The Unionization Of College Football

Further debate arose in February 2024 when the National Labor Relations Board said college athletes should legally be considered employees of their colleges. As such, this would not only mean they are entitled to fair compensation for services rendered, but it would also enable them to unionize.

Some college teams started the process of unionization but stopped their efforts once Donald Trump came into power, fearing he would not be as sympathetic to the view. The NCAA has been accused of being slow to go after those that breach its NIL rules.

The Proposed College Sports Commission

This is one area where leaders from the Power Four conferences believe they can step in and do a better job. They have started circulating contracts to schools in their leagues. When signed, the contract would create a College Sports Commission, which would deal primarily with rule enforcement.

Schools in the Power Four conferences would be required to sign the contract or face being expelled from their respective leagues and have member schools refuse to play them. It would also make it more difficult for schools to sue over enforcement actions taken by the commission.

The commission would determine whether NIL deals represent true market value, effectively ensuring players would receive fair compensation for their efforts while also preventing unregulated money from being paid to collegiate athletes through boosters.

Boosters are groups or organizations set up within schools that promise to promote athletic programs. Their activities are supposed to be heavily regulated according to NCAA rules, but these rules are not enforced.

Freeing The NCAA Up

Rather than treading on the toes of the NCAA, the move is seen as freeing them up to concentrate on factors like eligibility and rules surrounding college football betting.

The Power Four’s proposals are still in the early stages, and there are huge question marks raised over the legitimacy of the plans. In particular, experts have questioned whether universities and colleges will be legally able to abide by NIL rules where they directly conflict with state laws. On the face of it, it seems unlikely that a voluntary governing body would be able to supersede state-established laws, unless there is a federal law that allows it. Currently, that law does not exist, and that is why we continue to see college commissioners and other administrators attempt to lobby the federal government.