- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Coaching Changes
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Professionalize College Football....This is how to fix it....
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:17 am
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:17 am
1. Reorganizing the Subdivisions
The plan reclassifies the existing NCAA landscape into three distinct tiers based on conference prestige and competitive level:
Division 1-A: The "Power 4" (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC + Notre Dame).
Division 1-AAA: The "Group of 6" (American, CUSA, Sun Belt, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12) and UConn.
Division 1-AAA / FCS: The current FCS level.
2. Corporate & Professional Model
The most radical change involves treating college football like a professional sports league:
Employment Status: Players and coaches in 1-A and 1-AA are classified as employees of their respective leagues with collective bargaining rights.
Corporate Structure: Athletic departments become franchises under a league corporation.
Salary Caps: Institute salary caps for players and COACHES (higher for 1-A, lower for 1-AA) will encompass all income, including NIL, endorsements, and booster payments for players
For 1-A: Total player payouts could be $30M and for coaches $25M.
For 1-AA: Total player payouts could be $15M and for coaches $10M.
For 1-AAA: Total player payouts could be $5M and for coaches $5M.
Cap conference sizes at 20 teams.
3. Scheduling & Postseason Reform
The proposal eliminates the traditional "bowl season" and conference championship games in favor of a streamlined system:
Regular Season: Every team plays 13 games (10 conference, 3 non-conference).
Championship Weekend: The final game is played the last weekend of December.
Playoff Format: Both 1-A and 1-AA will have a 12-team playoff.
Auto-bids: 8 slots (Top 2 from each of the 4 conferences in 1-A; Top 2 from the 6 conferences in 1-AA).
At-large: 4 slots based on the Coaches Poll.
1-AAA could use the same model as FCS.
The plan reclassifies the existing NCAA landscape into three distinct tiers based on conference prestige and competitive level:
Division 1-A: The "Power 4" (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC + Notre Dame).
Division 1-AAA: The "Group of 6" (American, CUSA, Sun Belt, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12) and UConn.
Division 1-AAA / FCS: The current FCS level.
2. Corporate & Professional Model
The most radical change involves treating college football like a professional sports league:
Employment Status: Players and coaches in 1-A and 1-AA are classified as employees of their respective leagues with collective bargaining rights.
Corporate Structure: Athletic departments become franchises under a league corporation.
Salary Caps: Institute salary caps for players and COACHES (higher for 1-A, lower for 1-AA) will encompass all income, including NIL, endorsements, and booster payments for players
For 1-A: Total player payouts could be $30M and for coaches $25M.
For 1-AA: Total player payouts could be $15M and for coaches $10M.
For 1-AAA: Total player payouts could be $5M and for coaches $5M.
Cap conference sizes at 20 teams.
3. Scheduling & Postseason Reform
The proposal eliminates the traditional "bowl season" and conference championship games in favor of a streamlined system:
Regular Season: Every team plays 13 games (10 conference, 3 non-conference).
Championship Weekend: The final game is played the last weekend of December.
Playoff Format: Both 1-A and 1-AA will have a 12-team playoff.
Auto-bids: 8 slots (Top 2 from each of the 4 conferences in 1-A; Top 2 from the 6 conferences in 1-AA).
At-large: 4 slots based on the Coaches Poll.
1-AAA could use the same model as FCS.
This post was edited on 1/8/26 at 8:28 pm
15
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:24 am to mike4lsu
Don't disagree. However I think Salary Cap needs to come way down! This model of paying $5MM per QB is not sustainable. No college team should cost over $10MM every year.
Personally, I think each student starter should get between $100k - $250k per year, then tier down. But it must be equal across the board amongst all schools to level the playing field. Then it becomes about the school again.
Also if playing 10 conf games, no need for Conf Championship game IMO.
Personally, I think each student starter should get between $100k - $250k per year, then tier down. But it must be equal across the board amongst all schools to level the playing field. Then it becomes about the school again.
Also if playing 10 conf games, no need for Conf Championship game IMO.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:30 am to mike4lsu
College football becomes completely meaningless when it becomes minor league pro ball. Maybe it’s inevitable that it happens. I think it probably is. But you do that, you kill the golden goose.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:50 am to mike4lsu
the schools will lease their stadium, uniforms, and brand logos for a massive fee.....to a group of paid players funded by investors/boosters
college football is no more
college football is no more
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:53 am to oldskule
quote:
the schools will lease their stadium, uniforms, and brand logos for a massive fee.....to a group of paid players funded by investors/boosters
Isn't there already a minor league baseball teams called the Swampcats or Mudcats or something. Who gets to use the TIGERS mascot?! is it trademarked?
You are correct. College football is done.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:56 am to mike4lsu
quote:
Salary Caps: Institute salary caps for players and COACHES (higher for 1-A, lower for 1-AA) will encompass all income, including NIL, endorsements, and booster payments for players
You can’t do this. This is the whole reason NIL started in the first place. You can set a limit on how much a player can make from a 3rd party.
quote:
Championship Weekend: The final game is played the last weekend of September.
Huh?
quote:
Auto-bids: 8 slots (Top 2 from each of the 4 conferences in 1-A; Top 2 from the 6 conferences in 1-AA).
Hate this
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:58 am to TopWaterTiger
quote:
Don't disagree. However I think Salary Cap needs to come way down! This model of paying $5MM per QB is not sustainable. No college team should cost over $10MM every year.
Personally, I think each student starter should get between $100k - $250k per year, then tier down. But it must be equal across the board amongst all schools to level the playing field. Then it becomes about the school again.
Did you just pull these out of your arse? Also, lowering the salary cap won’t really change anything. If anything, it makes NIL even more important and a bigger advantage.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:05 am to T1gerNate
quote:
College football becomes completely meaningless when it becomes minor league pro ball.
College football has already been minor league pro-ball for decades.
Fans of college football cheer for "the colors", not the individual players. Those come and go. The school stays the same. You didn't stop being an LSU fan when Joe Burrow left.
As for the OP, it sounds like a great plan except...Title IX. As long as the players, even as "employees" are affiliated with the school, Title IX issues are going to be there
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:12 am to mike4lsu
quote:frick Notre Dame. Join a big boy conference & step up your competition or GTFO!
Division 1-A: The "Power 4" (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC + Notre Dame).
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:16 am to TopWaterTiger
you aren’t going to get a lower salary cap and restrictions on players.
because then players aren’t going to agree to that in a CBA
I also think football will break off into its own separate entity.
The NCAA has been pretty good at running literally every other sport. Maybe basketball, but the NCAA doesn’t own the tournament which generates a huge chunk of the money for college basketball.
because then players aren’t going to agree to that in a CBA
I also think football will break off into its own separate entity.
The NCAA has been pretty good at running literally every other sport. Maybe basketball, but the NCAA doesn’t own the tournament which generates a huge chunk of the money for college basketball.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:26 am to mike4lsu
People aren't going to like this, but a plan like this is really the only outcome that might bring more stability at this point. We're not going back to the 1980s.
Having the athletes be employees of the league rather than the individual schools seems like a good option to explore. It alleviates the messiness and administrative burden of all the schools managing their own contracts, and brings consistency to how the rules are applied. This isn't unprecedented - Major League Soccer in the US works this way.
Having the athletes be employees of the league rather than the individual schools seems like a good option to explore. It alleviates the messiness and administrative burden of all the schools managing their own contracts, and brings consistency to how the rules are applied. This isn't unprecedented - Major League Soccer in the US works this way.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:33 am to mike4lsu
You lost me by including notre dame. Until they pick a conference, they should be left out.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:34 am to mike4lsu
In an employment model, college football should model itself like the NFL also as it pertains to contracts. HS recruits with min contract length of 3 years with 1-2 year options to renew annually…very similar to NFL rookie contracts. This allows coaching staffs to invest in player development versus it being an annual free agent shite show that it’s become. Brings back some sanity to transfer portal. Set up for players the option to enter after 3 years one time after RS sophomores with 2 more years of eligibility.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:37 am to mike4lsu
Umm, are they still students?
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:49 am to Slippy
School attendance will become optional
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:52 am to mike4lsu
quote:
Salary Caps: Institute salary caps for players and COACHES (higher for 1-A, lower for 1-AA) will encompass all income, including NIL, endorsements, and booster payments for players
This will never survive the first lawsuit.
They can't cap the amount of NIL / endorsement money a player gets. Even the real pro leagues don't do that and they have anti-trust exemptions. The best the NCAA will ever be able to get away with on limiting NIL is the new clearinghouse system.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:53 am to mike4lsu
One way I’ve thought about finding a common ground is put a salary cap on each position based on Market evaluations. Much like what they do with Rookie contracts in the nfl just a much lower number. Like say $4 million for qb. $3 million for skill players. It’s not perfect but it would at least make it more of a situation where it’s just not blowing opponents out the water with money. Even the playing field so players are getting paid and it comes down to the decision of the school.
Not sure what you could do with NIL deals but that would in my opinion be a good start for the Revenue sharing deals at least. Figure out how to police NIL deals for frickery and it should fall out in the end and get back more to a traditional thought process for selecting a school and not jus the bags of cash.
Not sure what you could do with NIL deals but that would in my opinion be a good start for the Revenue sharing deals at least. Figure out how to police NIL deals for frickery and it should fall out in the end and get back more to a traditional thought process for selecting a school and not jus the bags of cash.
This post was edited on 1/8/26 at 9:54 am
Posted on 1/8/26 at 11:16 am to Slippy
quote:
Umm, are they still students?
They are student employees instead of student athletes any more. Just like a national work study program. They will need to go to class, make a grade ....These should be conditions of employment.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 11:29 am to T1gerNate
quote:
College football becomes completely meaningless when it becomes minor league pro ball. Maybe it’s inevitable that it happens.
I agree. However, been a bastardized pro version for long time.
Solution? Minor league teams are University franchises to keep the deep connection / brand / alumni / history as feature of model.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 11:30 am to mike4lsu
I do like your idea. BUT>>>
The second the student athletes become "employees" various labor laws and workers compensation issues come into play, with each state its own set of laws, policies and procedures.
The second the student athletes become "employees" various labor laws and workers compensation issues come into play, with each state its own set of laws, policies and procedures.
Page 1 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News