He is gone….

The Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences are in charge of shaping collegiate football’s future. Tennessee has been

at the center of recent controversy with the NCAA, prompting the Big Ten and SEC to examine the governing body’s

power over collegiate athletics.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that the two power conferences have explored leaving the NCAA. This follows previous

allegations against the governing body and the current proposed 14-team playoff.

The Big Ten and SEC seek automatic bids to the enlarged playoffs, while other conferences, such as the ACC and Big

12, are excluded. Thamel reports that the current planned model provides the SEC and Big Ten three automatic

qualifiers each.

Conversations imply that the SEC and Big Ten want additional automatic playoff slots, which makes reasonable

given that both conferences have the bulk of the country’s best teams. While I dislike automatic bids to the College

Football Playoff, the SEC and Big Ten will do what is best for their teams, which means more automatic bids.

While ESPN and the NCAA stand in opposition to the SEC and Big Ten, they will prioritize their own financial

interests. As a result, the Big Ten and SEC will put pressure on the NCAA to give them more bids because they are

more renowned and prestigious. If they don’t get their way, they threaten to leave the NCAA and start their own

playoff.