DALLAS – College athletics continues to rip off the Band-Aid of change all at once.
Late last month, NCAA president Charlie Baker presented to the NCAA Council a structure for a separate governing body involving the Power Four conferences, a person with knowledge of the meeting told CBS Sports.
In its rudimentary form at this point, the initiative should be considered one of the most dramatic shifts in the Power Four’s desire for more control since autonomy debuted in the months following the 2014 NCAA Convention. That began the process toward cost of attendance and gave the then-Power Five more legislative leverage.
Apparently not enough. Yahoo Sports reported last month Baker revealed a new governance structure to all 32 Division I commissioners during the annual Collegiate Commissioners Association meeting in Naples, Florida. Jenn Fraser, NCAA managing director for Division I, assisted in the presentation.
Sources indicated there was acrimony and concern among smaller conferences when it became evident the structure would favor the Power Four. The initiative continues. A person with knowledge of the latest NCAA Council meeting told CBS Sports, “This was one of the more compelling presentations just in terms of the reality of where we are in college sports.”
That source said after viewing Baker’s presentation that it would create, “essentially two different Division I’s.” Division I hasn’t subdivided since 1978 when Division I-A (now FBS) and Division I-AA (FCS) was created for football.
While the Council presentation during the June 25-26 meeting was short on specifics, it’s clear the NCAA is headed toward a further power shift. Such a move would bifurcate the 40-member Division I Council that is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the NCAA. Power conference administrators have long been frustrated at both the composition and voting structure of the Council.
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