Post by Trojan Warrior on Jun 23, 2014 4:44:32 GMT -6
This summer is the Summer of Autonomy. The world of college athletics watches and waits for a crucial vote in August that will either grant conferences more power or maintain the status the quo (which could lead to the creation of a new super-division atop the NCAA pyramid). It’s assumed that autonomy will indeed be granted and that the Power Five conferences — ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC — will be allowed to provide full-cost-of-tuition scholarships to their athletes.
There are plenty of other questions surrounding the upcoming autonomy vote: If not all athletes, then which ones will receive the larger scholarships? How long before Title IX becomes an issue? How long before athletes in non-revenue sports demand better scholarships and better insurance?
Those are the issues that have drawn most of the media focus in recent weeks. But big decisions on the existing NCAA transfer rules also loom on the horizon. Depending on the outcome, the non-Power Five conferences might become a de factor minor league system for the big-money conferences.
Currently, the Power Five leagues want to tweak the transfer rules to benefit student-athletes. Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press writes that “the days of coaches having a say in where an athlete can transfer could very well be going away, though it’s not likely deregulation will lead to a system where athletes come and go as they please.” He also writes that the Power Five conferences “are willing to work with all of Division I to come up with a solution, but they also want the power to make their own transfer rules if need be as part of an autonomy structure the NCAA is moving toward.”
And there’s the rub. If the Power Five leagues are given the autonomy to make their own rules, how is it possible for their rules not to impact those smaller conferences that never had a say in the changes? Answer: It’s not. And that’s got schools currently outside the Power Five conferences worried:
“The example that I used is Kellen Moore at Boise State. He came in as an un-recruited player and by the time he was into his junior year he showed he had some unbelievable talent. If the transfer rules are eliminated and there’s free movement, does that allow that type of a player to quote ‘go up’ without any type of sitting out?” — Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson
(Full Article)
There are plenty of other questions surrounding the upcoming autonomy vote: If not all athletes, then which ones will receive the larger scholarships? How long before Title IX becomes an issue? How long before athletes in non-revenue sports demand better scholarships and better insurance?
Those are the issues that have drawn most of the media focus in recent weeks. But big decisions on the existing NCAA transfer rules also loom on the horizon. Depending on the outcome, the non-Power Five conferences might become a de factor minor league system for the big-money conferences.
Currently, the Power Five leagues want to tweak the transfer rules to benefit student-athletes. Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press writes that “the days of coaches having a say in where an athlete can transfer could very well be going away, though it’s not likely deregulation will lead to a system where athletes come and go as they please.” He also writes that the Power Five conferences “are willing to work with all of Division I to come up with a solution, but they also want the power to make their own transfer rules if need be as part of an autonomy structure the NCAA is moving toward.”
And there’s the rub. If the Power Five leagues are given the autonomy to make their own rules, how is it possible for their rules not to impact those smaller conferences that never had a say in the changes? Answer: It’s not. And that’s got schools currently outside the Power Five conferences worried:
“The example that I used is Kellen Moore at Boise State. He came in as an un-recruited player and by the time he was into his junior year he showed he had some unbelievable talent. If the transfer rules are eliminated and there’s free movement, does that allow that type of a player to quote ‘go up’ without any type of sitting out?” — Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson
(Full Article)