Something to keep an eye on

[RacerJoeD]

The fact that the power five can't get on the same page about an expanded playoff hopefully means they will have the same disfunction in these talks.

Truly though, D1 needs to shed itself of about 5-6 conferences.

I've thought that hosting a neutral site conference tournament would be a good cut-off. If a conference can't afford to do that, they really shouldn't be participating in the NCAA Tournament.

Here is the problem, as you eliminate lower conferences, you lose voters to counter the big ones. They kick out the bottom 4 or 5. the next time they eliminate the bottom 4 or 5 again. Soon there aren't enough votes to stop the top conferences from making the cutoff line at lower than 10th. Or 6th.

[unipanther99]

Here is the problem, as you eliminate lower conferences, you lose voters to counter the big ones. They kick out the bottom 4 or 5. the next time they eliminate the bottom 4 or 5 again. Soon there aren't enough votes to stop the top conferences from making the cutoff line at lower than 10th. Or 6th.

Maybe. But if you do nothing, they will likely walk away and leave us with the MEAC (or whatever it's called these days).

[RacerJoeD]

That is the risk. But right now, you have the votes to change things for the better. You definitely won’t later

[squirrel]

The P5 got autonomy for a reason: To keep it.

There will be 4 leagues of 16 to 24 teams in either a newly formed DI or they will leave the NCAA and form their own association.

If they stay in the NCAA, it may eventually become like football where there are two groupings.

I have long felt that it was 4 leagues of 16, they may keep a few relevant leagues (Big East, A10, WCC) beyond for basketball, just for the sake of filling a non-conference schedule and having a little more interesting postseason tournament. But I think there's a sliding scale if the 4 surviving P5 leagues each go to a number beyond 16 (up to 24, for example), then the less likely that is, because it's entirely possible those leagues may have added some basketball-only members to the same end.

The one development in recent years I didn't anticipate was the SEC targeting members in all the other P5s.

I could see the SEC trying to get to a 24 or 32 league and leave the NCAA, and THAT would be the new DI, just the SEC on its own.

If that happens, then the remaining NCAA DI structure will be something to behold. There would be room at the table for a number of leagues down to the Valley, CUSA, Sun Belt, etc).

[05Racer]

The P5 got autonomy for a reason: To keep it.

There will be 4 leagues of 16 to 24 teams in either a newly formed DI or they will leave the NCAA and form their own association.

If they stay in the NCAA, it may eventually become like football where there are two groupings.

I have long felt that it was 4 leagues of 16, they may keep a few relevant leagues (Big East, A10, WCC) beyond for basketball, just for the sake of filling a non-conference schedule and having a little more interesting postseason tournament. But I think there's a sliding scale if the 4 surviving P5 leagues each go to a number beyond 16 (up to 24, for example), then the less likely that is, because it's entirely possible those leagues may have added some basketball-only members to the same end.

The one development in recent years I didn't anticipate was the SEC targeting members in all the other P5s.

I could see the SEC trying to get to a 24 or 32 league and leave the NCAA, and THAT would be the new DI, just the SEC on its own.

If that happens, then the remaining NCAA DI structure will be something to behold. There would be room at the table for a number of leagues down to the Valley, CUSA, Sun Belt, etc).

They didn't get autonomy though. So far, all they've done is separated governance of division 1 from divisions 2 and 3. They still have to negotiate with the rest of Division 1. What this discussion so far is missing is that nobody, not the P5 or anybody else, actually wants to pay the players. University presidents don't want to run a pro league. They want to take the revenue from football and basketball and use that on other sports and academic programs like they have for decades. They asked for an antitrust exemption from Congress to that end, but didn't get one. Their real fear is getting inundated with lawsuits from former players claiming they are entitled to a portion of the revenues. Even if those lawsuits are unsuccessful, it's expensive to defend against them and it leads to a lot of bad press for the university. Everybody is trying to find some way to avoid that scenario because 90% of schools can't afford that any more than they can afford to pay players. If the P5 wanted to separate and start their own league, there is nothing stopping them and never has been, but they recognize it's a ton of risk for not much, if any, benefit vs. the current system. The only way the P5 separate is if enough of them decide the current system can't be saved and see that option as the only way they can avoid the lawsuits.