It sounds crazy, but it's not out of the question for many SEC leaders. Given how the college football landscape has transformed, it's forced officials to contemplate what life would be like away from the NCAA.
The SEC has been known as the premier conference in college football for as long as we can remember.
Perhaps it has gotten too good?
As crazy as it sounds, the idea of the SEC breaking away from the NCAA isn’t as farfetched as you may think.
The idea of it breaking away and forming its own governance has been discussed around Athletic Directors, chairpeople, and even SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.
But let’s back the truck up a little bit.
These are just preliminary discussions. Conference leaders have suggested that significant reforms is needed to avoid more drastic conversations in the future.
SEC officials have expressed growing frustration with the current NIL landscape and the current transfer portal structure.
The University of Florida Athletic Director, Scott Stricklin made sure to let everyone know that the SEC moving on to its own governance would be a “draconian step,” but doesn’t want to rule anything out.
“Our league probably has enough appeal and market strength that we could survive. We may be the only league that could do that,” Stricklin said. “The most popular sports league in the world is Premier League Soccer, and it is basically in one country. And that country is half the size of land territory and half the population of the 12 states where the SEC is. Yet it has TV contracts from Asia to America. And likewise, I think our conference, even though we’re regional, we have national appeal.”
It’s clear that there’s a lot of frustration with how the sport is operating.
When NIL was introduced, it was supposed to be based on the premise of student athletes being allowed to profit off of their names off the football field.
However, it’s essentially turned into an auction.
Just recently, we saw running back Hollywood Smothers sign on with the University of Alabama after he opted to enter the transfer portal from NC State.
He had committed, enrolled in classes, and was ready to be a member of the Crimson Tide.
Not even a week later, the University of Texas swooped in and convinced him to leave Tuscaloosa and move out to Austin.
“I think the frustration is real. I think it’s warranted,” Auburn athletic director John Cohen said. “And I think some drastic measures are going to have to take place for us to get the train back on the tracks.”
Which is exactly why the SEC hasn’t ruled out the possibility of breaking away.
Six of the top 10 earners in the sport are based in the SEC. Because of how successful the conference is at generating buzz and revenue, many within the conference believe that it may be better off enforcing its own rules and regulations.
But even if those discussions were deep, it would still be a few years away.
For now, an SEC breakaway remains more of a threat than reality. But the fact that conference leaders are openly discussing it shows just how frustrated college football's most powerful league has become with the current system.
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