There’s little doubt that the world of college football is about to radically change. The Big Ten, which inexplicably has 11 teams, seems determined to add at least four schools (Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Rutgers) and will get a fifth if the first four all agree to join. The Southeastern Conference and Pac-10 will not sit still without firing back. The end game after all the shuffling seems to result in the new super conferences breaking away from the NCAA. That is disturbing. The NCAA is a rather toothless outfit that relies on schools coming forward to report their infractions. The NCAA doesn’t actually do its own police work anymore. See Southern Cal as an example. The Pac-10 cash cow will likely not be punished for Reggie Bush’s seemingly clear involvement with agents while with the Trojans. Why will USC get off clean? Because it hasn’t cooperated with the NCAA. Still, at least there’s something in place to scare colleges into running clean programs. Once the NCAA is out of the picture, the business of college football recruiting will become just that — business. Sure, the super conferences might set up some impotent infractions committee, but they will likely never give the committee the resources to be legitimate. The NCAA also mandates how much time each week coaches can spend with their athletes. That will probably go away, making the term student-athlete a complete joke. Without the NCAA, college football could become a true minor-league system, with players being openly paid and spending practically no time in the classroom. I’ll always love college football. But I’m extremely worried about the future of its soul. http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blo...1/superconferences-will-strip-away-power-ncaa
