Will Money Drive College Football Into An NFL-Like Format Of Power Divisions? It Might Not Be Out Of The Question | Trey Wallace

Money solves all problems, right? This motto seems to be the formula being used around college football these days as we transition into a new era in the sport. What happens over the next twenty years could be a replication of the NFL model, which is unfortunate.

As we've all seen over the last few years with expansion, college football is being led by money, not what's best for the sport. The Big Ten adding USC and UCLA was the tipping point of a new era, with conference presidents looking to add television viewers on the West Coast. This wasn't a move made to help the sport, it's centered around getting eyeballs on its product from coast to coast. Obviously, this leads to increased revenue for CBS, FOX and NBC.

Don't fool yourself, television executives aren't worried about what college football fans think about regional rivalries or even the student-athlete. As we've seen with the recent media right deals with the Big Ten and the SEC, there's enough money to go around. The days of regional conferences feels like it will come to an end sooner than later.

OutKick's Chad Withrow recently discussed a format of 32 teams becoming the driving force in college football. More like the NFL route, with regional divisions that consist of the top brand name teams in the sport, Withrow feels that money will lead us down this path. I don't really disagree with this notion, though it would take potentially two decades to get there.

Is College Football headed down the NFL route when it comes to power teams?

Is College Football Is Heading Towards Divisional Format?

A whopping $10 billion was spent over the last year on television contracts between the SEC and Big Ten. Every major network was lining up to give both conferences enough money to make Jeff Bezos blush. What's unfortunate is that the student-athlete is not getting a piece of this, but that's a conversation for a another day.

There's no denying that school presidents are looking for every possible solution to add revenue, which is why we're seeing a number of ACC schools look for a way out. But will this really matter in twenty years? Even UCLA coach Chip Kelly has brought up the scenario of having no more conferences, which gives some credence to Withrow's argument.

"I think there should be 64 teams and we should have no conferences. It should be one conference. But, no one asked my opinion so I’m gonna get ready for practice today," Chip Kelly said.

So, how would this play out down the road? Just as Chad Withrow has discussed, move towards the NFL model, with your best-branded teams. Make sure to take care of each region, giving fans a sense of familiarity, then let the television networks have at it. There would unfortunately be the 'Group of Five' teams, which could be scattered through a number of different tiers, but still getting a chance to play for a national title, with a playoff.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey attends the AutoZone Liberty Bowl between Mississippi State and Texas Tech at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on December 28, 2021 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Even Chad would say this is something he doesn't want to see, but it could be the best way to make the most money, while also being able to negotiate all media rights moving forward.

The NFL seems to get it right when it comes to divisional play, so I imagine that Greg Sankey and other leaders could formulate a plan. Put the best teams together in one huge conference and give them a division to play in. Heck, you can come up with whatever name you like in the process.

At the end of the day, television revenue is driving the sport into a new era. We've seen the Big-10 raid the west coast, the Big-12 almost finish off the Pac-12 and the ACC is currently engaged in a family fight. The ones enjoying this the most are television executives looking at spreadsheets that show potential revenue over the next decade.

Will CFB Actually Have A Mega Conference?

I don't know the answer to this question, but the television money leads me to believe this is a strong possibility. I sure as heck don't want to see college football go down this path of one big conference, then have teams like Southern Miss or Coastal Carolina fall to obscurity. We don't need this, especially when college football still has a pulse on the fan base.

If the sport ever went this route, they'd certainly lose fans that enjoy the regional feel of the sport. I don't care to see Alabama and Ohio State in the same 'Mega Conference'. I get that college football has turned into a money driven sport with these television contracts, but there's still something great about how things are going now.

Sure, every school is out to get the most money possible to keep up with facilities and stadiums, while recruiting budgets get bigger everyday. But that's just business, which is obviously growing each day.

I fear that no matter how college football fans like myself feel, the sport is headed towards an NFL-like approach. This won't happen in the next decade or maybe two, but there's a really good chance it's coming. So if the sport decides to one day completely sellout, television executives will be waiting to pounce.