The college football landscape continues to change. The more things change, the stronger the SEC and Big Ten conferences will become.
The Big Ten brand now includes some of the most prominent programs on the West Coast. The SEC will add former Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma State.
The more powerful these conferences become, the more we hear about “superconferences” that replace the NCAA for football purposes.
So I asked some of our literary contributors if they were in favor of the Big Ten and SEC merging to form a superconference.
Volus Mark writes: I advocate merging the SEC and Big Ten to create a superconference. Recent developments surrounding name, image, and likeness (NIL) have highlighted the NCAA's inadequacy in steering the future of college athletics.
It is clear that the NCAA, once seen as a bastion of fair play and sportsmanship, is now operating with tactics reminiscent of the Mafia's strong-arm style, rather than upholding its core values. .
My reaction: The NCAA is more interested in enforcing boring rules than working to improve college sports.
David writes: No, please do what's best all Not just Big Ten and SEC football, but college sports. What we need is a competent governing body, not the current NCAA that needs to be “blown up” and rebuilt.
A merger between the SEC and the Big Ten would “suck all the oxygen” out of college sports and stifle all sports except football.
I have a dream that I could use (UT President) Randy Boyd to select a group of successful businessmen (4 or 5) (not educators or sports celebrities). please. Their task would be to develop an organization with full-time personnel to manage college athletes. Keep the good stuff (March Madness, College World Series, support for other “minor” sports, etc.) and establish sound governing principles for everyone.
My reaction: you are right. It's all about leadership.
Tennessee's athletic department is in great shape right now thanks to the leadership of Boyd, Tennessee State University President Donde Plowman and Athletic Director Danny White.
Not every school or conference, and certainly not the NCAA, has that kind of leadership. We lost to the Pac-12 because of brutal leadership. That should never have happened.
Colorado Mark writes: Basically, I thought that was already the case. As for the NCAA (there's no cap on them) they're in hospice on life support, but time is running out faster than moonshine from Mark and Digger's still.
My reaction: The SEC and Big Ten have their own best interests in mind. You can't blame them for that.
And it seems that they are forming a super conference without calling it that. They have the best TV deals and the best programming. Over the past 22 years, 19 of the national championships have been won by teams currently in the Big Ten and SEC.
Ken writes: Not at all. For all its flaws and missteps, I still feel the NCAA has a role to play in governing college sports, especially in recent years. Basketball, and especially soccer, is quickly becoming more like a professional league, and super conferences will only make it worse.
I fondly remember traveling to Boston with the Pride of the Southland to play Boston College in the late '80s, even though BC won.
My reaction: It was a wonderful trip. But such travel losses cannot be blamed on expansion. SEC schools play his eight conference games, so they have the opportunity to schedule attractive non-conference opponents.
Instead, they are keen to schedule pushover opponents for home games.
James writes: I despise Notre Dame and find the ACC/Big 12/etc. I prefer the status quo to the proposed SEC-Big Ten Super Conference given the lack of a true contender. That seems wrong.
My reaction: Mistakes can be commonplace in college football.
Richard writes: yes. The NCAA has ruined college sports.
My reaction: A friend of mine, a longtime college football fan, said he might quit playing college football next season and just watch the NFL. He's tired of teams changing conferences and players changing teams.
Adams:Tennessee sports are full of surprises.Readers choose what surprised them the most
But he is an exception. Despite all the changes, and even more changes happening, college football remains the most entertaining sport.
And while fans may complain about the situation, most will continue to watch.
John Adams is a senior columnist. Contact him at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at twitter.com/johnadamskns.
