College football revamp unveiled with eyes toward the sport’s future

Realignment, the influx of name, image and likeness deals and an expanded playoff could mean college football is just steps away from breaking from the NCAA.

While a pipe dream for some, a group called College Sports Tomorrow unveiled its idea to reshape the college football landscape. TurnkeyZRG CEO Len Perna and former Major League Soccer Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott led the unveiling of the proposed plan.

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The College Student Football League (CSFL) would “include all the current FBS schools in two conferences made up of geography-based locations,” the group said in a news release.

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; A general view after the Michigan Wolverines defeated the Washington Huskies in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. (James Lang-USA TODAY Sports)

“The top 72 programs would compete in the Power 12 Conference with the 64 schools facing off in a second conference, the Group of 8. The best eight schools in the Group of 8 would have the opportunity to ‘play up’ into the upper tier the following second, enabling promotion with ‘relegation’ of any of the Power 12 schools.”

The CSFL’s “results-based league scheduling, including non-division games played between schools with similar records from the prior season, would ensure more competitive matchups and allow more schools to stay in the hunt deeper into the season,” the group said in its news release.

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The group added that playoff participants would be based on results and not via a committee.

There would be 24 teams in the potential playoff.

The Wall Street Journal described the plan as “far-fetched” because it would take the business leaders to convince teams and conferences to unify television rights.

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; A general view as the Washington Huskies take the field before to the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium.  (James Lang-USA TODAY Sports)

Jimmy Haslam, the co-owner of the Cleveland Browns, called the format “better for schools, student-athletes, fans and media partnerships.”

He added to the Journal, “We realize this is dramatic change, it won’t be easy. Our plan is not perfect. I do think it’s the most comprehensive thing out there”

“The CSFL model would be economically advantageous and sustainable in the short- and long-term. Consolidating and centralizing college football allows greater revenue to flow into one unified league, enabling universities to fairly compensate players, create reasonable competitive balance, cover rising NIL costs and continue to underwrite other intercollegiate sports that generate less revenue, including women’s sports and the U.S. Olympic program,” the group said.

“The CSFL would directly compensate all student-athlete football players, not just the stars, and NIL and transfer portal rules would be the product of collective negotiations between the CSFL and an association representing football student-athletes. 

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“The CSFL supports legislation seeking a determination that student-athletes are NOT employees, but through collective bargaining, the CSFL would give players a voice in rules and economics while providing protection from antitrust claims via the “non-statutory labor exemption,” rather than through a formal, legislative antitrust exemption. This approach should provide a permanent solution to the myriad antitrust challenges plaguing college sports.”

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