Mike Slive Has a Plan for a Big 5 Subdivision

SEC commissioner Mike Slive has been at the forefront of promoting reform in the NCAA's structure and policies.  Now he is promoting autonomy for the Big 5 power conferences (SEC, Big 10, Big 12, PAC-12 and ACC), and he believes such autonomy can benefit the student-athletes at these schools.  As ESPN's Ivan Maisel points out in his article on Slive's speech at the University of Massachusetts, the rules that allow smaller schools to be more competitive often prevent larger schools from doing all they can support their athletes, of whom much is demanded.  As television and merchandise deals continue to bring in increasing returns to these schools, Slive believes reform is needed to allow larger institutions to spend more on their athletes.

Some of the biggest reforms he suggests include reducing rules against players dealing with agents and advisers, allowing eligibility-exhausted athletes to keep their scholarships until finishing their undergraduate degrees, and cutting back on time commitments for sports.  These reforms will undoubtedly be challenged, but as the public perception of the NCAA continues to take a turn for the worse, Mike Slive is ready to let the bigger schools take the lead in changing the landscape of college athletics.

Autonomy for the Big 5 begs another question though: Are the Big 5 looking to split from the NCAA for good?  As the details of the botched Miami investigation came out, many questioned the ability of the NCAA to effectively govern the vast amount of member organizations while at the same time maintaining business operations as a non-profit entity.  Now that the players at Northwestern have been declared employees by the National Labor Relations Board, Slive might see the writing on the walls, and it doesn't look good for the NCAA's future.  Greater autonomy now would make the transition to independence much smoother for the Big 5 should that come to be.

Will other Big 5 commissioners join Mike Slive in this campaign?  That remains to be seen. But for the time being, most can agree that major change is on the horizon for college athletics.