DALLAS – Group of 5 directors have had preliminary discussions in recent months about a G5-only playoff or even a full-scale G5 realignment with private equity participation.
Several administrators from the G5 conferences – American, Sun Belt, Mountain West, MAC and Conference USA – said Athleticism that former college and NFL coach Derek Dooley was the salesman on behalf of private equity firms, reaching out to schools. The directors, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues, made it clear that nothing was imminent and that no figures have yet been presented to them. But the conversations are more real than they’ve ever been. Dooley did not respond to a request for comment. CBS Sports first reported on the discussions.
The initial idea circulated among administrators earlier this year, but once the Big Ten and SEC threw their weight behind reshaping the new College Football Playoff contract and giving themselves much more guaranteed revenue and almost all control, this served as a tipping point for many directors to plan for their future as soon as possible. Although the new PCP will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars more, payments to the Group of Five will remain relatively unchanged.
“We’re showing leadership here to control our own destiny so that Tony Petitti and Greg Sankey don’t make this decision for us,” said a G5 athletic director.
Details of the plans under discussion vary. Some administrators like the smaller-scale idea of creating their own playoffs to replace bowl games. Others believe that the entire Group of 5 – particularly the Americans, Conference USA and Sun Belt – should reorganize geographically under a single banner with multiple divisions and share all revenues equally, like a professional sports league.
The idea of a G5 reorganization or the creation of a soccer-only G5 Super League composed of the handful of top-performing programs was discussed informally among some administrators when the current wave of conference realignment took place. started in 2021. Former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany was introduced to the leagues. an idea of the three G5 leagues with southeast footprints (AAC, CUSA, Sun Belt) reorganizing geographically. A few weeks later, the AAC added six CUSA schools. The AAC makes millions more per school than other G5 leagues.
At the College Football Playoff spring meetings Tuesday, AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco rejected the idea of the G5 doing its own job. He has long argued that widespread participation in the CFP is important for the health of the sport and that creating a G5-only format would intentionally qualify the leagues as second class.
“It would separate us from the big guys in the CFP, and that would be bad,” Aresco said. “That’s what I always feared, that we were in a different division.”
But Aresco will retire in less than two months, and his replacement Tim Pernetti spoke earlier this month of the possibility of “maverick patterns in the playoffs” and was open to the conference getting involved in private equity.
“Things have changed so much,” the athletic director said.
Northern Illinois athletic director Sean Frazier has publicly supported the idea of a G5 playoff for years as a way to generate more interest. There hasn’t been much support, for the reasons Aresco cites. But that has changed in some circles.
The challenge of geographical reorganization is obvious: it would be easier for supporters to go to matches and cheaper for non-paying sports. Plus, it would create more natural rivalries.
There are, however, obvious obstacles. The Group of 5 conferences have their own television contracts. Would everyone have to pay exorbitant exit fees, or could this be avoided if everyone agreed to do it together? Would the AAC and Mountain West schools be willing to give up their financial advantage over the other three leagues? Could current G5 commissioners take control of the reorganized divisions? What if the ACC collapsed and needed G5 schools to participate in the conference?
Many administrators also remain skeptical of private equity interests surrounding college sports, including a pitch by a group of influential brokers aimed at creating an 80-team Super League that has not gained much traction. Private equity is keen to get a big return on its investment, and it’s unclear how much money the Group of Five could get on its own, especially in today’s TV market. Its ties to Power 4 conferences are part of the value, especially now that at least one G5 team is guaranteed a spot in the 12-team playoff.
But for how long, administrators wonder, will the G5 maintain this place? What could stop the SEC and Big Ten from changing formats and knocking the G5 out of its automatic spot? This is the future that administrators want to prepare for.
“There is nothing specific, just ideas circulating,” said the sporting director. “But for the first time, everyone is saying, ‘I’m all ears.’ I don’t know if this is the model, but I’m ready to talk about something now.
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(Photo: David Yeazell / USA Today)