Getty Image
For a while, college football had what was commonly known as the Power 5 conference.
There was the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Pac 12 and everybody else. Now, that group is commonly referred to as to the Power 4 after the dissolution of the Pac-12.
Now it appears the SEC and Big Ten are working on a scheduling agreement that would confirm what anybody everybody else already knows: they are the Power 2, and then there’s everybody else.
Matt Hayes of USA Today reports that the two conferences are discussing a series of “challenge games” that would shut out the other conferences, increase revenue, and solidify the two conferences’ standings in the College Football Playoff.
“The people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the conversations say the two super conferences could face off in as many as 12 to 16 regular-season nonconference games a year – or more – to determine the extent of the increase in media rights revenue,” Hayes writes.
Teams from the SEC and Big Ten currently occupy each of the top five and seven of the top 10 spots in the latest AP Poll.
The SEC And Big Ten Are Trying To Rearrange The College Football Landscape
Hayes’ report comes just weeks after ESPN’s Heather Dinich reported that the conferences were already working to change the structure of the College Football Playoff.
“Sources in both leagues told ESPN on Monday they would prefer to have potentially four automatic bids each to the playoff when the next contract begins in 2026,” Dinich stated. “CFP leaders haven’t determined yet what the playoff will look like beyond this season and next. Some said they need to know that before making any decisions about future scheduling partnerships.”
According to Hayes, the new nonconference scheduling discussion is, in part, a response to the recent House settlement that awarded billions to former college athletes. The settlement also awarded millions to future athletes by way of revenue sharing.
The two conferences are reportedly also considering consolidating any future media rights packages.
“Everything is on the table,” a Big Ten athletic director told Hayes.