— By Bill Cornwell
There is plenty of upheaval in college athletics.
With revenue sharing between institutions and athletes a factor, as well as roster limits, disparities between the more well-funded Power 4 Conference programs and the Group of 6 leagues and their member schools will surface.
Sun Belt Conference Keith Gill delivered his annual state of the conference speech at last week’s football media days event and referenced the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff format, the proposed new NCAA governance framework that ensures Division I conferences continue to work together and the House Settlement involving student-athlete compensation.
“All Sun Belt members opted into the House Settlement and will abide by those guidelines going forward,” Gill said. “July 1st marked a new era for college sports. I’m happy that student-athletes will be permitted to earn money through their participation in college sports. That being said, we still need to find some consistent rules that can govern this new normal. The House Settlement is a good first step, but it does not go far enough, which is why the Sun Belt is supportive of the bi-partisan SCORE Act. It is not perfect, but it will provide needed structure to Division I.”
The SCORE Act, now working its way through Congress, delivers antitrust protection for the NCAA, power conferences and recently-established enforcement arm, the College Sports Commission. The bill also features a preemption of state of NIL laws, codifies the recently-approved House versus NCAA settlement and ensures that athletes are not employees.
The legislation would also establish a one-time transfer rule, rolling back the power athletes currently have to transfer multiple times without missing a season. A NCAA committee is also currently working on a new football calendar with a one-time-only annual window.
Gill also was pleased with a growing media presence on the league’s prime media partner — the ESPN Family of Networks. He said that Sun Belt schools produced more than 1,500 separate events that were available on live television or streaming platforms.
“To get to this place, time, energy and investments were required,” Gill said. “Our members’ athletic budgets have on average tripled since the Sun Belt became a football conference. Assisting in these investments, conference revenue has grown by over 900 percent during this period and 65 percent over the last decade. And revenue from television has increased by a factor of 50 since the start of Sun Belt football.”
The Sun Belt Conference recently added Louisiana Tech as a member after current league member Texas State announced that it’s moving on to the PAC-12 Conference next year. No date has been announced as to when Louisiana Tech will officially leave Conference USA and join the Sun Belt.
“The Sun Belt Conference foundation is built on schools with passionate fanbases, great football tradition, a tradition of success in other sports and proximity that creates regional rivalries,” Gill said. “Louisiana Tech allows us to be better in each of those areas. We are adding a school with a long and rich tradition of FBS competition.”
Gill now holds one of the more visible jobs in college athletics as he now heads the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. That committee decides the make-up of the bracket for each year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Gill says that he accepts the high profile position aware of the spotlight it places on him.
“I am incredibly honored and incredibly fortunate to be in this role,” Gill said. “It’s going to be a busy year and it’s going to be a challenging year, but it can do nothing but enhance the reputation of the Sun Belt across the country.”