Schools in the power five conferences today are expected to gain preliminary approval to "break away from some of the strictures of the NCAA, a significant change that would give them more freedom to govern themselves and could allow athletes to share in the wealth of college sports." Today's vote in Indianapolis "would make their first-class status official." The new rules "would further widen the gulf between the 65 universities in the wealthiest conferences" and other universities that have "less money for their sports programs" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/6).
Discussions on "one of the front burner issues, how to calculate the full costs of attendance, are still in the relatively early stages, however, and there could be significant disagreements among the five conferences" (USA TODAY, 8/7). Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said that the vote "would not affect the percentage of postseason or television revenue any conference or athletic department could receive" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/7). The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE's Chip Scoggins writes under the header, "'Power 5' Conferences Could Set Agenda In NCAA" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/7).
