European Super League should be a warning to Pac-12

Chip Clark   |  

Apr 20, 2021

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email

The world just got a glimpse of how cut-throat sports can be. The Pac-12 should consider the proposed European Super League as a cautionary tale.

Monday, the futbol world went nuts when 15 of the top European teams decided to break away from the traditional Champions League to form their own Super League. In the USA, we call that Power-5 college football.

Just like the Power-5 conferences, European futbol has the“Big Five” leagues, Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), Bundesliga (Germany), and Ligue 1 (France). Leagues in other countries such as The Netherlands and Greece may get invitations to the Champions League but rarely advance to the final stage.

In either case, the concept known as “equity” is forgotten. All college football programs are not equal. This isn’t about NCAA divisions. No one expects Division III Slippery Rock State (PA.) to compete with Penn State. Instead, let’s look at how the Power-5 conferences separated themselves from the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

The Power-5 (Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12, Big 12, and ACC) runs big-time college football. They have graciously allowed one non-Power-5 school to play in a major bowl game (to avoid lawsuits). Does a non-Power-5 have a chance to win a National Title? No way.

By excluding schools such as Boise State and Memphis, the Power 5 conferences get the biggest paydays, which they share with their conference members. So, the giant pie has fewer slices, A.K.A. the rich get richer.

By now, the similarities should stand out. The biggest difference being the top teams are putting themselves above the counterparts in their own leagues. A rough analogy would be if Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan, and Texas decided to have their own championship.

We aren’t at the point where powerhouse conferences are sacrificing their lesser members. But at the same time, college football is a billion-dollar business.

Warning shot

Here’s the problem for the Pac-12. The conference hasn’t had a legitimate National Title contender for quite some time. As a matter of fact, the last time a Pac-12 football program had consistent relevancy is the Chip Kelly, early 2010’s Oregon Ducks squads. Six years prior was the most recent Pac-12 national champion, USC, in 2004.

In the meantime, the Pac-12s, Power-5 counterparts have marquee schools playing for championships. Additionally, under Larry Scott’s leadership, the Pac-12 couldn’t even put together a decent television contract. Now that it’s time to negotiate a new deal, they are last in line among the major networks.

If the Pac-12 can’t keep up on the field or in terms of exposure, why should the other four conferences keep them around? Fewer slices of the pie to share. If one of the other conferences had to (likely the Big 12), they could add USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington.