The two most powerful conferences in college athletics are teaming up to tackle the biggest issues facing the enterprise.
The Big Ten and the SEC announced on Friday the formation of a joint advisory group that will be made up of university presidents and athletic directors. It will discuss recent court decisions, pending litigation, governance proposals and state laws. The goal, the leagues said, is to “take a leadership role in developing solutions for a sustainable future of college sports.”
The announcement essentially formalizes a collaborative relationship between the two leagues that has been growing ever since commissioner Tony Petitti took over the Big Ten last year. Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s leagues will represent 34 of the 134 FBS schools at the start of the 2024 football season.
The advisory group will “engage with other constituencies as necessary” — a pointed note, considering the frustration many administrators in both leagues have expressed with the NCAA and its typically slow and reactive nature. However, Friday’s announcement was not meant to be construed as the first step of a breakaway from the NCAA. So much of what these leagues do is tied to the national governing body and its services.
“The Big Ten and the SEC have…
