In a significant development, the Big Ten and SEC have come together to create a joint advisory group comprising university presidents, chancellors, and athletic directors. Their primary mission is to tackle the pressing challenges within college athletics and work towards enhancing the overall student-athlete experience, as announced by the conferences on Friday.
This collaboration is noteworthy because it underscores the deepening relationship between these two powerhouse conferences, which happen to be the largest and wealthiest in the collegiate sports landscape. Their respective commissioners, Tony Petitti of the Big Ten and Greg Sankey of the SEC, have been collaborating more closely than their predecessors. This alliance is especially crucial in the current era of conference expansion, which has only served to further solidify their positions at the top of the FBS hierarchy. The SEC’s imminent addition of Oklahoma and Texas, along with the Big Ten’s plans to bring in Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA from the threatened Pac-12, highlights the ongoing shifts in the collegiate sports landscape.
The formation of this advisory group is a direct response to a range of issues, including recent court rulings, ongoing legal disputes, the complex web of state laws, and intricate governance proposals. According to the Big Ten’s press release, these challenges prompted the need for a proactive approach.
“The Big Ten and the SEC have substantial investment in the NCAA, and there is no question that the voices of our two conferences are integral to governance and other reform efforts,” stated Tony Petitti. “We recognize the similarity in our circumstances, as well as the urgency to address the common challenges we face.”
It’s important to note that the Big Ten-SEC advisory group will serve as a consultant to the conferences, without the authority to implement changes. The specifics regarding its composition, timeline, and the particular issues it will address remain unclear. Nevertheless, this alliance has further solidified the partnership between these two collegiate giants.
Greg Sankey emphasized the shared impact on student-athletes, institutions, and communities in light of the evolving college sports landscape. “We do not have predetermined answers to the myriad questions facing us,” he noted. “We do not expect to agree on everything, but enhancing interaction between our conferences will help to focus efforts on common sense solutions.”
As the Big Ten and SEC come together to navigate the ever-changing world of college athletics, their unified front will undoubtedly have a significant influence on the future of collegiate sports governance and reform.