While SEC and Big Ten leaders mull major changes, a new Super League concept looms that could radically alter college sports

Over the summer, as college administrators scrambled to unearth new cash for the onset of athlete revenue sharing, a svelte, bespectacled man visited with leaders at some of the most high-profile athletic departments in the country.

He presented to them his solution for the unwieldy entity of college football.

It is called Project Rudy.

“His claim is that everybody will be saved,” said one power conference athletic director.

As SEC and Big Ten leaders prepare to meet Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville for a historic summit of the industry’s two powers, there is an unreported undercurrent driving the discussion: Project Rudy.

Spearheaded by former Disney executives-turned-investment professionals, Project Rudy is a super league-esque concept — separate and more simplified than the one made public last week — that incorporates football programs of the four power conferences in a 70-team structure. The model preserves the four power conferences, expands the postseason, overhauls scheduling, tiers revenue distribution and, most importantly, infuses as much as $9 billion of private capital cash into the system.

The architects behind the model work for Smash Capital, a venture capital and private equity firm with offices in Los Angeles and New York. Representatives from Smash Capital declined to comment when reached last week, but their concepts are outlined in a 14-slide presentation obtained by Yahoo Sports.

Over the last four months, athletic directors at more than 25 power conference programs have seen the presentation, many of them in person during meetings with Smash Capital representatives. Others only held phone or Zoom calls about Project Rudy, its name a nod to the famous Notre Dame walk-on, Rudy Ruettiger. Three of four power conference commissioners were shared details of the model directly from the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/while-sec-and-big-ten-leaders-mull-major-changes-a-new-super-league-concept-looms-that-could-radically-alter-college-sports-130031534.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-08 13:00:31

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