The Big Ten and SEC announced Friday that the conferences are forming a joint advisory group aimed at addressing “significant challenges” across the college landscape.
According to the release, challenges that led to the formation of the joint advisory group include court decisions, pending litigation and differing state laws. These legal battles come during a dynamic period of change in college athletics, with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness creating concern throughout the college landscape.
While the group will have no voting power, serving only as a “consulting body,” it will likely yield influence considering it will include the two largest conferences in the FBS. The Big Ten is set to expand to 18 teams this summer with the addition of Oregon, Washingon, UCLA and USC, while the SEC is expanding to 16 teams with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas.
“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,” said Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti. “We recognize the similarity in our circumstances, as well as the urgency to address the common challenges we face.”
“There are similar cultural and social impacts on our student-athletes, our institutions, and our communities because of the new collegiate athletics environment,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. “We do not have predetermined answers to the myriad questions facing us. We do not expect to agree on everything but enhancing interaction between our conferences will help to focus efforts on common sense solutions.”
