If you're a fan of committees, we've got some good news for you.
LEAD1, the DC-based organization that represents all 131 FBS athletics directors, has drafted a letter advocating for forming a governing board to oversee the Football Bowl Subdivision, which would be lead by a chief operating officer.
Major college football is like cryptocurrency in that it's a multi-billion dollar industry with no one in charge. The College Football Playoff operates the FBS national championship process, and that organization is headed by executive director Bill Hancock, but it's run by its Board of Managers -- a group of college presidents from all 10 FBS conferences plus Notre Dame. The NCAA is managed by a series of committees, which all flow up to the Board of Directors -- again, a president from each Division I conference.
This would be an attempt to change that.
According to a letter obtained by ESPN, LEAD1 advocates forming something similar to the College Football Playoff selection committee: a group of luminaries from across college football to manage the sport's governance and structure.
According to the group's proposal, the FBS football governing board would primarily be comprised of people with significant football knowledge, and appointed by their conferences. There would also be a representative from the American Football Coaches Association, along with four independent directors, including at least two former student-athletes -- a combination of unbiased people and those who have a players' perspective, which the Knight Commission has separately been pushing for.
The letter was sent to every D1 AD, members of the D1 Transformation Committee, and the D1 Board of Directors.
The governing board would be managed by a chief operating officer, a position similar to the one Dan Gavitt has for college basketball. Gavitt is the NCAA senior vice president of basketball. In that role, he's something below the commissioner of a professional sports league but has more authority than CFP executive director Hancock.
The idea would be to for the commission "decide all matters related to FBS football."
Now, obviously, that's a vague statement whose umbrella stretches from Coral Gables to Palo Alto. Would this committee have the authority to, say, stop UCLA and USC's move to the Big Ten? To unilaterally set the FBS schedule? To tell the Rose Bowl when it can be played?
College football's current governance structure is inefficient, but it's inefficient for a reason: the inmates like running the asylum.
If this committee is formed, would its constitution be written in a way to give it real power? And if so, would campus presidents willingly approve authorizing a committee that would take autonomy out of their own hands?
True to form, ESPN's report indicated that the NCAA's governance structure is such a labyrinth that it's unclear who even has the authority to form this committee:
It's also unclear who needs to vote to officially approve it, as there are differing legal opinions, according to sources.
Regardless, if the FBS Football Governance Committee does come to fruition, I will humbly submit my name to become its COO. I've always felt called to a life of service.