The Big 12 “Going to War”

We can't even enjoy a holiday weekend anymore without major college sports news dropping.

On Memorial Day, Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger released another bombshell report detailing a brewing "war" between the SEC/Big Ten and everyone else.

SEC spring meetings are underway, and according to Dellenger, SEC veterans say these are the most important meetings in the league’s history. They'll discuss the future playoff format, NCAA governance, and how NIL should be handled moving forward.

By now, Open For Business subscribers know the Big 12, ACC, Notre Dame, and the Group of Six strongly oppose the SEC/Big Ten playoff proposal, which would grant four automatic playoff bids to each of the Power Two conferences.

Dellenger describes the current standoff as a "street brawl," and a Big 12 athletic director provided this analogy when asked what happens if the SEC and Big Ten push ahead with their widely unpopular plan:

“I guess we’re going to war.”

Dellenger’s article also revealed a new tactic the Big 12 and ACC may use. The current College Football Playoff agreement for 2026 and beyond grants final decision-making power to the Big Ten and SEC—but only after they “collect input” and conduct “meaningful consultation” with other leagues.

The report indicates that certain stakeholders (we don't yet know exactly who) have already sought legal counsel to determine whether Sith Lord Greg Sankey and his Big Ten commissioner sidekick Tony Petiti have met these obligations.

In other words, who's ready for another lawsuit?

If that's where this is headed, the Big 12 and ACC are truly calling the Power Two’s bluff about breaking away to form their own playoff.

And honestly, at this point, I fully support whatever fight the rest of college sports wants to put up against the Big Ten and SEC. If they’re handing me a sword on the front lines like it's Braveheart, I'm certainly not sitting out the battle.

Dellenger’s story also outlined a new playoff proposal backed by the Big 12 and ACC: a 16-team format that includes an automatic bid for each Power Four conference champion, an autobid for the highest-ranked Group of Six champion, and 11 at-large bids.

Honestly, I think that would actually result in fewer Big 12 teams making the playoff compared to the SEC/Big Ten’s preferred 4/4/2/2/1 model.

Under that latter plan, the Big 12 is guaranteed two playoff teams every year. 

Even with a 16-team field last season, BYU still would’ve missed out. That's what the Big 12 would face every year if left at the mercy of mostly at-large bids.

So why would the Big 12 support a proposal that probably means fewer playoff teams for them?

Because they're focused on the bigger picture. They don’t want to accept a format that openly admits they're only half as valuable as the Big Ten or SEC. They won’t give in to the unchecked greed and power grabs of the Power Hungry Two.

If the Big Ten and SEC get their preferred playoff format, they'll move to a nine-game conference schedule and an exclusive scheduling partnership, effectively shutting out everyone else from non-playoff games against their teams.

This Big 12-supported proposal also helps prevent further damage. If the SEC and Big Ten push their format through, college football will change in irreversible ways. It’s a way to keep more toothpaste from coming out of the tube that can’t be put back in. 

Right now, Greg Sankey is standing at the sink holding an oversized tube of toothpaste, cap off, ready to squeeze.

Can anyone reach him before it’s too late?

What You Need to Know

• It’s not looking very promising that anybody will get through to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey before too much damage is done. Check out this shot that he threw at the Big 12 and ACC on Monday night.

• …and it turns out Sankey was lying about a press release! Big 12 VP of Communications Clark Williams set the record straight. 

• Another key detail in Dellenger’s story is that the Big 12 and ACC have been meeting with the creators of Project Rudy, a private equity-backed Super League proposal that I’ve long supported and wrote about recently. 

• Dellenger also says that the SEC and Big Ten have been meeting with potential private equity and private capital partners, including Goldman Sachs. So if you’re against the Big 12 going down the private equity road, just know that every other power league is heading right down the same path. 

• K-State landed a top-five player in the basketball transfer portal. The Wildcats secured former Memphis combo guard P.J. Haggerty for a reported $2 million plus incentives. Haggerty was a second-team All-American last year and the AAC player of the year after finishing third in the country in scoring.

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