A new chapter in college athletics has begun … but the story is far from finished. This summer’s landmark House v. NCAA settlement cracked open the door to revenue sharing and ushered in sweeping reforms, but even a multibillion-dollar agreement can’t escape turbulence. Legal challenges are already mounting, Congress is inching closer to direct involvement, and the sport’s power brokers are bracing for another round of seismic decisions as key media deals — including that involving the College Football Playoff — near expiration in the early 2030s.
Using the House settlement’s 10-year timeline as a guiding framework, CBS Sports spoke with dozens of stakeholders to explore what the future of college athletics might look like by 2035. Part 2 of this four-part series looks media rights and the direct role they will play in college football’s future.
Bob Bowlsby learned long ago not to be shocked by anything in college athletics. But even he didn’t see the knife coming.
In the summer of 2021, the longtime Big 12 commissioner was locked in private talks with SEC boss Greg Sankey, quietly crafting the future of a 12-team College Football Playoff. Their work was so discreet, so tightly guarded, it barely made a ripple in the media.
But Sankey wasn’t just building a postseason format. He was also quietly gutting Bowlsby’s league.
The bombshell came when news leaked that Big 12 cornerstones Texas and Oklahoma were secretly plotting a move to the SEC under Sankey’s guidance. OU and Texas went silent, refusing to return the commissioner’s calls until four days after the story broke. The decisions had already been made. There was no turning back.
“I had sat in a room with Sankey for a year and a half while those discussions were taking…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/after-the-house-v-ncaa-settlement-expiring-media-rights-deals-set-to-reshape-college-football-by-2035/
Author : Brandon Marcello
Publish date : 2025-08-05 17:15:00
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