Ohio State AD Proposes FBS Leagues Leave NCAA Structure

SALT LAKE CITY – Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith suggested that Football Bowl Subdivision teams play under the College Football Playoff rather than the NCAA.

The Buckeyes’ AD proposed the new college football structure during an interview with ESPN at the Big Ten Conference’s spring meetings on Tuesday, May 3.

Smith presented the idea of the FBS’ 10 leagues playing under the College Football Playoff with their own structure and set of rules.

“We [can] create our own rules, create our own governance structure, have our own enforcement, we have our own requirements, whatever that might be,” Smith told ESPN. “That might be in the medical space, for example, if a student-athlete is injured and hurt in his or her senior year. You take care of them when they’re done until they’re healed. And we have the funding in place to do that.”

OSU AD: Let football belong to CFP, not NCAA https://t.co/TQuprSL9oU

— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) May 4, 2022

“You don’t touch anything else with the NCAA. You keep the academic requirements in place,” Smith added. “The reality is, those schools who offer 85 scholarships in football have made a different commitment and that needs to be addressed.”

According to ESPN’s Heather Dinich, Smith’s proposal received “mixed reviews” after being shared with some of his colleagues. Smith reportedly suggested that the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), which is a lower level of college football, continue to be played in its current structure but that the FBS could follow its expanded playoff model.

Currently, the College Football Playoff consists of four teams and the FCS Playoffs feature more than a dozen programs.

“The CFP model needs to be looked at differently,” Smith said. “As we consider expansion, we ought to consider the structure. The reality is we need to begin to control our own space. We’ve got to make sure we’re careful with antitrust, but at the end of the day, we need different rules.”

Just down the hall from the College Football Playoff spring meeting … pic.twitter.com/IQTOe6Yf0F

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) April 27, 2022

About the College Football Playoff

In February, the College Football Playoff announced its postseason format would remain at four teams through the 2025 season after expansion talks failed.

The College Football Playoff first started in 2014 after taking over for the Bowl Championship Series. Since its inception, the Playoff has featured four teams that play in two semifinal games before the winners advance to the national title game.

Alabama of the Southeastern Conference has the most College Football Playoff appearances with seven and most victories with nine. SEC teams have won the national championship five times since 2014.

The Pac-12 Conference has appeared fewer times in the Playoff than any other Power Five league with only two appearances.

BREAKING: The @CFBPlayoff announced that no expansion will take place through at least the 2025 season. 🏈🏆#CFBPlayoffhttps://t.co/UrB7l1VLNM

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 18, 2022

Last season, Cincinnati became the first non-Power Five and non-Notre Dame team to reached the College Football Playoff.

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