Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson issued this statement in the wake of today’s historic news that the “Power Five” conferences composed of the ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big 10 and Pac-12 will be allowed to form their own group within the NCAA.
The change will allow those conferences to write their own rules regarding many key areas, including stipends, the player-agent relationship, travel allowances, staff sizes and cost-of-attendance stipends.
“Today’s vote by the NCAA Board of Directors is historic, but our universities have understood for some time that there will more than likely be an increase in the cost of operating their athletic programs,” Benson said. “There will be challenges, but Sun Belt universities have invested too much not to be part of major college sports in the future.”
The change could impact Georgia State’s financial statement.
ESPN surveyed the football coaches in the “Power Five” conferences and 46 percent said they would prefer to play only other “Power Five” teams in non-conference football games. Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson and Georgia’s Mark Richt said they weren’t in favor of that.
Playing only other “Power Five” teams would rob schools like Georgia State of the million-dollar checks that can be generated by schools outside of the big conferences — those in the American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt known as the “Group of Five” — in pay-for-play football games.
For example, the Panthers announced on Thursday that they would play N.C. State, a member of the ACC, in 2018 for $925,000. It is one of several games the school has lined up to help balance its athletic budget.
Coach Trent Miles said he doesn’t think the decision will affect Georgia State’s recruiting because they aren’t usually trying to sign many of the the same players who are also being recruited by “Power Five” schools.
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