Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

So, they need to unionize - universally and not by conference.

The alternative is coming. One super-conference.

It's ruined.

That's the only path forward, but I still think there are just so many challenges.  If the football players are held up as professionals rather than students, then there can't be any differentiation between them and the volleyball players, or the soccer players.  And those players would then be open to challenging the schools for a slice of the pie.

So really I think the only way it would work, is if the schools essentially divested themselves of the football programs and spun them off into a legal entity-- a corporation-- of its own.  For private schools that might be simple enough, but for state schools there are all sorts of legal ramifications, and also board oversight concerns, that would go along with it.

Honestly I don't think there's any way to fix it.

That's the only path forward, but I still think there are just so many challenges.  If the football players are held up as professionals rather than students, then there can't be any differentiation between them and the volleyball players, or the soccer players.  And those players would then be open to challenging the schools for a slice of the pie.

So really I think the only way it would work, is if the schools essentially divested themselves of the football programs and spun them off into a legal entity-- a corporation-- of its own.  For private schools that might be simple enough, but for state schools there are all sorts of legal ramifications, and also board oversight concerns, that would go along with it.

Honestly I don't think there's any way to fix it.

you mean to tell me Donald Trump’s huge massive executive order that a lot of people are calling the greatest best executive order in history didn’t fix it?!?

here I was thinking it was fixed!

Let's leave politics and politicians out of this. 

Schools used to recruit regionally but that has gradually changed to the point that kids will mostly go anywhere. The B1G has more money to dole out than most now - especially at the top.

The game is ruined.

I liked it when the entire Wisconsin OL was from Door County and the Fox Cities.

They were maulers and they grew up on the Badgers.

Without players from the south, the Big Ten teams would be hot garbage.  The de-regionalization helps them in this case.

And on Saban's comment, if you think about the players when he was coaching and when they were 9-10 years old when their real football knowledge/memories begin, that was pre-2014.  OSU was good, but always falling short.  And UM was OSU's bitch. 
And the rest of the conference was....not great.  
If you care to be that specific about it, he's just speaking from his lived experience.