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By Jordan Sigler
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Most people inside the sport of college football believe the current model is unsustainable.
Coaching and player salaries are increasing drastically each season, and there's only so much money that can be spent by programs year over year.
During an appearance on the "Rich Eisen Show" on Monday, new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham argued that college football should adapt a "NFL minor league model" where players will become employees and be paid under a salary cap.
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“I think it’s got to be an NFL minor league model where we have a salary cap and the players are employees,” Whittingham said. “I think, as distasteful as some of that is, I don’t think there’s any other way that is better than that. And, right now, it’s out of control. I mean, we’re going to have probably a dozen teams in the next recruiting cycle with $50 million rosters.
“And there’s such a disparity between the haves and the have-nots, and I think the only way to get that evened out and level the playing field is to go ahead and pattern it after... a minor league NFL model or ‘super league’ if you will. You’ll probably see 48-60 teams survive the cut and be on the right side of the line in the sand and proceed forward.”
Whittingham acknowledged that a super league would need to have clear and defined rules for each team member. On the player side, there would need to be a Collective Bargaining Agreement, like the NFL has with the NFL Players Association.
A super league seems to make the most sense for college football at this point. The SEC and Big Ten are the two most competitive conferences, with a handful of teams in the ACC and Big 12 capable of competing for the national championship.
Smaller schools will have a hard time competing with bigger programs even if a salary cap is instituted, because the dollar amount will still be too high for most Group of 6 teams. Media rights help Power 4 programs gain funding, and there just isn't the same appetite for smaller conferences.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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