College football at a tipping point

College football has been a big money business for decades. But as the 2023 season kicks off this weekend, it seems the sport is approaching a tipping point in the hunt for billions of dollars.

Gone are the quaint notions that geographically compact conferences be made up of regional rivals. Next season USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon will join the Big Ten, which will have 18 teams. Traditionally, Iowa would only have played these teams if the Hawkeyes qualified for the Rose Bow. Now sleepy Hawks will need to stay up late to catch west coast kickoffs.

Next Year, the Big 12 will lose Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference while gaining Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. This season, the Big 12 adds BYU, Houston, Central Florida and Cincinnati.

The conference realignments are a race for billions in proceeds from television and streaming rights. Whether traditional rivalries the Hawkeye have cultivated over decades, including the Iowa-Iowa State game — can survive all of the shuffling remains to be seen.

Not all of the change has been troubling. Student athletes who generate all those revenues enjoyed by schools and conferences can now negotiate deals for the use of their name, image and likeness. Some agreements run into seven figures. Athletes also are free to use the transfer portal to find the best place to showcase their talent. The balance of power has shifted in favor of athletes.

But in Iowa, where sports gambling is legal and bets can be wagered quickly and easily on any smartphone, at least 15 Iowa and Iowa State athletes have been charged with violating Iowa law and NCAA rules by placing dozens of bets. No evidence has been found to suggest any of them sought to affect the outcome of an athletic contest.

More than 30 states allow some form of sports betting. And yet it seems Iowa is virtually the only state where athletes are being targeted for illegal and wrongful wagering. We’d like to see the NCAA take a far more evenhanded approach. Clearly, gambling by athletes should not be allowed. But it’s just as clear Iowa can’t be the only place where relentless marketing by gambling firms have tempted athletes to take a risk.

The conference alignment genie can’t be put back into the bottle. But we’ll lament the day when college football mimics the professional game, with massive conferences potentially killing the rivalries and traditions that make college football special. Billions will be made, but what will we lose?

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com