Overview
- The conferences distributed a detailed analysis to lawmakers calling pooled FBS rights "dangerously unworkable" and asserting conference-level deals will generate more money.
- FTI Consulting projects conference media revenue could reach about $10.5 billion annually by 2036, exceeding estimates touted by pooling advocates.
- The paper cites staggered contracts running into the 2030s, antitrust and Sports Broadcasting Act barriers, and risks to scheduling, rivalries, and branding.
- It rebuts Saving College Sports’ claim that aggregation would add roughly $6–7 billion and argues NBA/NFL comparisons ignore market timing and the NBA’s extensive local rights.
- Cody Campbell and SCS maintain reform is needed to sustain programs and propose a federally appointed body to manage rights and scheduling, but bills like the SAFE Act have not advanced to hearings and near-term change remains unlikely.