The last few years have seen seismic changes in the college football landscape. Recent and rapid conference realignment has consolidated some of the biggest brands into only two leagues while effectively killing the Pac-12. And the advent of Name, Image, and Likeness in 2021 finally opened the door to athletes legally leveraging their talent for profit. Now, a class-action settlement looks to be the most massive change to college athletics in its history.
This week, the NCAA board of governors and the five major conferences voted to approve a settlement in House v. NCAA that would open up billions of dollars to former athletes and direct payments by schools to future players.