Boise St. President: No D-I president should want Power Five autonomy

Boise State President Robert W. Kustra said "no president within Division I should be in favor" of changes approved by the NCAA Board of Governors on Thursday that award Power Five conferences greater autonomy over various rule-making decisions.

Kustra, who Idaho Statesman reporter Brian Murphy wrote is "completely against" the autonomy vote and potential consequential changes, argued they would take Division I athletics down the "wrong road to professionalism" and "these elite programs will bear less and less resemblance to amateur athletics."

Murphy tweeted Kustra's comments:

Kustra on autonomy vote: "No president within Division I should be in favor of these changes."
— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) August 8, 2014

Kustra: "They take Division I athletics down the wrong road to professionalism"
— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) August 8, 2014

Kustra: "these elite programs will bear less and less resemblance to amateur athletics ... No one should think it will stop here."
— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) August 8, 2014

The Board of Governors voted earlier Thursday to adopt a new governance structure allowing schools from the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, ACC and SEC conferences to approve new benefits for athletes.

If 75 Division I schools vote against the decision, it will be reconsidered. If 125 schools raise opposition to the decision it will be suspended. There are nearly 300 Division I schools that are not Power Five members.

Power Five conference commissioners said that if their conferences were not granted autonomy they may be incentivized to break off from the rest of Division I athletics to form their own division, or to consider other measures.

A poll conducted by ESPN college football reporter Brett McMurphy released Thursday concluded more than half of Power Five coaches favor a schedule involving only other 'Power Five' teams.

- Will Green