Paul Finebaum Reveals the Conundrum the SEC and Big Ten are Facing

Paul Finebaum in attendance of the Mississippi Rebels against the Miami Hurricanes. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Can college football be saved? That is what a few lawmakers are hoping to accomplish in Washington, D.C.

A few months ago, Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) agreed on bipartisan legislation called the "Protect College Football Act" to bring sweeping reform to college sports. It would also grant the NCAA an antitrust exemption and introduce transfer enforcement.

The bill does a lot of things to help the sport. It mainly focuses on five key areas: it reins in the transfer portal, it gives the NCAA and other governing bodies actual enforcement power, it creates a national NIL system, it limits midseason coaching movement, and it tries to prevent a breakaway super league.

SEC, Big Ten Still Aren't Sold on the Bill

All of these things seem to be positive for the sport on the surface. However, the SEC and the Big Ten are not in support. One of the issues they have is that it does not really preempt the patchwork of state laws or provide the protections needed to make and enforce consistent rules. The SEC and Big Ten feel those are both crucial to long-term stability in college athletics.

Big 10 commissioner Tony Petitti (left) and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey attend a game. | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Finebaum Points Out the Conferences' Contradiction

ESPN's Paul Finebaum feels the two conferences are facing a conundrum. He said on "The Paul Finebaum Show" that commissioners Greg Sankey and Tony Petitti claim they want reform in college football and want congressional help. However, when that help is offered, they push it away.

"I mean, these two, you know, Sankey has been around longer than Petitti," Finebaum said. "They have been in Washington a lot pushing for congressional intervention, and you've heard the same things we've all heard that we have to have government help and how interesting it is that the government is at the door helping, but Sankey and Petitti don't really want what they're offering."

There's No Perfect Solution

The likelihood that everyone will be happy with a proposed bill to save the sport is low. There will likely always be something the conferences have an issue with.

Right now, the Big Ten and SEC are the ones with the problems. But who is to say that if lawmakers make adjustments to this bill that the SEC and Big Ten like, that the ACC or Big 12 would still be on board at that point?

The problem is that college football's two most powerful conferences can't keep asking for federal help and then balking when a real proposal shows up. No bill is going to be perfect, especially in a sport this fractured, but the current system clearly isn't sustainable.

If the SEC and Big Ten truly want structure, enforecement and long-term stability, then at some point they have to stop acting like bystanders and start helping build the solution.