This is a review column.
If you’re interested in college football and have an internet connection, this headline will be hard to miss.
Lane Kiffin wants Nick Saban to be college football commissioner.
James Franklin also wants Nick Saban to become college football commissioner.
Kirby Smart too.
Everyone wants Nick Saban to be the commissioner of college football.
Sounds cool, but let me ask you three questions.
What is a college football commissioner? Like in real life? We talk about this work as if it actually exists. (it’s not) Does anyone think that one person could be given absolute power, wave a wand, and solve the complex problems facing sports today? Why do you think the 73-year-old wants this monumental (albeit imaginary) mission?
I’m not trying to end this year on a cynical note, but what are we talking about here?
Are the coaches so desperate to create a mystical superhero out of the ultimate villain of yesteryear?
Will Nick Saban take a nosedive from college football and fix the problems that led to his coaching retirement?
What are we talking about here?
That’s not to say that the problems facing the sport lie in Marvel’s fantastical stories. They are real and will never go away.
This concern is valid, as the intersection of NIL, revenue sharing, and adoption is becoming increasingly complex and has real-world implications. The NCAA is losing more and more power with each passing day since court rulings stripped it of much of its authority in this area.
This power vacuum has created a patchwork of state laws and an intolerable situation that has been said to only be resolved by Congress.
like the one in Washington DC
And Tommy Tuberville is trying to become a leader in that movement.
So it’s understandable why these coaches are so desperate to find competent leaders who understand the reality of the situation.
But reality is where we should stay.
And in this dimension, there is no such thing as a college football commissioner. Are you proposing the creation of a new governing body independent of the NCAA to regulate the sport? It introduces a whole new web of complexity that no one seems equipped to deal with.
The College Football Playoff only controls the postseason and has no authority to do anything other than fill out the 12 team slots.
And they make it stink. Well then, next.
Smart, Saban’s longtime assistant, offered the most realistic view of the situation when he spoke before this week’s Sugar Bowl quarterfinals.
“I don’t know if something as simple as appointing a commissioner would have solved all the problems,” Smart said in New Orleans. “I don’t think that’s the case. We’re governed by different circumstances. The conferences govern us. The NCAA governs us. Now we’re letting the courts govern us. Masu.
“I think having a commissioner is a good thing in theory, but what can a commissioner do effectively if everyone can’t agree on something?”
That said, Smart added that he thinks Saban is “the perfect fit” for this made-up position.
nice.
Sounds great in theory, but then again, we don’t live by theory.
As with any of these discussions about the future of college football and college athletics as a whole, it’s a question of power. This is a struggle between those at the top of the pyramid with the conference commissioners at the top of the current plan.
Have you noticed that you haven’t heard that the retired seven-time national champion coach should take over power over the sport?
Because, as D’Angelo Barksdale once said, “The King will always be the King, right?”
Although there are multiple crowns in this realm, there is no champion bowing down to kiss Saban’s ring (in this fantasy world, he is not in this world and actually trying to steal the power). ).
In fact, Saban himself has said that a conference commissioner or AD is better suited for a mysterious position like college football commissioner. It’s in ESPN’s February 2024 article.
Saban said in the article, “I’m not actually looking for a job.” “But I want to impact college football in the best way I can, whether it’s in public relations or whatever.”
He has been a thought leader in the sport for many years, always keeping his eye on the big picture while building and sustaining an empire unparalleled in the sport’s modern history. None of this diminishes the idea of what he can do to save a sport at a crossroads.
In a perfect world, Congress would be functional.
Or, in a world where leaders are willing to cede power, even if it goes against their personal interests, Saban would have been 10 years younger.
However, this is a world painted with imperfections.
Instead, we are trying to overcome the chaos caused by those who are already in power and refuse to let it go.
The idea of Saban in a wizard’s hat coming down from the clouds and ready to make college football work is great. Lane Kiffin never had a bad idea.
But we’re not in a Disney movie.
Nick Saban is not Santa Claus.
Therefore, as time is ticking, we must stick to solutions that are rooted in reality rather than fantasy.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter with Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
