White House Proposes Salary Caps and Group of Six Playoff
The landscape of college sports is about to change in a big way. The White House committee on college athletics reform is circulating a draft with some pretty bold proposals.
If these recommendations actually go through, we’d be looking at the biggest federal shakeup in college sports history. From capping coaches’ salaries to a new playoff system for the Group of Six conferences, the draft tries to tackle the financial and legal messes that keep piling up in college athletics.
Let’s take a closer look at the draft’s main ideas—and wonder for a moment what college sports might look like if even half of this comes true.
Contents
Overview of the White House College Sports Reform Committee’s Draft
The White House committee, set up under President Donald Trump, has put forward a series of recommendations to overhaul college athletics. The draft is clearly marked for discussion purposes only and is still gathering feedback from people inside the industry and from athletes themselves.
There are three main phases in the committee’s plan: stabilization, media rights reform, and permanent governance. It’s ambitious, maybe even a bit overwhelming, but that’s the general structure.
Phase 1: Stabilization
Phase 1 jumps right into federal intervention in how athletic departments spend money. One of the biggest ideas is putting salary caps on coaches and administrators.
That’s meant to stop costs from spiraling out of control—something that’s already pushed some programs to cut non-revenue sports or shrink staff. Just to give you a sense, at least 13 major football coaches are set to make $10 million or more next season. No wonder people are talking about financial reform.
The committee also wants to block schools from using NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals as a way to dodge those salary caps. They’re worried about booster collectives and athletic departments funneling media and apparel money to players, above the $20.5 million limit set by the House v. NCAA settlement.
The hope is to make things a little fairer for athletes, or at least less lopsided. Whether that actually happens—well, that’s up for debate.
Group of Six Playoff and Conference Realignment
Another big proposal: a separate playoff just for the Group of Six conferences. This would change how College Football Playoff (CFP) money is split up and might even lead to new conference lineups for sports that don’t bring in much revenue.
It’s also about saving money on travel and making life a bit easier for student-athletes who are tired of cross-country flights for games that barely anyone watches.
To keep players from jumping ship in the transfer portal, there’s a suggestion to add a college version of the NBA’s Bird Rule. Basically, schools could offer extra financial perks to players who stick around for more than one season. Stability is the goal, though whether that works in practice is anyone’s guess.
Phase 2: Media Rights Reform
Phase 2 is all about media rights—arguably the lifeblood of college sports funding these days. The committee suggests pooling media rights, with an opt-in model where at least 75 schools can combine their deals when contracts expire.
This pooled approach would include antitrust protection, which is a big deal if you’re looking for a stable, long-term fix for revenue sharing. There’s some real momentum behind the idea, too.
Tim Pernetti, the American Conference commissioner, has even spoken up in support. Still, it wouldn’t be easy. Amending the Sports Broadcasting Act is a tall order, and the politics get messy fast.
Phase 3: Permanent Governance
The last phase calls for a permanent governing body to oversee college sports. This would be a 15-member board coming out of the College Sports Reform Task Force, and it’s supposed to represent a wide range of voices.
- Players
- Power conference commissioners
- Notre Dame’s athletic director
- Two representatives from other conferences
- One representative from Division II and III
- An independent representative
- An attorney
There’s also talk of appointing sport-specific commissioners. The idea is to give each sport the attention it needs, not just lump everything under a generic umbrella. Whether this structure will actually make college athletics more sustainable? That’s the hope, anyway.
Challenges and Legislative Hurdles
Of course, none of this is simple. The entire plan depends on Congress stepping in, especially to pass a law that would protect the NCAA and its members from antitrust lawsuits.
The committee wants this legislation in place before Congress heads out for summer break, even if it means ignoring parts of the draft to get it done. That’s a lot to ask from lawmakers who rarely agree on much.
The long-delayed SCORE Act is supposed to hit the House floor the week of May 18. But honestly, leaders admit the bill is still several votes short in the Senate. Passing it into law looks like a real uphill battle.
Conclusion: A New Era for College Sports?
The White House committee’s draft lays out a bold vision for college athletics. They’re aiming to tackle financial gaps and shake up how media rights work.
There’s talk of making things more stable and fair. But, honestly, a lot hinges on what Congress decides—and whether the folks running the show are ready for real change.
The committee’s still gathering feedback and tweaking their ideas. The next few months? They could shape everything about where college sports are headed.
If you want to dig deeper, check out the original CBS Sports article.
