"Imagine if the NFL had like 9 commissioners": ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit reveals his radical idea to challenge NCAA’s weakness in college football

The college football world is constantly changing, and these changes have occurred quickly in the last couple of years.

As a result, the landscape now includes three super conferences, and how much money a player can make is one of the primary motivators for commitment.

Additionally, the NCAA, which was once seen as a powerful organization, has lost much of its power, which is now held by the conferences, especially the larger ones.

“Get one voice," ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit said. "Imagine the NFL if they had nine commissioners for each division."

The NFL has one person in charge of everything: commissioner Roger Goodell. But due to the way college sports work, each conference has a commissioner who sets the specific rules for each conference. So, while all 32 NFL teams have one person to make decisions, college football has many, and the power balance between these commissioners is not equal.

Commissioners of the Big 12, Big Ten and Southeastern Conference are more powerful than commissioners of Group of Five leagues like Conference USA, as their conferences have the most competitive and profitable teams.

To combat this problem, the NCAA needs to act to not only ensure the balance in college athletics but to regain the authority and power that it once had.

One way to do this is for the NCAA to appoint a “College Football Commissioner” who has a role similar to Roger Goodell, with the conference commissioners having to respect the commissioner's ruling.

If the NCAA were not to do anything, Herbstreit warns that the teams may do something drastic.

Will the powerhouses leave the NCAA?

Kirk Herbstreit has said that he would not be surprised if the larger, more powerful conferences, like the SEC, decided to break away from the NCAA to form their own college football system.

“You’d take the Big Ten, whoever it’s going to be – it’s like 60 teams, it’s the Big Ten, it’s the SEC, the ACC and the Big 12 and whoever else – I think they should go form their own world," Herbstreit said.

If this were to happen, there would be massive ramifications for the NCAA.

They already have no say in who makes football's national championship game, with that responsibility falling to the College Football Playoff committee.

If this move were to happen, the NCAA would likely take on board the advice from Kirk Herbstreit and elect one person to be the commissioner.

This person would lead the most powerful teams in college football and be able to make rulings on topics like the NIL, something that the NCAA is struggling to manage.