Ben Portnoy

Power Four assumes greater role in college sports oversight group The Settlement Implementation Committee is taking on a new shape to reflect the ongoing changes to the ecosystem and to help advise the College Sports Commission.

The Settlement Implementation Committee is in the process of reforming into a pseudo-advisory group for the College Sports Commission, sources tell SBJ.

The caveat? The NCAA and Pac-12 are no longer involved.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Windermere Club in Blythewood, SC was the latest stop on the Beat Writer's Game Deteriorating Throughout Football Season Tour. Played horribly, excellent time though. Hard course. @bportnoy15.bsky.social whipped my ass in a back 9 match

Iowa State inks 10-year extension with Learfield Learfield, Iowa State to announce 10-year extension of multimedia rights deal that was set to expire in 2028.

Iowa State is set to unveil a 10-year extension of its multimedia rights with Learfield.

Official announcement slated for Thursday.

More details here:
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Report card: How athletic directors view the nascent College Sports Commission The College Sports Commission is just three months old. And while there's optimism about its efforts to oversee NIL and payments to athletes, reviews around its effectiveness are mixed.

The College Sports Commission is now almost three months into its existence. How's it going?

I polled more than a dozen ADs around the country, from the G5 to P4, about their experiences with the CSC so far.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Leading third-party collective company, Student Athlete NIL, ceasing operations T hird-party NIL collective SANIL, which worked with a number of Power Four schools including Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Oklahoma, is closing down, sources said.

Student Athlete NIL (SANIL), one of the larger third-party collective operators in the country, is ceasing operations immediately, sources tell SBJ.

The company was set to be acquired by Blueprint Sports, but the merger fell through in recent months.
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Sources: ACC adds new exec from business world The league went outside the college sports space for its first-ever chief of marketing and brand officer, hiring Marques Zak of American Express, sources tell Sports Business Journal.

The ACC is set to hire American Express exec Marques Zak as its first-ever chief marketing and brand officer, sources tell SBJ.

An official announcement is expected on Wednesday.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Venmo adding Penn State QB to athlete roster, unveiling new activation Venmo has signed Penn State QB Drew Allar to an NIL deal that will make him the face of a new Penn State Venmo Debit Mastercard.

A little NIL news ahead of Penn State-Oregon this week:

Drew Allar has signed a deal with Venmo to become the face of the new Penn State Venmo Debit Mastercard.

He'll also be featured in a national ad spot that will debut this weekend.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

SBJ College: A case for AP Top 25’s relevance The Sept. 16 edition of the SBJ College newsletter features reporting on the relevance of the AP Top 25 poll when it comes to the business of college sports, how the Charlotte Sports Foundation contin...

There have been some ~thoughts~ about the AP Top 25 over the last week or two.

Wrote about why the poll still matters in a system flush with cash, Memphis’ new FedEx deal and more in this week’s college newsletter:
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/sb-blogs/new...

Diversify Or Disappear: Why even major bowl organizers are exploring assets beyond football Bowl games are integral to the college football postseason, but hang-ups with the CFP are having a significant impact on the future.

Bowl organizations touch far more than just the games they operate. But with CFP in flux, sponsorship deals and conference affiliations are unsettled.

On the bowl system's ongoing holding pattern and why their parent organizations are diversifying what they do.
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SBJ College: The CW is ready for its first ranked football game The September 9 edition of the SBJ College dives into The CW's first matchup of two top-20 ranked college football teams, Stanford's latest deal with Elevate, a beloved logo returning to Mississippi S...

This Saturday, one of the games of the week — No. 18 USF and No. 5 Miami — is being carried by, of all networks, The CW.

Story on how the CW found itself here, Miss. St. adding a retro logo to its rotation and more in this week’s college newsletter:
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/sb-blogs/new...

Jimbo Fisher, ESPN are betting on each other for the ACC Network Jimbo Fisher is back in college football — as part of the ACC Network. Why he and ESPN are betting on each other ahead of the 2025 college football season.

Jimbo Fisher spent a year out of college football home in West Virginia, hunting in Tanzania and he believes he can still win a national title.

But first, he’s joining “ACC Huddle” as an analyst.

“We know his name is going to be a bit of a lightning rod.”
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Sources: EA Sports college basketball video game talks hit snag EA Sports had won an RFP through CLC for a new NCAA college basketball video game, but 2K Sports' desires to create its own game put the other at risk of ever happening.

Discussions around an EA Sports CBB video game that includes all DI men’s and women’s teams are at an impasse, sources tell Sports Business Journal.

The snag centers on 2K Sports' continued development of its own, more narrow CBB product and exclusivity EA Sports desires.
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Opendorse has released a new report around positional NIL earnings in college football.

A few highlights:
- QBs account for 18% of P4 football budgets, the largest share of any position
- Just 0.3% of P4 players are making >$1 million, but 10% are making at least $100K

Oregon State hiring Blueprint Sports to oversee in-house NIL agency Oregon State is set to announce a multiyear deal with Blueprint Sports that will see the company operate Oregon State’s in-house NIL marketing agency, sources told Sports Business Journal.

Sources: Oregon State is set to hire Blueprint Sports to operate its in-house NIL agency.

Expecting an official announcement later today.
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Meet Matt Kelly, one of the most connected people in college sports you’ve never heard of Matt Kelly has quickly become one of the most influential behind-the-scenes characters in college sports.

Matt Kelly never set out to be a power broker. Then one contract led to another, and another, and another.

“A lot of young guys used to want to be Jerry Maguire ... Now, it's like [people want to] be Matt Kelly.”

On the most influential college sports lawyer you’ve never heard:
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Mid-major conferences launch coalition to lobby Capitol Hill and protect their future in college sports Youngstown State President Bill Johnson, a former Republican representative from Ohio, is among those intimately involved with the groups efforts.

As college sports further skew toward the P4, a group of mid-major leaders quietly discussed their place in the space this summer.

Now, a 10-league coalition has been formed with one goal: Remain part of the conversation.

"If you're not at the table, you're on the menu."
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SBJ College: Don’t expect a ‘RedZone’ expansion anytime soon With the acquisition of "NFL RedZone," SBJ's Ben Portnoy explores how feasible it would be to bring the whip-around show to college football. Also in the Aug. 12 edition of the SBJ College newsletter,...

Could an NFL RedZone-style show come to college football? What's next for South Carolina after announcing an on-field sponsorship?

All that and more in this week's college newsletter:
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/sb-blogs/new...

Kentucky has announced an extension of its MMR partnership with JMI Sports “valued at more than $465 million.”

A few nuggets from the release:

Sources: Southland Conference re-ups with ESPN The deal is a six-year extension of the parties' existing agreement.

The Southland Conference is set to extend its deal with ESPN through 2031, sources tell SBJ.

Deal includes one Southland MBB semifinal game and the WBB championship game being broadcast on linear (Those were previously aired on a case-by-case basis).
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

New Balance has signed Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love to an endorsement deal, the company announced.

Love joins a client list that includes Chase Young and Marvin Harrison Jr.

Last season, Love helped Notre Dame to the national title with 1,125 yards rushing and 17 TDs.

Sources: Peacock adds Big 12 men’s hoops package The Big 12 is set to announce a new package of 20 men’s regular-season basketball games that will be streamed on Peacock beginning in 2025, per sources.

The Big 12 is slated to announce a new package of 20 regular season MBB games that will be streamed on Peacock beginning in 2025, sources tell @SBJ.

The games are part of a sublicense agreement between Fox Sports and NBC.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Why top college admin jobs — and their candidate pools — are changing with the times The profile of athletic directors in 2025 is changing, whether it be influences from the pro leagues to leaning toward Power Four candidates.

Is it harder for G5 admins to land P4 AD gigs?
Are pro sports execs next up for AD jobs?
What does an AD even do now?

“The gap between the haves and have-nots is getting bigger — and so are their problems.”

On college sports' evolving admin economy:
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua tells SBJ he's supportive of the recent executive order issued by Pres. Donald Trump.

Bevacqua has been one of the leading voices in D.C. around federal college sports legislation, played golf with Trump and Greg Sankey earlier this summer, etc.

Heisman Trophy Trust hiring new executive The Heisman Trophy Trust is seeking new leadership, as the group is currently in the hunt for a new president or CEO that will essentially replace current Exec Dir Rob Whalen, a source confirmed to Sp...

The Heisman Trophy Trust is hiring a new President or CEO, a source confirmed to SBJ.

The new role will essentially be a revamped version of the role that's been held by Executive Director Rob Whalen for 30-plus years.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

The College Sports Commission has issued new guidance around collective payments, essentially walking back its blanket ban on such transactions.

They’ll now be allowed, but will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and under some scrutiny.

Statement from the CSC below:

Analysis: UNC’s Belichick brings added attention to ACC amid a fight for exposure Bill Belichick is bringing media attention to UNC and the ACC like no other coach can.

The ACC received more credential requests than ever for its media kickoff in Charlotte.

The reason: The Bill Belichick Experience ™

On Belichick's ACC Media Days debut and the impact he can have for a league fighting for attention.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Auburn is set to announce a three-year deal with Peachtree Entertainment to bring live music to its venues.

The deal brokered by Elevate will see Peachtree bring at least five shows per year to Neville Arena and one concert to Jordan-Hare Stadium over the life of the agreement.

ACC Commissioner supports expansion as CFP format stalemate persists The CFP format remains in flux, but ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips has thoughts on what it should look like.

ACC Commish Jim Phillips tells SBJ he's in favor of a 5+11 CFP format, but staying at 12 is possible.

"I hope we can get there, but if we don’t, I’m fine with where we’re at right now, and we can just watch this for a few years, and then reconvene.”
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The Rose Bowl is set to tab Elevate as its exclusive premium sales partner through a multi-year agreement, sources tell SBJ.

The stadium is currently undergoing an $80 million renovation that includes new premium seating ahead of the 2028 Olympics.

A day inside the SEC’s football radio circus: ‘You eat what you kill’ The SEC’s Digital Drive is a contest in landing high-profile guests, and a crucial advertising week for stations not immune to the challenges of the modern media landscape.

Lastly, one more re-up of my dispatch from Atlanta and SEC Media Days:

On the SEC's ability to dominate headlines and the ethos of its media ecosystem on display via Radio Row.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...