Joel Klatt assesses NCAA's future, what they can learn from the NFL
Joel Klatt has some fascinating opinions on USC and UCLA bolting for the Big Ten, and the FOX analyst believes the sport of college football can learn a thing or two from the NFL.
First, Klatt joined Colin Cowherd on The Volume to talk about how people have been living in a fantasy-land when it comes to the sport, and USC’s move to the Big Ten was some shrewd business.
“It was also unfair to think that we were just going to thrust onto the backs of programs like USC and Miami in some sense in the ACC, and the Alabama‘s of the world and the Ohio State‘s in the world. Like, Texas. Texas is a better example. Texas and OU (Oklahoma), USC. You’ve got to make all the money for all of us, and then we’re going to split that equally. It’s like, hold on. Timeout. That can’t be your model. That’s model going to get blown up,” started Klatt. “I think it’s unfair to expect USC to remain loyal in that situation. That’s not a popular opinion, obviously. People want the idealistic world, and the utopia world. Where it’s all kumbaya and everything. But that’s just not reality. Economic reality, business reality.”
Evidently, Klatt is firmly in USC’s corner — despite some of the harsh reaction throughout the college football world for upsetting the apple cart. Continuing, Klatt stated that the sport has been “vulnerable” for an extended period of time, and the powers at be need to learn from the NFL’s way of doing business.
“College football has been vulnerable for a long time, and the reason is no one has been looking out for the whole,” explained Klatt. “There’s a reason the NFL is sitting where it’s at right now, and it’s not just because it’s the tailor-made sport for television. That’s helped, but it’s also because way back when, they circled the wagons and they came together and said this is the model that’s going to make us ultimately more valuable than anything else.
“That’s been their model, they stuck to it and look at where they’re at now.”
The future of college sports — especially college football — is in question, but Joel Klatt believes a look to the professionals could provide some answers. Still, there’s a myriad of bridges to cross until things are figured out throughout the nation.