NCAA President Charlie Baker concerned over 'highly disruptive' conference realignment

The dominoes from the last week of conference realignment have changed the face of college athletics.

The Pac-12 is crumbling; just four schools remain in the 108-year-old conference. Meanwhile, the Big Ten has grown to 18 institutions spanning coast to coast. Arizona, Arizona State and Utah have sprinted to the Big 12.

TV networks and college football drove the moves. Basketball and softball schedules were not closely examined.

In a statement issued to On3 on Monday night, NCAA President Charlie Baker emphasized his concern about what the conference shakeups could mean for the future of college sports. The former Massachusetts governor took over for Mark Emmert on March 1.

“I share concerns about the impact that the recent spate of conference realignment activities will have on student-athletes’ well-being,” Baker said in a statement. “The recent conference moves highlight what I found during my review of the issues facing the NCAA – the growing gap between well-resourced Division I schools and the rest of the division is highly disruptive for all of D-I and college sports overall. I believe D-I university and college presidents, commissioners and the NCAA should work together to explore ways to address the impact this growing gap is having on student-athlete well-being and the competitive equity issues across the division.”

The reshuffling is not done yet. The AAC is interested in adding as many as all four Pac-12 schools, a source told On3’s Eric Prisbell, which would expand its membership to 18. The Mountain West is another viable option.

The ACC held exploratory meetings Monday night about the addition of Stanford and Cal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Those talks come amidst Florida State declaring it needs to seriously consider leaving the conference.

What do Charlie Baker’s comments mean?

Charlie Baker’s comments are unique. Typically an NCAA president would not comment on a wave of realignment. But since taking the office this spring, he has become a visible leader in college sports. He’s spent significant time on Capitol Hill, lobbying Congress to enact federal NIL legislation.

The chances of lawmakers returning in September and prioritizing college athletics appear slim now. With an upcoming presidential election paired with a government shutdown crisis, NIL was never going to be the top priority.

The latest round of realignment does not help either. Baker and conference commissioners have been pleading with elected officials for assistance in compensation management. The moves in the last week have shown otherwise.