Nebraska legend Tom Osborne calls out college athletics landscape: 'The NCAA has become somewhat irrelevant'

When Tom Osborne was Nebraska’s head coach, the Cornhuskers reached the highest of highs. NU won 12 Big Eight titles under his watch and three national championships before his retirement in 1997.

In the time since, Osborne stayed close to the program. He was the Huskers’ athletics director from 2007-13 and maintained a presence since Matt Rhule took over in 2023. That allowed him to see Nebraska adjust to the new college sports landscape, and he gave a strong assessment of where things stand.

Osborne specifically called out the NCAA, which he said is now “somewhat irrelevant” in the NIL and transfer portal world. He added the Big Ten and SEC – largely regarded as the top two conferences – should step up to help get things on track.

“I think if those two conferences can get together, they may be able to establish some guidelines that make sense,” Osborne told KETV. “And then, the NCAA has become somewhat irrelevant. It doesn’t seem to have any clout anymore. There has to be some managing agency within college athletics that can interject some common sense.”

Of course, the Big Ten and SEC have been busy with those discussions. The two leagues met last year in Nashville to discuss key issues in college athletics, as well as College Football Playoff entry. They are also preparing to meet Feb. 19 in New Orleans, one week before the CFP commissioners gather in Dallas.

Tom Osborne: ‘Competitive balance’ will be issue after House settlement

In the meantime, the college athletics world is bracing for the impact of the House v. NCAA settlement. Judge Claudia Wilken is set to hear arguments for potential approval in April, and if she signs off, it would usher in the revenue-sharing era.

Under the settlement, schools would be able to share up to $20.5 million directly with athletes. Most Power Four schools expected to share $15 to $17 million on their football rosters.

However, not all schools will be able to share that amount. That’s why Tom Osborne said “competitive balance” could be a problem even if the settlement goes through.

“You have a few schools that are going to be able to go to the max. … There are going to be an awful lot of schools that aren’t going to be able to do that,” Osborne said. “So, competitive balance is going to be an issue.”

Matt Rhule: Nebraska well-positioned for House settlement

As for Nebraska’s position to handle the House settlement, Matt Rhule said the Huskers are ready for the $20.5 million figure. He also noted the support from 1890, NU’s primary NIL collective, and the role that plays in setting the program up for success.

“A lot of other schools, rev share is not going to be sustainable,” Rhule said. “So they can float a big number now and disappoint a kid later. We feel like we can just stand on business like, hey, this is what we said. 

“This is what we’re going to do in terms of 1890 … I think it’s really important that people hear some of the stories. I mean, you guys walk through the parking lot you don’t see like, Lamborghinis and Ferraris out there, like, our guys aren’t, you know, our guys are investing in their futures and very often taking care of people back home and so that’s probably the extent of it.”