Ben Portnoy

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

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...

AAC officially rebrands to the American Conference The AAC is set to change its official name to the American Conference as part of a broader rebrand of the league.

Meanwhile, the AAC is now the "American Conference" thanks to a re-brand that will be revealed more fully this week.

Spoke with Commissioner Tim Pernetti and a handful of stakeholders in the league about the efforts and why now was the time for it.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Sources: Big 12 won’t add Memphis despite pitch Memphis approached the Big 12 with a pitch to become its 17th member in recent weeks, but conference presidents decided against moving forward with the proposal, sources told SBJ.

Re-upping a couple things from Charlotte this morning as ACC Media Days get going (the Big Ten is also set to begin in Vegas).

My story from reporting over the last week on Memphis' efforts to get into the Big 12 and the $200 million pitch it made:
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

👋👋👋

Sources: Big 12 not moving forward with Memphis despite significant sponsorship pitch Memphis approached the Big 12 with a pitch to become its 17th member in recent weeks, but conference presidents decided against moving forward with the proposal, sources told SBJ.

Big 12 presidents are passing on a pitch made by Memphis to join the league, sources tell SBJ.

The Tigers’ sell centered on taking no conference distribution in the immediate future and delivering $200+ million in sponsorship dollars to the league.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

AAC officially rebrands to the American Conference The AAC is set to change its official name to the American Conference as part of a broader rebrand of the league.

Goodbye AAC. Hello, "American Conference."

Details on the league's rebrand set to be announced later this week by Commissioner Tim Pernetti at the conference's media days and why now was the time for a new name and look.

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

The second annual College Basketball Crown is set for April 1-5 in Las Vegas, sources tell @SBJ.

The event put on by Fox Sports and AEG will also see a host of returning sponsors, including:
- Ghost Energy
- Vivid Seats
- JSX
- Circa Resort & Casino
- MGM Resorts International

Source: 2K Sports planning college hoops game 2K Sports is making a college basketball game, one in which Power 4 programs such as the Big Ten’s UCLA and Michigan State and Houston from the Big 12 a rumored to be in the mix, SBJ has learned.

News from my colleague @jasonbwilson.bsky.social on the video game beat:

2K is working on a college basketball video game, while Michigan State, UCLA and Houston are among the schools that could be a part of it.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

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.

The SEC dominates offseason headlines like no other conference in America. How do they do it?

Look no further than Digital Drive — formerly and colloquially known as “Radio Row.”

"Here, you eat what you kill. You’re not guaranteed anything.”
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

An interesting nugget in this — The Big East would receive a weighted vote on the NCAA men’s basketball oversight committee.

The rationale hinges on the league’s history in the sport and that its investment mirrors that of the P4.

MBB oversight would be structured as follows:

The recommendation provides, among other things, a breakdown of how the voting percentages on varying NCAA committees would be divvied up:

Power Four push for control in new NCAA governance structure The Power Four desires more control of the NCAA governance structure, but internal NCAA polling suggests the rest of Division I are unsurprisingly not supportive, according to documents obtained by Sp...

NEWS: SBJ obtained the nearly 100-page NCAA governance recommendation the Division I Board of Directors were briefed on in June.

The update included previously unreported polling the NCAA conducted for feedback on potential changes to its structure.

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

Iowa and Learfield are set to announce a five-year extension of their current partnership (Official announcement expected Thursday).

The current deal between the two parties was slated to run two more years, while the extension now binds them through 2032.

SBJ College: Greg Sankey on CFP flux -- it ‘doesn’t have to rewrite the story all the time’ The July 15 edition of the SBJ College newsletter covers SEC Greg Sankey's thoughts on how the turmoil in college sports is affecting football, a changing of the guard for athletic directors, the stat...

CFP discussions are ongoing — and holding at 12 teams feels like a real possibility.

But is another offseason of format conversation unhealthy? Greg Sankey doesn't necessarily think so.

That and more in this week's college newsletter from Atlanta:
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/sb-blogs/new...

The Power Four conferences (plus the Pac-12) have put out a joint-statement related to the mark up of the SCORE Act on Capitol Hill earlier today.

The mark up was conducted by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.

Oklahoma, Learfield consolidating NIL operations under one banner The Univ. of Oklahoma is taking a different approach to its NIL efforts, as the school is set to announce a new structure in which 1Oklahoma (OU’s NIL collective) will consolidate its operations and m...

Oklahoma is set to announce that it's rolling up its collective, 1Oklahoma, into its local Learfield property (Sooner Sports Properties).

Utah State Deputy AD Bobby Nash is also being brought on to help run the new-look operation.

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

Sankey asked if the SEC was open to PE/private capital.

He confirmed the league had explored it, but noted "we've not seen the concept that works. It doesn't mean we won't consider opportunities if there are opportunities for mutual benefit. Those would pique our interest."

Sankey, tongue-in-cheek, asked about early returns on revenue sharing:

"There's consensus about concerns and complaints. ... I think the freak out factor is a little bit high."

Some interesting comments from Sankey related to the CFP and whether the SEC will adjust its scheduling from eight league games to nine:

Sankey with a few thoughts on the CFP and what comes next there:

"We think growth beyond 12 can be positive. It should be pursued. There's also a belief that the process for selecting teams to participate in the College Football Playoff can be updated and improved itself."

Greg Sankey on NCAA basketball tournament expansion:

"Basketball, in general, we are supportive of expanding both the men's and the women's basketball tournaments. Nothing in college basketball is static, so tournament expansion is certainly worth exploring."

An interesting tidbit in Sankey's address:

He mentioned SEC presidents suggested at spring meetings the P4 leagues form a committee to explore their role in the future of college sports.

The idea would include two presidents from each league, plus the commissioners.

Greg Sankey taking the podium here in Atlanta to kick things off at SEC Media Days