Realignment: REAL Reality

It doesn’t seem that long ago that the names of college conferences were geographically and numerically correct. But as the ole’ adage suggests, “The only constant in life is change.”

Enter the proverbial college football revolving-door landscape known as:  conference realignment. These days, as surely as the wind changes, so too it seems, another school enters the daily media speculation and prediction of where the next realigning domino may fall. The Big Ten suddenly has 12 teams while the Big 12 now has only 9 schools, and the ACC, SEC, and PAC 12 respectively have members in their leagues that don’t even represent their conference name geographically. The whole thing sounds to me like a bad math riddle. And the reality—despite what NCAA President Mark Emmert would wish to believe or convey to an educated public—is that the whole realignment chaos is fueled by math! The math of $300 million dollar partnerships with ESPN and other media outlets. The same 20-year deal the University of Texas received for the creation of their Longhorn Network venture. With television rights and revenue-sharing at all-time highs, schools are frantically vying for inclusion, desperately seeking to ensure and maintain their relevancy in the big business of collegiate athletics.

Constant change can seem overwhelming, and at the very least, be unsettling. But amid the uncertainty of the conference landscape, I can find solace in knowing that although governments, economies, jobs, and athletic conferences may rise and fall—God Himself never changes. Scripture reaffirms us in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He remains compassionate, competent, and in control. His Word remains tender, timely, and true. His presence remains relevant, relative, and REAL!

Editorial