New NCAA Division I Governance Model Floated, Granting Power Conferences Majority Voting Power

A new NCAA Division I governance model is being circulated among executives, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.

The proposal would streamline the current committee structure—reducing the number of committees and eliminating some entirely. Most notably, it would grant the four power conferences 51%, and potentially up to 65%, of weighted voting power.

The idea of a new governance model has been a topic of discussion for years, but it gained urgency after the NCAA reached settlements in three antitrust lawsuits concerning athlete compensation, with the House case being the most prominent.

For those who aren’t up to date on the House case, the settlement—if approved by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken—includes nearly $2.8 billion in back damages for lost opportunities due to the NCAA’s past restrictions on name, image, and likeness (NIL) for student-athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024.

The settlement would allow institutions to pay student-athletes for their name, image, and likeness, with each school able to allocate up to $20.5 million annually for athlete compensation.

Also included is the implementation of roster limits, which would replace traditional scholarship limits.

SwimSwam has reported extensively on the House case. For a more in-depth look, please refer to the articles listed at the end of this piece.

The NCAA’s reported new model represents a change compared to an earlier proposal from the power conferences, which sought exclusive control over rule-making, legislative matters, and postseason competition.

The model is still in the proposal phase and currently being circulated for feedback. Final approval would need to come from the Division I Board.

If implemented, the new structure is designed to speed up NCAA decision-making and could give the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 substantial influence. The key takeaway: if they can cooperate enough to vote as a block, the Power Four schools could control every vote.

As the influence of the power conferences expands, the 28 non-power Division I conferences would see reduced representation—for example, a single voting seat could be shared by up to four FCS conferences.

Per Dellenger, more information about the proposed model is expected to be released publicly on Friday.

Read more about the House Settlement: