ACC commish pushes for school, conference unity

In his remarks to unfastened the ACC's yearly kickoff lawsuit successful Charlotte, commissioner Jim Phillips emphasized a request for "restraint" and "cooperation" by schools and conferences arsenic assemblage athletics works to make a model for the future.

Phillips said helium has urged coaches and athletics departments to abide by caller restrictions imposed successful the aftermath of the House vs. NCAA colony that allows schools to walk up to $20.5 cardinal annually connected nonstop jock compensation portion besides creating oversight of name, representation and likeness contracts -- efficaciously putting a brushed headdress connected what athletics section tin walk connected endowment acquisition.

"It's astir mounting up a modular with transparency," Phillips said. "We haven't had that successful the NIL era. Sometimes we can't assistance ourselves. People cognize what the rules are comparative to the $20.5. They cognize what morganatic NIL is. You tin play successful the grey country if you privation but each that does is undermine the caller structure."

Phillips reiterated a request for authorities oversight, too, and said helium continues to advocator for national authorities that would, among different things, codify that student-athletes are not employees.

Phillips' comments echoed a larger communicative helium pushed Tuesday astir a request for a unified imaginativeness for the aboriginal of assemblage athletics that prioritizes some the endeavor arsenic good arsenic idiosyncratic schools and conferences.

"I've ever tried to beryllium portion of solutions and collaboration," Phillips said. "We each person a work to our conference, and I surely bash for the ACC, but I besides cognize we person a work to the endeavor -- whether it's what's happening present with [the College Football Playoff] oregon what we bash with a caller governance operation oregon however we formulate the [College Sports Commission]. I'm beauteous beardown successful my convictions but effort to bring radical together. The champion mode to get a woody done is possibly relent a small spot and springiness up a fewer things but support an oculus connected what we're trying to achieve."

The imaginable enlargement of the College Football Playoff remains 1 of the biggest sticking points among idiosyncratic commissioners, with the Big Ten pushing for a exemplary that includes automatic bids for the apical 4 teams successful its league, portion the SEC and Big 12 person advocated for a 5+11 exemplary that would springiness berths to 5 league champions and 11 chaotic cards.

Phillips did not enactment a circumstantial plan, but helium said helium wants to spot league championships rewarded and is successful favour of accrued access, suggesting he'd beryllium unfastened to a 14- oregon 16-team playoff that did not warrant much than 1 berth for immoderate conference.

Part of the playoff negotiations is simply a renewed absorption connected spot of schedule, with the SEC wanting guarantees from a playoff enactment committee connected circumstantial metrics that volition beryllium utilized to guarantee teams with much hard schedules volition beryllium rewarded for playing tougher games. An statement connected those metrics could unfastened the doorway for the SEC to determination to a nine-game league docket -- akin to the Big Ten and Big 12 -- which, Phillips said, could unit the ACC to travel suit.

"I similar wherever we're astatine with 8 games," Phillips said. "We'll set if we person to, but I deliberation immoderate of those accepted [non-conference] rivalry games that we truly bask could spell away."