NCAA board approves new structure that gives Power 5 autonomy

by Izzo Court 2014-08-07, 14:15

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/ncaa-division-i-board-autonomy-vote-passes-power-5-080714

Representatives from the five richest leagues -- the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC -- will hold nearly twice as much voting power (37.5 percent) as any other group on a newly created council, where most legislation will be approved or rejected.

The No. 1 goal for the big conferences will be expanding scholarships to include more money toward the full cost-of-attendance -- funding that goes beyond tuition, room and board, books and fees. Legislation to give athletes an additional $2,000 to cover college expenses was approved by the board in October 2011 but was overridden two months later by the smaller schools, spurring the big leagues' vocal lobbying effort to be granted more autonomy. The big conferences also want to invest more in athlete health care and continuing education, and want to ensure athletes retain scholarships for four years.