Power 4 Conferences circulate draft—schools must comply with House Settlement or face expulsion

May 19, 2025

Power 4 Conferences are moving to lock in their own rules as the House v. NCAA settlement looms, circulating a contract that would force member schools to play by the same book—even if state law says otherwise.

The draft, first reported by Ross Dellenger at Yahoo Sports, is making the rounds in the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12, is a direct answer to states like Tennessee, where lawmakers have tried to shield universities from national enforcement and compensation limits. The contract’s message is blunt: sign on and follow the new guidelines, or risk getting kicked out of your conference and left off the biggest stages in college sports.

The move isn’t just about flexing muscle. As states pass their own laws on athlete pay and NIL rights, college sports have become a patchwork of unpredictability. Some schools, thanks to more relaxed state rules, may have an easier time attracting top talent, while others risk losing ground.

By making compliance with the new standards a membership requirement, the conferences are betting they can restore some order—and maybe even get the courts on their side if push comes to shove. Arbitration would replace lawsuits, and the new College Sports Commission would oversee everything from NIL deals to direct athlete payments, aiming to keep the process open and playing field fair.

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While the immediate focus is on enforcement and compliance, the ripple effects across college sports are hard to ignore. For sports like golf—which enjoys national media coverage through the Golf Channel but doesn’t generate the same revenue as football or basketball—the settlement and new contract could bring tighter oversight and potentially stronger support for rostered athletes. 

But there’s a trade-off: as athletic departments crunch the numbers, some schools may have to make tough calls about which programs stay and which go. The landscape could tilt in favor of the wealthiest universities, where nonrevenue sports are more likely to survive and even thrive.

Still, for athletes who remain, the promise is real—fuller scholarships, stronger backing, and a system that’s a little more open and above board than before.