Miami president Joe Echevarria floats football independence

The No. 1 team in the country says it is stuck in college sports' minor leagues, and its president is done being polite about it.

Ross Dellenger

@RossDellenger

In the "second tier" of college sports' caste system, Miami is positioning itself for a conference move while exploring football independence and fighting against a federal bill. "If we have to go independent," the president says, "I like our chances." t.co/AGBdulm1OU

Echevarria didn't hedge. "We sit in the second tier," he said, adding that being in that tier is why Miami doesn't get a vote on the 24-team playoff. His headline line was "You cannot lock us into a conference," and on independence he said "If we have to go independent, I like our chances because we are a national brand." Miami is reportedly looking at football independence with possible media partners like Amazon, but the end goal is still a seat in the SEC or the Big Ten.

The money explains it. SEC and Big Ten schools take home about $25 million more per year than ACC schools, and that gap is expected to nearly double when the media deals are renegotiated in 2030. Echevarria's complaint is that Miami won just about everything last year and still got paid like a program from a richer league that didn't. Meanwhile ACC exit fees fall below $100 million per school by 2030 under the settlement of the Florida State and Clemson lawsuits, and Miami has already sued the ACC over its exit terms.

The fight in Washington could block all of that. The Protect College Sports Act passed the Senate on Sept. 28, and it caps power conferences at 20 schools and makes any school that jumps between them play 3 years as an independent first. Presidents at Miami, Florida State, Clemson and North Carolina wrote to House leadership asking for a 22-team cap and no independence probation period. That would leave room in the 18-member Big Ten and the 16-member SEC. The other 13 ACC members back the bill as written, which tells you how this split is going.

The fans have already started daydreaming about the Big Ten version, complete with a Keith Jackson-style call of the Bruins flying across the country to play in Miami Gardens.

Jacob Cotsonika

@jacobcotsonika

“It’s a beautiful day in Big Ten country, as the UCLA Bruins go east to South Florida for a game with the Miami Hurricanes!”

Ross Dellenger

@RossDellenger

In the "second tier" of college sports' caste system, Miami is positioning itself for a conference move while exploring football independence and fighting against a federal bill. "If we have to go independent," the president says, "I like our chances." t.co/AGBdulm1OU

It's a joke, but there's a real case behind it. Miami is an AAU research school, which fits what the Big Ten looks for academically, while geography points to the SEC. Echevarria is also honest that independence has a real cost: "It's great for football but what about track, volleyball and the golf team?" Being independent is a backup plan and some leverage at the bargaining table. What he actually wants is a place in one of the 2 big leagues.

What to watch next is the House. If the 3-year independence rule survives, Miami's escape gets a lot more painful, and that's exactly why the president is talking tough about going independent now. If the cap goes to 22 and the probation period is dropped, the realignment wave everybody assumed was over could start again, and a Miami team on top of the polls is the perfect argument for why it should.