[Goose]

My belief that in the absence of legislation the NFL will adopt a D league is based on the assertion that some form of chaos will ensue while the colleges try to figure out what they can do and how they can do it. If the chaos is relatively slow motion the NFL may attempt to wait to see what happens, but if any real uncertainty about the future ensues the NFL will chose to act. If college football is going to shrink to the SEC alone, I don't think the NFL is going to like that. Too limited a footprint to attract enough players. We all know how big businesses hate uncertainty. The NFL may also fear some kind of legal contagion spreading to them from the NCAA issues. The may believe a D league will help allow them to continue to be an illegal monopoly with everybody winking at it. They can say they aren't contributing to the chaos. Naturally, I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL doesn't go this way, but I think it more probable than not. It would also give them an opportunity to locate relocation/expansion sites relatively cheaply.

This assumes an NFL farm league has to look like the D-league, or even like minor league baseball with additional teams in other towns. The lowest risk -- and immediately most lucrative -- way for the NFL to create a quasi D-league would be for them to expand the pre-season to a 10 game pre-season with special rosters of pre-season players, where pre-season league players could come straight from high school. You could even have a pre-season league playoff bracket.

I don't think you really mean "expand the pre-season to 10 games". The existing player base wouldn't sit still for that. It also would in effect be an 8 game season, which is not the 12 games a year they get now from NCAA football. However, the idea of each team having a "farm club" co-located and have them play a spring/summer season could work. They could play a full 12 game season. Naturally, during the "off season" these players would need to train and be coached. Right now, the colleges do that, and that would be off the table.

It would mean screwing the NCAA and ending their longstanding, mutually-profitable collusion, but I think SCOTUS has forced the issue. One way or another, there must now be a direct-to-paid salary path for high school seniors.

I am not sure the NCAA would really be totally "screwed". It would be similar to how college baseball is now. There is still a draft of college graduates. The difference would be that without legislation there wouldn't be the ability to stop players from quitting college early to go to the NFL. MLB can do that because they have an anti-trust exemption. However, even without legislation the approach is probably workable. However, that doesn't address the furball that will arise with college player compensation issues. That is what will screw the NCAA, the conferences, and amateur sports in general.

[Goose]

My belief that in the absence of legislation the NFL will adopt a D league is based on the assertion that some form of chaos will ensue while the colleges try to figure out what they can do and how they can do it. If the chaos is relatively slow motion the NFL may attempt to wait to see what happens, but if any real uncertainty about the future ensues the NFL will chose to act. If college football is going to shrink to the SEC alone, I don't think the NFL is going to like that. Too limited a footprint to attract enough players. We all know how big businesses hate uncertainty. The NFL may also fear some kind of legal contagion spreading to them from the NCAA issues. The may believe a D league will help allow them to continue to be an illegal monopoly with everybody winking at it. They can say they aren't contributing to the chaos. Naturally, I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL doesn't go this way, but I think it more probable than not. It would also give them an opportunity to locate relocation/expansion sites relatively cheaply.

This assumes an NFL farm league has to look like the D-league, or even like minor league baseball with additional teams in other towns. The lowest risk -- and immediately most lucrative -- way for the NFL to create a quasi D-league would be for them to expand the pre-season to a 10 game pre-season with special rosters of pre-season players, where pre-season league players could come straight from high school. You could even have a pre-season league playoff bracket.

I don't think you really mean "expand the pre-season to 10 games". The existing player base wouldn't sit still for that. It also would in effect be an 8 game season, which is not the 12 games a year they get now from NCAA football. However, the idea of each team having a "farm club" co-located and have them play a spring/summer season could work. They could play a full 12 game season. Naturally, during the "off season" these players would need to train and be coached. Right now, the colleges do that, and that would be off the table.

It would mean screwing the NCAA and ending their longstanding, mutually-profitable collusion, but I think SCOTUS has forced the issue. One way or another, there must now be a direct-to-paid salary path for high school seniors.

I am not sure the NCAA would really be totally "screwed". It would be similar to how college baseball is now. There is still a draft of college graduates. The difference would be that without legislation there wouldn't be the ability to stop players from quitting college early to go to the NFL. MLB can do that because they have an anti-trust exemption. However, even without legislation the approach is probably workable. However, that doesn't address the furball that will arise with college player compensation issues. That is what will screw the NCAA, the conferences, and amateur sports in general.