Thirteenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

The focus of this study is to examine the dispersion of football-generated revenue and athlete talent amongst Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in the modern College Football Playoff (CFP) era. This research is a follow up to Caro and Benton’s examination of the “Great Divide” in 2012. The aim is to determine if the last decade has closed the parity gap between Group of Five and Power Five classified conferences and determine the impact of classification status on revenue and recruiting. The results of this study indicate that the conference stratification that existed through the BCS era has intensified over the last decade. This study quantifies the inequality in college football and recommends means to correct or control this disparity. While “nobody is broke”, college football may be past the point where parity in recruiting and revenue can be achieved. The implications and realities of this outcome are considered here.