Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany expects NCAA changes to pass

Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany said Monday that he expects the proposed governance model being considered by the NCAA’s Division I board of directors to pass.

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According to The Columbus Dispatch, Delany doesn’t anticipate any problems standing in the way of the Big Ten and the other four so-called power conferences (Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference and Southeastern Conference) being granted much more autonomy in how they run their athletic programs.

In fact, he’s so confident it will pass that he said he’s not sure what the Big Ten would do should the vote not go as expected.

"“It it doesn’t (pass), I don’t really know what we’d do,” Delany said. “I expect there would probably be conversations within each conference, we’d huddle up and then see where we’re at.”"

Delany did not repeat the threat issued by SEC boss Mike Slive earlier this month that the Power 5 would break away to form its own division within the NCAA or withdraw from it completely.

The comments were made during Big Ten football media days in Chicago, the first official conference function for newcomers Maryland and Rutgers.

The governance proposal is just one of the pressures that threaten to radically change the landscape of major college athletics, along with the Ed O’Bannon class-action lawsuit against the NCAA over the use of players’ likenesses and the filing by Northwestern football players with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize.

Northwestern has appealed the decision of the Chicago district of the NLRB that would allow the union to be formed.

The governance model vote is scheduled for Aug. 7 and would give the Power 5 the right to provide stipends to athletes, among other changes.

"“I do think it’ll pass and capture the autonomy issues that are important to us in assisting student-athletes in the 21st century in ways that make sense,” Delany said. “I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t pass.”"