Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard publicly urged the Big Ten and SEC conferences to fully break away from the NCAA in all sports, not just football, during remarks on May 18-19, 2026 [1, 2]. Pollard expressed frustration that these conferences have refused to abide by rules set by the College Sports Commission (CSC), created last year to monitor third-party name, image, and likeness (NIL) contracts and oversee NCAA revenue sharing after the House v. NCAA settlement [1].
"The four commissioners (Big 12, ACC, SEC, Big Ten) spent a lot of money creating the CSC. Then to have two of the conferences not want to adhere to it is perplexing to me, because then why did we spend the money?" Pollard said [1].
He acknowledged calls for the Big Ten and SEC to break from the NCAA have circulated for years but challenged them to do so entirely across all sports. "I said it three years ago, let them break away. I would turn it around and say we should break away from them. Let them go, but they have to go in all their sports and see how fun it is to play baseball and softball and track when it’s just the 20 of you," he said [1].
Pollard also added, "That’s how I feel about it. Like, let’s quit talking about it. Quit threatening. Go do it. But if you’re going to do it, you don’t get to just do it in football and then keep all your other sports with us. No, take them all. See how fun it is" [2].
The College Sports Commission was established in 2025 as part of a settlement in the House v. NCAA case to ensure proper oversight of NIL deals and revenue sharing across conferences [1]. Pollard’s comments come after Iowa State’s football program was drained last offseason following coach Matt Campbell’s departure to Penn State, further complicating the athletic department’s position [1].
