SEC - Big Ten partnership rumors: CFB insider reports FBS powerhouses joining hands to host nonconference games

In February, college sports was shaken by the Southeastern Conference-Big Ten partnership announcement, branded as a new joint advisory group. A few days ago, in an unprecedented move, the athletic directors of the two premier conferences met in Nashville to discuss the state of college sports.

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey visited the Grand Hyatt, Tennessee for the meeting. They discussed matters like the college football playoff format and a postseason scheduling agreement on the agenda.

On Tuesday, CBS Sports analyst Dennis Dodd reported on X:

"Breaking overnight: @SEC and @bigten in preliminary talks to play a series of "challenge" nonconference games against each other that would further their primacy in FBS and stiff arm private equity and Super League incursions."

During an interview with ESPN after the meeting, Sankey spoke about the desirability of nonconference games between teams in the SEC-Big Ten partnership.

"Is there a way for us to be intentional about our scheduling?" Sankey asked. "Just an incredible experience, and you stand on the sideline prior to kickoff thinking, what if we can do this more with our nonconference games? We respect where we have in-state rivalries that take place in nonconference scheduling, but we had a real general conversation about the what-ifs in football and basketball."

SEC-Big Ten bosses rubbish super league rumors

The historic House vs. NCAA settlement has changed the landscape of college sports. Programs and authorities are now mandated to share revenue with their student-athletes.

The issue of private equity in college sports was among the most discussed points in the SEC-Big Ten meeting last week. Although accusations have been bandied about the two premier conferences grabbing power, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti refuted the claims during a news conference.

"I have yet to see a single thing in any plan that I've learned details about that contains things that we couldn't do ourselves and our A4 colleagues as well," Tony Petitti said. "At the end of the day, there's a strong commitment that you have the ability to do all of this ourselves. The notion that college football is broken -- what we do is broken -- is just not right."

The SEC-Big Ten partnership will continue to arouse suspicion among college football fans and conferences not included in the meetings despite the commissioner's denials of the impending power grab.