Mike Gundy says NCAA is ‘irrelevant factor’ in new-age college football

The world of college football is changing rapidly, for better or worse. It is edging closer to a different version of professional football, and the rapid emergence of Name, Image, and Likeness is playing a huge role in that.

The settlement of the NCAA antitrust lawsuit adds some spice to the sport’s current landscape, and Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy has his say on the matter.

“Everything is going to be new, and that’s what fascinates me now,” Gundy said. “As we move forward and become employees, the issue is, what do we do with the NCAA? Where do they stand? Because they don’t matter now.”

At times, Gundy has been reluctant to adapt to the new era of college football, but now he seems to understand how much the game is changing while embracing the changes for the sake of growing the Cowboys program.

“What role do they play as we migrate toward an NFL model? Whether they’re actually a factor or not. That’s going to be really interesting,” Gundy continued.

Gundy and other college football head coaches are closely watching the potential signing of U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken to a settlement with the NCAA, which would further shake up the NIL scene.

“I’m fascinated by all of this, what’s next,” Gundy said. “Nothing surprises me anymore. We’re trying to get ahead of the game a little bit, which is hard because we don’t know what the parameters are yet.”

According to Gundy, the plan should be simple — be prepared to exploit any and all rules and loopholes that affect the NIL scene, as players will continue to be paid for their services, essentially making college football a professional sport.

There has been speculation that the major conferences could break away from the NCAA as a result of the continued decline of the organization’s role in college football.

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