AAC commissioner Mike Aresco again wants to abolish the Power 5/Group of 5 divide

American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco speaks at AAC media day in Newport, R.I., on July 16, 2019. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
By Justin Williams
Mar 10, 2023

FORT WORTH, Texas — American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco marked the start of the AAC men’s basketball tournament Thursday by releasing a statement that once again took issue with what Aresco believes is an unhealthy division between Power 5 and Group of 5 conferences at the FBS level.

Advertisement

“In recent weeks I have seen references to the ‘Power Five’ in interviews and public conversations which suggest that the P5 is virtually the exclusive focus in college athletics,” Aresco wrote in the statement. “This is profoundly misguided, especially in the current environment.”

Aresco spoke with The Athletic on Thursday afternoon from Dickies Arena, the host venue for the AAC tournament, to expand on his comments and what he believes is the negative stigma the power-conference distinction has created for the AAC and others.

Time to ‘rethink’ the divide?

“What’s with this P5/G5 business? It’s time to rethink it,” Aresco told The Athletic. “Let’s just talk about FBS schools. Let’s give everybody a fair shake.”

In the wake of the more recent conference realignments and the upcoming expansion of the College Football Playoff to a 12-team format, Aresco has been increasingly bothered by the continued separation of P5 and G5 programs within the public discourse. “I’ve been reading more and more articles about P5 this, P5 that. It’s like the G5 doesn’t exist,” said Aresco. “That’s not healthy for college sports. You get tired of that divide, and I think it’s harmful.”

Another impetus for Aresco’s statement was recent reporting on the P5 conferences working together on potential federal legislation in regard to name, image and likeness. An internal memo circulated within the Atlantic Coast Conference outlining those efforts was recently obtained via public record request by On3. “We haven’t been (included). We didn’t know this was going on,” said Aresco. “We know (the P5) have secret meetings and other things, we know that. We’d prefer that we’re included.”

While Aresco believes the P5 label to be a media creation, he acknowledges that five “autonomous conferences” were established by the NCAA back in 2014. But he feels that designation is largely outdated now as well. “I’m not sure it’s necessary anymore,” said Aresco. “They haven’t passed any autonomous legislation in quite a while, and we’re right there. We do everything (the Autonomous 5 conferences) do.”

Advertisement

Aresco: Group of 5 wants more ‘input’

The P5 effort to coordinate federal NIL legislation, which On3 reported the conferences have spent the past year working together on, is the latest example of what Aresco considers to be the root of the problem.

“We’re not part of those discussions. (The G5 conferences) represent 65 to 70 teams, whatever it is. That’s not healthy because this involves everyone,” said Aresco. “We all have the same issues, especially in FBS. Whether we have less money is irrelevant. We’re just as competitive, we have the same draft issues, with NIL, with the transfer portal. We’d like input. We’d like information too — we’d like to know what’s going on. But we really want input.”

Aresco pointed out that NIL impacts all Division I programs, and that the arguments surrounding pay-for-play and recruiting inducements are another example of why better inclusion and uniformity are necessary for all parties involved.

“Transparency is really important. We think having some way to deal with the collectives is important. And you need some sort of fair-market mechanism,” said Aresco. “I don’t know legally how that would go through, but if you can do that, then NIL becomes NIL again. Because right now, I’m sure you’ve heard the joke that the acronym really means ‘now it’s legal.’ It’s really pay-for-play, it’s really recruiting and retention of players, and if you had a fair market value, then let the marketplace take its course. We don’t have a problem with NIL if it’s real NIL.

“We want input. We want uniformity across the country,” Aresco added. “Having all these state laws that give schools advantages over other schools, I think we should have sued California right away (in 2019) because it was going to spread to different states, and it becomes an untenable situation.”

Advertisement

All of this is part of a larger battle Aresco and the AAC have been waging against the power conferences for years, whether wanting more input on decisions that impact FBS athletics or advocating for the inclusion of AAC programs in the four-team CFP. Aresco was also very outspoken in his support for expanding the Playoff, penning an open letter on the matter in February 2022.

There was also a stretch when the American enacted a “Power 6” campaign and argued to be included with the other P5 conferences, but Aresco claimed that realignment and Playoff expansion have altered that dynamic as well.

“We had no choice but to talk about being a P6 conference because the media was focused on the P5 for the past 10 years. We think the transition should now be made to all 10 FBS,” he said. “You could make it Power 2, but what’s the point? That creates a situation in college sports that isn’t good either, isn’t healthy. By focusing on 10 FBS conferences, it doesn’t mean some are elite and some aren’t. We know some are more equal than others, we get that. But it’s better not to have this divide where people think we play in a different division, a different level of football.”

Regardless, it’s an issue Aresco believes the NCAA and conference commissioners need to address, and a conversation he intends to continue stoking, stating that he might pen another open letter further detailing his perspective.

“The biggest frustration is to be ignored. No one likes to be ignored. When I see articles that talk about the best quarterbacks or coaches in the P5, c’mon. When I see that constantly, I get angry,” said Aresco. “The NCAA talks a lot about inclusivity, and what happens? We’re excluded in a lot of this, and it’s just not right. Either you’re going to fight or just give up, and I would never give up.”

(Photo: Brad Horrigan / Hartford Courant / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.

Justin Williams

Justin Williams covers college football and basketball for The Athletic. He was previously a beat reporter covering the Cincinnati Bearcats, and prior to that he worked as a senior editor for Cincinnati Magazine. Follow Justin on Twitter/X @williams_justin Follow Justin on Twitter @williams_justin