The future of college football continues to be in flux, as schools and conferences wrestle with how to make more money.

Conference realignment exploded because schools like USC and UCLA were falling well behind, financially, relative to peers in the Big Ten or SEC. College Football Playoff expansion continues to be a topic of discussion, led in part by those two conferences, as administrators believe there’s more money to be made by adding more games and teams to the mix.

But another point of discussion in college football is even larger and more structural: the point of the NCAA and current configuration.

Some have speculated that the Power Four conferences should leave the NCAA entirely, form their own breakaway league that’s organized differently than the existing format. Notable personalities like Kirk Herbstreit spoke about that earlier in 2026, saying that name, image and likeness (NIL) and other issues could be fixed if there’s a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between conferences and players in a new entity.

INSIDE THE FIGHT: NIL ARMS RACE FUELING NEW PUSH FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF EXPANSION

“I think the Power Four needs to break away,” he said in an interview with Front Office Sports. “Create their own world, create their own governing body. Allow the Group of Four to create their own world. Allow them to have their own playoff. Much like FCS and Division II and III. Just create a new level, which would be the Power Four. Let’s create a new governing body, let’s put a commissioner. If we need to unionize the players, to allow them to create a CBA to avoid the antitrust laws, make the rules, come to an agreement like the NFL does on both sides.”

Then there are proposals that the Big Ten and SEC, as the two most successful conferences, should set up their own arrangement. And one athletic director at a major Big 12 program, surprisingly, seems to think they should.

“Let them break away. We should break away from them,” said Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard to reporters this week, per Brett McMurphy. “Let them go, but they have to go in all their sports and see how fun it is to play baseball, softball and track when it’s just the 20 of you. That’s what I think we should do, but I’m one person & that’s probably a little more draconian.

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“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.”

Sounds like relations between the two dominant superconferences and the rest of the P4 are in a great spot.

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Pollard is right, directionally, in that the Big Ten and SEC “need” the other conferences. But it’s also short sighted to act as though the Big 12 doesn’t need them too. There’s logic to all sides of the argument; the Big Ten and SEC provide the most value to college athletics, but there is value from Big 12 and ACC programs too. And with everyone grasping for a large slice of the pie, there’s bound to be disagreement over how best to distribute money or make more of it.

It would be stunning if the Big Ten and SEC broke away entirely. But it seems increasingly likely that Power Four does break away from the NCAA. It’s only a matter of time.

Iowa City boasts a rich French history that dates back more than 175 years.

J. David Markham, Knight of the Order of the French Academic Palms and President of the International Napoleonic Society, traveled from Toronto to Iowa City to unveil a sign in Napoleon Park commemorating Iowa’s French past. A ribbon-cutting was held on May 5 at 2501 S. Gilbert Street on the 205^th anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death. 

Napoleon was the original name of Iowa City when it was founded in 1838. Along with Bonaparte, Marengo, Waterloo, and Massena, Napoleon/Iowa City is one of several Iowa locations named after battles or events associated with France’s first emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821).

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Between 1800 and 1803, before the ratification of the Louisiana Treaty, the future state of Iowa was an overseas territory of the French Republic, ruled by the then First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte. Iowa’s French past is reflected in its distinctly French-looking flag, inspired by the tricolor of the Revolution of 1789. Designed by Anna Barker, the sign installed at Napoleon Park highlights Iowa City’s and Iowa’s numerous French connections.

Iowans will need to see a doctor in person for abortion medication starting July 1.

• Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a law requiring an in-person doctor’s visit to obtain abortion medication.
• Supporters argue the law will protect women and help screen for coercion or abuse.
• Opponents contend the legislation restricts access to safe medication and creates a void in care.

Iowans will need to see a doctor in person to receive abortion medication under a new law Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed. 

The Tuesday, May 19, signing came as Republican-led states across the country aim to restrict access to abortion pills, usage of which has increased since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.

A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling temporarily preserved access to mail-order prescriptions after Louisiana challenged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s expanded access. But the medication’s future remains uncertain as the legal battle plays out.

The bill, House File 2788, will require Iowans seeking abortion medication, including the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol, to have an in-person appointment with a doctor. They will be informed of specific health and safety information about the pill and screened for signs of coercion or abuse.  

Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion advocacy groups championed the law, arguing it will crack down on the flow of pills into Iowa from groups and physicians in other states and create opportunities to detect domestic violence.