Unless the “Rudy” in question is “Rudy Giuliani,” it’s obvious that whoever decided to dub a scheme to further enrich the 70 wealthiest programs in college football “Project Rudy” has no idea what the cinema classic Rudy was about.

As the 2024 college football season reaches its midpoint, set to culminate in a first-time-ever 12-team playoff, a squad of the nation’s most affluent have proposed a plan to “save everybody.” And by “everybody,” they mean the 70 teams comprising the current Power Four plus Notre Dame. What about everybody else?

Turns out, not everybody is part of everybody.

(1) Arrange more games between power conference programs by eliminating all games against Group of Five and FCS opponents; expanding the playoffs; and pitting blue-blood powers more often against one another.

(2) Consolidate the media rights of the 70 schools under one agreement, instead of the current structure of five different packages (one for each power league and Notre Dame).

From Yahoo! Sports Ross Dellenger

The scheme would provide a playoff spot to one G5 member, which Dellenger (whose Yahoo! Sports article only mentions the Group of Five twice) suggests that “some view as a political play to appease necessary members of Congress.”

“Disney thinks Rudy is Iowa State,” observed Rex Steele on Twitter (which some call X). If you recall, the movie Rudy centers on an undersized underdog who wants to compete with the big boys. To dub this elitist plan “Project Rudy” reveals a tone-deaf cynicism that sets a new standard for tone-deaf cynicism. The scheme, which calls for a $9B cash infusion from Project Rudy venture capitalists, is already producing drool from P4 athletic directors. “Of all the ideas I’ve seen, this one makes the most sense,” said Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich (Yahoo! Sports).

Well of course it makes sense to Miami’s AD. It’s a cash grab, and it spares Radakovich the indignity of ever having to see FIU defeat the Hurricane again. While the nation’s wealthy elite exchange awkward high fives for “saving” 70 programs that are hardly in need of saving, the 70ish Group of Five programs – who have taken everything the P4 has thrown at them – is expected to slide ingloriously off the continental shelf.

This isn’t Project Rudy. It’s Project Caligula, meant to protect the unchecked excess of the Power 4 while grinding underdogs into the ground.

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