The SEC and Big Ten are emerging as the two dominant powers in the modern college football landscape. As part of that dominance, the best teams in those conferences have been thriving in the transfer portal.
The Big Ten has had so much success in the transfer portal that it sent a letter to the NCAA asking it to pause investigations into tampering infractions and reevaluate the rules.
However, the NCAA appears to be completely disregarding the plea, in a rare loss for the conference that boasts the last three football national champions.
“There have been no changes in tampering rules, and there is no moratorium on enforcement activity for possible tampering violations,” CAA spokesperson Meghan Durham Wright said in a statement. “Any changes to the infractions process — or a moratorium on enforcement of certain rules — would need to be approved by the Division I Board of Directors.
“The NCAA is committed to enforcing the rules as agreed to by NCAA member schools and will always work with members to ensure fair competition and to protect student-athlete well-being in this new era of college sports.”
Here's the NCAA statement to @YahooSports on the continuation of the tampering investigations in light of the Big Ten's letter https://t.co/fXZYpdEKQ5 pic.twitter.com/fiOkO9ddxx
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) March 12, 2026
Fans reacted to the statement on social media.
“Everyone supports tampering enforcement. Just not when it involves their roster…,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“If the #NCAA granted this ridiculous request from the #Big10, there would be zero motivation from the biggest tampering violators to engage in meaningful reform efforts. The Big10 continues to position itself as an outlier on an island in the college athletics landscape,” someone else added.
“Ohio State fans in shambles rn,” a Minnesota Golden Gophers fan joked.
It’ll be interesting to see where things go from here.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.