College football is in trouble. Not felony stuff, mind you. More like minor misdemeanors happening here and there. But alarming enough to require rehabilitation. Come to think of it, college basketball should be cited for criminal behavior, too, but March Madness manages to whitewash most missteps, thanks to those irresistible printable tournament brackets.

Actually, all college non-revenue sports have been caught in the act of wrongdoing, as their school presidents and athletic departments conspire with TV networks to send student – ahem – athletes traveling from one coast to the other. Outlaw, behavior, if ever there was.

For the purposes of this discussion, we’ll concentrate on football. After all, in this town football is king and men’s college hoops at the moment is … court jester?

What follows are 10 “fixes” that would help reshape the sport for the better. Of course, some insist college football needs no fixing, pointing to TV ratings that continue to impress. I contend TV ratings are more about cultural shift than increased interest in college football. We are a nation of obsessed entertainment seekers, regardless of content. How else to explain the fact that “Survivor” is still going strong?

I might add that TV is not the only way to take in a college game. It gets tricky trying to address the issues of those watching from home as well as those attending in person, but we’ll do our best to consider both groups of fans. The concerns do often cross over.

Are all the fixes realistic, given the financial dynamics in play today? Probably not, but this model is more about starting from scratch and doing what’s best for both the game and those who love it. A guy can dream, right?

Fewer commercials

Let's begin with one we all can agree on. Fewer commercials. Can I get an “Amen?” It doesn’t matter if you’re at home or freezing your fanny off in the Horseshoe, sitting through the networks’ 3-4-3-4 advertising format – three breaks in the first and third quarters; four breaks in the second and fourth quarters – turns what should be an 800-meter dash into a 5K. The networks want their money’s worth. I get it.

Some fans watching from home don’t mind the interruptions, which allow for bathroom breaks and beer runs. I get it. But those with strong bladders go brain numb after sitting through yet another insurance company commercial. Fans in the stadiums have it worse. You can watch Brutus outsprint an out-of-shape student only so many times before wondering if the game will ever resume.

The greed patrol in charge of broadcasts says, “Aw, they’ll get used to it.” Harrumph. The point is, we don’t want to get used to it.

Separate haves, have-nots

Separate the haves from the have-nots by placing the haves (Power Five conferences) in one mega-group and everyone else in another. We’re building sand castles here. The original multi-conference structure, as wonderful as it was, gets washed away. Time to start over.

It’s not a new idea and actually has a good chance of happening, because the current state of the game, with NIL and immediate transfer eligibility, is not maintainable. UCLA coach Chip Kelly already laid out a blueprint in December that would separate football from the non-revenue sports.

“You could have a 64-team conference that’s in the Power Five and have a 64-team conference in the Group of Five,” Kelly said.

Left unsaid was what becomes of the non-revenue sports? How do they support themselves financially while participating in sensible conference affiliations that minimize travel? Because there is no way colleges go backward by turning the majority of current non-revenue varsity sports into club sports. Nor should they. Football will need to continue to pay the freight. That may not seem fair to some, but unless  football cuts all ties with its college institutions – let’s hope that never happens; who wants to follow minor-league football independent of college affiliation? – the rich uncle is on the hook to support the other sports.

Two conferences, four divisions

Maintain regional rivalries by grouping the two 64-team conferences into four divisions that make geographical sense. East, West, North, South. Each team plays seven games within its division and four outside of it, on a rotating basis. The 12th game is against a Group of Five opponent, preferably within the same region.

Relegation

To make things even more interesting, institute a relegation system similar to European soccer, where each season the three highest-ranked teams from the Group of Five the previous year move up to the Power Five, and the lowest-three ranked teams from Power Five move down.

But who ranks the teams? Keep reading.

Small selection committee

The 13-person playoff selection committee needs to be reduced to three respected caretakers of college football, including a commissioner who would break ties. As committees grow beyond three people, they fall into agenda-seeking and stray off course as they overthink things. As automotive designer Alec Issigonis accurately described it, “A camel is a horse designed by committee.”

Delayed payments to players

Pay the players. Cap the total. And place the money in a trust that can be accessed three years after the athlete first enrolls. Let’s not be naive. Football and basketball players already get paid. It’s called name, image and likeness. Sure, paying players is ripe for abuse, but better to get the cash payments out in the open than to have boosters doing the bidding in secret.

Limit NIL money

Enforce NIL rules, and place a ceiling on NIL money available to each school, something like $2 million, without specifying how the money should be spent. If a school wants to pay the starting quarterback $1.5 million, go for it, but that  leaves $500k for everyone else. And absolutely restrict NIL to the current roster. No paying incoming freshmen or transfers until they have played a full season.

NIL has been manipulated beyond its original intent, which was to allow athletes to profit off their “celebrity.” That still happens, but NIL has become a pay-to-play scheme that benefits the highest bidder. The rich have always gotten richer, but NIL now separates billionaires from millionaires.

Limit transfers

Limit the number of incoming transfers to three. Ohio State dipped into the transfer portal in January and added five highly-sought transfers, including three from Alabama. One of the three, safety Caleb Downs, said NIL money was not the reason he chose Ohio State. But was it a reason? You have to think so. Keeping the transfer number at three would slow the race to raise as many millions of dollars as currently is happening, and also maintain some sense of competitive balance.

One portal window

Eliminate one of the two transfer portal windows. Instead of allowing immediate transfers from Dec. 4 to Jan. 2, and again from April 15 to April 30, create one window that runs from mid-January to March 1 – before spring practice begins. I support a player’s right to change schools, but not at the expense of creating chaos within a program. There needs to be compromise, and giving players six weeks to determine if they want to stay or go is fair to both sides. Caveat: If a coach leaves, players get two weeks to enter the portal, regardless of when the exit happened.

More home playoff games

I caved. I’ve always felt college football thrived on controversy, which explains why for about five years I favored keeping the College Football Playoff at four teams. Fewer teams means more complaining, which fuels fanaticism. But the 12-team playoff that arrives this year is good for those who matter most – the athletes. Too often we forget that the Buckeyes play for individual achievement, satisfaction and, dare I say, fun, as well as for team success. Players want to compete for titles, and now more will get the chance. Fans rank further down the list, after family. But fans do matter, and now more fans will get to enjoy watching their team play for a chance to win it all.

So what needs to change? Venues. Currently, only first-round games will be played at the home stadiums of the higher seeds. If it is No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 12 Louisville, the game would be played at Beaver Stadium. But the quarterfinal and semifinal games would be played in bowls on a rotating basis.

Pageantry, tradition and school spirit matter, helping separate college from the NFL, which is why the quarterfinals also should be played at the homes of the higher seeds, saving the semifinals and championship game for bowl sites. The less sterile the atmosphere the better. Plus, it cuts travel expenses for thousands of fans.

Title game in Pasadena

Make the Rose Bowl the permanent site of the championship game. A beautiful sport deserves the most beautiful venue in the game.

roller@dispatch.com

@rollerCD

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How to fix college football, which is troubled and needs a new format