Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen Opens Up About the ‘Intolerable’ World of College Football

Although Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen oversees a growing slate of Division I sports, his vested interest in college football was the topic of discussion earlier this week.

Joining Kyle Crooks of the Huskers Radio Network, Dannen discussed various topics surrounding the ever-changing landscape of the sport. Although he has suggested at times that it may be difficult to keep up, he believes the athletic department is putting a plan in place to be well-positioned moving forward.

With a litany of storylines discussed, here’s the latest on several of the most important topics surrounding college football and the Huskers’ path to navigating it with relative ease.

College Football Crossroads

One of the most candid parts of Dannen’s interview focused on the current state of college football and whether the sport, as it is currently structured, is sustainable in the long term. He did not retain this discussion.

“The world we live in right now is intolerable,” Dannen said. “The only way to get to a tolerable world is some form of antitrust protection, so that we can put rules in place and govern. We have to get to a place where we have the capacity to govern. We don’t have the capacity to govern at the moment.”

As revenue sharing, NIL collectives and the transfer portal continue to reshape the sport, Dannen acknowledged that athletic departments across the country are operating without consistent guardrails. Without apparent protection, he believes that a meaningful structure remains difficult to establish.

“There’s a bit of provincialism,” Dannen said. “I think everyone knows what that solution has to be, but finding the path – what is the path to get there?

As the financial side of college sports continues to grow seemingly every year, Dannen stressed that universities must stay aligned with their core purpose.

“We need to stay true to the academic missions of institutions; otherwise, why are we doing this within higher education institutions?”

For Dannen and his fellow athletic directors around the country, the challenge ahead is balancing the realities of modern college football with the principles on which higher education was built. Even saying it’s a balance, he believes, it will require collaboration, clarity and the ability to govern the sport in a unified way.

College Football Playoff Committee Duties

Dannen also spent time reflecting on his recent trip to Miami during national championship week, where he served as a member of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Although the trip may have included game-day entertainment, he, like everyone else on the committee, got to work while he was there.

“A lot of corner discussions about what the future is,” Dannen said of the week-long meetings and conversations that took place.

Although the national title game was the centerpiece of the trip, Dannen emphasized that much of the dialogue among the other members was focused on the continued evolution of the playoff model and the broader direction of the sport. With expansion, planning philosophy and revenue under the microscope, these informal conversations proved just as impactful as the outcome of the game itself.

“It was a great weekend for the (Big Ten) league,” Dannen added.

The conference’s strong postseason performance has only furthered its growing national influence, which Dannen says plays a role not only in perception, but also in future discussions regarding access, format and competitive balance within the sport.

As college football continues to evolve in an ever-changing world, Dannen’s place at the table gives Nebraska a first-hand look at how those decisions are shaped. And how the Huskers can best position themselves within the new structure going forward.

He also shed some light on his own football program’s trajectory, offering his thoughts on how Nebraska has handled the transfer portal in recent weeks. Although Dannen admitted no one will really know until the ball is spotted next September, he believes the Husker coaching staff has positioned itself well for next fall.

“Until you start playing games, you never really know,” he said. “Time will tell, but I think given their goals and their needs, I think they felt good.”

While this could be seen as both encouraging and concerning, depending on how you personally feel, for now, it appears Nebraska is heading into a pivotal offseason having checked all the boxes it seemed to need.

Addressing the topic of Indiana’s resounding success, Dannen made it clear that athletic directors across the country are hearing the same thing.

“Every AD in the country heard it. ‘If them, then why not us?'” he said. There are many perfect storms. The consistency and continuity of the technical staff is really very important. This is something Matt and I have talked about. We need to get to a point where we have the right people.

As Matt Rhule enters year four at Lincoln, some fans, with good reason, are getting impatient with the results. But from Dannen’s perspective, the Huskers are working to ensure continuity within the coaching staff, the team and the program as a whole, before they can take the next steps.

Quick hits

*On the subject of adding women’s flag football as a Division I sport, Dannen emphasized Nebraska’s commitment to growth rather than shrinkage. “Either you reduce opportunities for men or you increase opportunities for women. And in Nebraska, it’s not about reducing, it’s about expanding.”

* With Nebraska football’s spring game falling on the same day as the NCAA men’s Elite Eight tournament, Dannen said scheduling conflicts should be minimal. “I anticipate, at the very least, that it will be an 11 a.m. type kick. So there’s definitely no overlap with an Elite Eight match.”

*On men’s basketball head coach Fred Hoiberg, Dannen praised both his leadership and perseverance. “Fred is a heck of a coach. He’s a great example of how when you have good people who are good coaches, you have to give them time to figure out what works. And Fred has figured that out.”

*Regarding Nebraska’s upcoming wrestling matchup against Iowa, Dannen emphasized the importance of the matchup for the program. “I think we surpassed Iowa as a program last year, but we didn’t beat them in a dual. So, I think that’s important for everyone associated with the wrestling program.”

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