Take the money and run? Chad Brown believes NIL will create a "Power 2" scenario

Former CU great thinks there will be a great deal of separation between college conferences

Nov 25, 2012; Boulder, CO, USA; Former NFL linebacker Chad Brown radio broadcasts the game between / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Who knew Bill McCartney, in addition to being a Hall of Fame football coach, was a savant?

“Coach convinced my parents that Boulder was best for me,” says former Buff great Chad Brown. “He also told me I would meet a girl on campus, marry her, become an All-American, win a national championship and fall in love with Colorado. All came true.”

Now 53, the father of two grown kids still looks fit enough to prowl gridirons. Your scribe and the 15-year NFL pro recently shared lunch and covered many topics, starting with the tumultuous state of college football.

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“Hagan (Darian) and I used to have to scrounge up $10 to order a pizza. Things have changed.” Like most, the successful entrepreneur wonders about the future. "In the next decade you will have two major power conferences. The Big Ten and SEC. The setup will be like European soccer where schools drop in and out depending on success. The bottom dwellers would be relegated and ones doing well in a lower tier would get a chance to move up and compete against the big boys.”

I couldn’t resist, “Can the Buffs consistently play with the big boys? There was a long pause before the 1993 second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers offered, “I don’t know for certain but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Please, unpack more. The two-time NFL All Pro (1996 & 1998) didn’t hesitate. “It’s going to be more and more difficult for schools like Colorado to play on a level field with the superpowers. Having a second-tier will make the games more competitive. The schools can look forward to competing for championships at their level. It will take a period of adjustment but eventually, it would be better for the success of teams and the experience of their fans.”

An interesting take on the current upheaval roiling college athletics in this “Take the money and transfer wherever desired” world the Colorado Buffaloes are navigating under Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders. I think he’s correct. College football was already on the cusp of the “Haves” and “Have Nots” before current alarms began blaring, Brown knows. He’s still embedded through respected television, radio and podcast commentary work. A talented communicator. Many might not know, Brown had a stutter upon arriving in Boulder. It’s been impressive to watch him overcome that challenge.

Back in 1988, my first year as the “Buff Guy” for what is now CBS News Colorado, your correspondent vividly remembers McCartney glowingly speaking about the Pasadena, California native. Tuesdays were always media day. After talking about current Buff affairs, Coach Mac and beat reporters would often dig deeper. We’d talk about younger players not yet front and center. “This Brown kid,” McCartney would say, “Is gonna be special.”

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That’s an understatement. After redshirting, Brown was a four-year starter, fourth all-time leading tackler and inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. One of the best ever. One of the most interesting too. I’ll never forget a feature story long ago on his love of reptiles, in particular snakes. A college apartment with lots of snakes. I was freaked out.

Brown has turned his love for animals, “They were everywhere where I grew up,” into a long-time business of breeding, selling and distributing exotic reptiles. The company Pro Exotics has expanded distribution to multiple industries, “We love the National Western Stock Show. We ship your - fill in the blank. We can do it,” Brown jokes.

Back to being a young man at the foot of the Flatirons. “My time in Boulder was invaluable. With these kids moving around all over the place and chasing dollars, it will be difficult for them to have similar experiences helping them develop and become mature and successful outside of making money.”

For a great Buff and the journalist assigned to cover those glorious years, we were shoulder to shoulder in agreement. College football needs someone like McCartney to caste a promising vision. Who’s got a game plan for good outcomes for the beloved game? Right now? It’s tough to believe any exist. Savant or game plan.