Count me out if the self-proclaimed Power 5 conferences break away from the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision. My days of caring for or even closely observing intercollegiate athletics would officially be over.

It will be the last straw in a series of events that are quickly eroding the once strong foundation on which college sports were built: intense rivalries, geographically-driven conference alignments, and the resulting unshakable loyalty of fans.

It will be replaced by the equivalent of a professional development league for the major sports, one governed loosely by rogue administrators who constantly modify the rules to give their leagues and schools a greater advantage.

Rest assured that will include the increase in scholarships from 85 back to 100 in college football, further depleting the talent pool available for the excluded conferences. And don’t be surprised if it also includes the payment of players, something most programs outside the “Big 5” simply can’t afford.

Recruiting? Don’t look for increased restrictions there. You can bet many of them will be lightened to the point that the process becomes a free-for-all that grants college coaches access to high school athletes anytime they want.

Agents might get their run of college campuses. Academics could become an afterthought, if not an unneeded distraction.

The list could go on.

To some degree, you can understand the motives driving Big XII Commissioner Bob Bowlsby’s rhetoric on the topic. As more schools make the jump to FBS, the voting power of Texas and its conference mates is lessened.

Should Old Dominion or UNC-Charlotte seriously have the same say on the direction of FBS as the Longhorns? Should Florida Atlantic or Florida International be able trump the Gators on key issues?

It certainly makes for interesting debate. I, for one, at least can sympathize with the mindset that is driving the discussion.

Bowlsby and his colleagues are 100% on the mark with their stance that FBS membership has gotten way too easy. Too many schools that have yet to prove they can afford to live in the neighborhood have been given prime property.

Schools like Alabama-Birmingham, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Texas-San Antonio, and many others come to mind. The Blazers have next to zero support and are a competitive punch line, while the 49ers, Monarchs and Roadrunners collectively have less than five years of recent on-field experience.

Exactly what qualifies them to compete in the same division as Alabama or Oklahoma?

Despite the NCAA’s undeniable flaws, a breakaway is hardly the solution. It would essentially ruin March Madness — arguably the greatest month on the nation’s athletics calendar — among other events.

One potential solution is to establish a reasonable relegation system that the NCAA strictly enforces. That system should measure programs by how competitive they are, how well they draw at the box office, and how well programs play by the rules, both competitively and academically.

If a program can’t win ‘X’ amount of its conference games over a four-year period, send it packing for the FCS. If it can’t average 25,000 over that same period, drop kick it down a level.

Likewise for renegade programs like North Carolina, which have shown a blatant disregard for NCAA rules. Let the Tar Heels hang out in the Southern Conference until they can get their house in order.

So yes, I agree 100% with Bowlsby. Serious changes are needed within the NCAA’s highest division.

But breaking away isn’t going to resolve what’s wrong with college athletics.