Jurisdictional issues in college football arise when two or more entities claim authority over a particular matter. This can lead to disputes over scheduling, player eligibility, and even the outcome of games.
The most common jurisdictional issue in college football is the question of which conference a team belongs to. This can be a particularly contentious issue for teams that are located in states that are divided between two or more conferences. For example, the University of Louisville has been a member of both the Big East Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) at various times. In 2014, Louisville left the Big East to join the ACC, but the Big East claimed that Louisville was still contractually obligated to play in the Big East for the 2014 season. The dispute was eventually resolved, but it highlights the potential for jurisdictional issues to cause problems in college football.
