The 25 “most influential people in college football” are the “key movers behind the scenes,” and coming in at No. 1 are Jeffrey Kessler and Steve Berman -- the two lead attorneys in the House v. NCAA antitrust lawsuit, according to Jon Wilner of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. The second annual Hot 25 rankings list excludes coaches, ADs, conference commissioners, NCAA execs and media personalities. Kessler and Berman were “an easy call for the top spot after creating the era of revenue sharing across major college sports.” The settlement forged with the power conferences last spring must be approved by U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken in April -- and will face legal challenges. Regardless of final form, there will be "no going backward" as the schools will have to "share millions with the athletes each year" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 1/19).
