The Big Ten wants to get the ball rolling on a proposal that would rule freshman student-athletes ineligible in football and men's basketball.

The Diamondback, the student-run newspaper at the University of Maryland (UM), reported obtaining a document called "A Year of Readiness." During the student-athlete's mandated redshirt season, they would be expected to focus heavily on academics.

UM's Athletic Council met Thursday to discuss the document, the Diamondback reported, which is all the Big Ten is asking of its member schools at this time.

According to a statement provided to ESPN, the Big Ten is only looking to start a "national discussion regarding a year of readiness for student-athletes" at this time. The proposal may also be linked to graduation rates in men's basketball and football, as the best players in those sports are typically the ones who leave school before graduation.

"What I like about the concept of the proposal is it puts right up front the basic issue: Are we basically a quasi-professional activity or primarily an educational activity?" UM President Wallace Loh told the Diamondback. "And if you support it, you are basically saying very clearly the No. 1 priority is the education of the students."

Speaking with CBS Sports' Jon Solomon, commissioners of the ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12 expressed interest in the idea.

"I've had conversations with several commissioners about [freshman ineligibility]," Larry Scott, the Pac-12's commissioner, told Solomon. "We are pushing, and I think you will see much more serious conversations about it in the coming months and year."

Bowlsby said he believes some incoming freshmen with athletic scholarships are just looking to do the minimum and go pro. However, the mandated redshirt season would allow such students to take a year to consider the benefits of a college degree without having to balance classes with practice.

"I think there's a growing interest in a robust debate, and I think we ought to drag it to the ground and consider it any way we can," Bowlsby, the Big 12's commissioner, told Solomon. "I think it is the one change that could make an absolutely dramatic difference in college athletics."

With their increased level of self-governing autonomy, the NCAA Division I Power 5 conferences would more easily be able pass such a proposal for just their member schools. But the freshmen ineligibility rule is not exactly widely accepted.

"Talented players who may not want to be in college would be forced into an additional year of risking career-ending injuries just so the NCAA can try to convince the courts, lawmakers, and the public that its brand of amateurism isn't a sham," Ramogi Huma, president of the National College Players Association, told Solomon. "Alternatively, it should focus on reducing athletic time demands and investing some of the new TV revenue in degree completion."