musso
Member
In my college football utopia, we'd reduce the top tier division of teams to 70 total, divided into 5 "power" conferences, resulting in 14 members each. This would (1) increase parity, (2) stimulate coast-to-coast interest, (3) resurrect traditions which have suffered in recent decades as programs from the Southeast region have dominated. We'd also protect the tradition of regional conferences and proximal rivalries. Nothing is better than to encounter rival fans in your city or state as you come and go. For example, no more of UCLA being in the same conference as Penn St. This wouldn't preclude scheduling out-of-conference games, of course. By eliminating cupcake opponents, we could reduce the regular season by a game or two, which could help limit player salaries, limit the burdens for teams participating in the playoff, allow teams and transfers to better plan their future rosters, while also accommodating the holiday calendar. Consider the following conference realignments with teams paired with their end-of-season rival:
ACC: BC – Syracuse, PennSt – Pitt, Rutgers – Maryland, WestVa – VaTech, UVA – Duke, UNC – NC St, Clemson – S.Car
SEC: UF – FSU, UGA – GaTech, Bama – Auburn, Miss – MissSt, Arkansas – Vandy, Tenn – Kentucky, Miami – LSU (tough pairing, I know)
BigTen: OhioSt – Michigan, Cincy – Louisville, MichiganSt – Purdue, Minn – Wisconsin, Indiana – ND, Illinois – Nwestern, Iowa – IowaSt
BigXII: Nebraska – Mizzou, CU – TTech, Kansas – KansasSt, OU – OklahomaSt, Texas – A&M, TCU – SMU, Baylor – Houston
PAC: Wash – WashSt, Oregon – OrSt, BoiseSt – Wyoming, Utah – BYU, Stanford – Cal, USC – UCLA, Arizona – ArizonaSt
Playoff Round 1: top two teams get a bye
#16 @ #3
#15 @ #4
#14 @ #5
#13 @ #6
#12 @ #7
#11 @ #8
#10 @ #9
Playoff Round 2: quarterfinals
#8 @ #1
#7 @ #2
#6 @ #3
#5 @ #4
Playoff Round 3: semifinals at neutral sites (bowls)
#4 vs #1
#3 vs #2
Playoff Round 4: final at neutral site (bowl)
#2 vs #1
Thoughts?
ACC: BC – Syracuse, PennSt – Pitt, Rutgers – Maryland, WestVa – VaTech, UVA – Duke, UNC – NC St, Clemson – S.Car
SEC: UF – FSU, UGA – GaTech, Bama – Auburn, Miss – MissSt, Arkansas – Vandy, Tenn – Kentucky, Miami – LSU (tough pairing, I know)
BigTen: OhioSt – Michigan, Cincy – Louisville, MichiganSt – Purdue, Minn – Wisconsin, Indiana – ND, Illinois – Nwestern, Iowa – IowaSt
BigXII: Nebraska – Mizzou, CU – TTech, Kansas – KansasSt, OU – OklahomaSt, Texas – A&M, TCU – SMU, Baylor – Houston
PAC: Wash – WashSt, Oregon – OrSt, BoiseSt – Wyoming, Utah – BYU, Stanford – Cal, USC – UCLA, Arizona – ArizonaSt
Playoff Round 1: top two teams get a bye
#16 @ #3
#15 @ #4
#14 @ #5
#13 @ #6
#12 @ #7
#11 @ #8
#10 @ #9
Playoff Round 2: quarterfinals
#8 @ #1
#7 @ #2
#6 @ #3
#5 @ #4
Playoff Round 3: semifinals at neutral sites (bowls)
#4 vs #1
#3 vs #2
Playoff Round 4: final at neutral site (bowl)
#2 vs #1
Thoughts?
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