10 years ago this month, the last excellent convulsion of realignment started shaking the college sports world. When it lastly went away in 2014, the landscape had actually altered considerably. For the richer, however not always for the better.
The Southeastern Conference expanded into Texas and Missouri. The Atlantic Coast Conference wandered almost 1,000 miles inland. Lower conferences followed fit, scrambling for monetary viability.
Illustration by Andrew DeGraff
A decade later on, its time to explode what was done and begin over. The COVID-19 pandemics results have actually been profoundly felt in a realm where, for 10 years, cash was no things and the map made no sense. Slapped in the face by a new financial reality, perhaps were due to both check and reach out– to contract geographically into more local conferences, while expanding the scope of the income gusher that is the College Football Playoff.
The extreme adjustment highlights:
A 120-school environment, with 11 existing FBS members relegated to FCS and one raised from that level. Congratulations to North Dakota State; acknowledgements to UTEP, Texas State, UTSA, South Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe, Bowling Green, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Coastal Carolina, Troy and Liberty. (Relegation/elevation can be revisited every 3 seasons.).
Ten leagues, each with 12 members, each developed to take full advantage of distance and lower travel demands and expenses. All existing conference structures are broken and reassembled. There are no more than eight Power 5 programs in a single new conference, and no fewer than four. And there are no independents– yes, Notre Dame is in a conference.
In football, each school will play a full round-robin schedule plus one nonconference video game (no FCS opponents). The nonconference challenger will be secured for a minimum of 4 seasons prior to there is an opt-out to set up somebody various. There will be no championship game games.
All 10 conference champions, plus 2 at-large teams selected by a choice committee, advance to the expanded College Football Playoff. The semifinals and champion video game are performed under the existing CFP format.
There still will be bowl games for the groups that do not make the CFP. Just less of them, which no one needs to mind.
The conferences will work for basketball and other sports too– in fact, it will be much better for nonrevenue sports in regards to travel expense savings. The 230-odd non-FBS programs that become part of NCAA Division I will stay lined up basically where they currently are, with a couple of exceptions.
For full-sized image, click here.
Sports Illustrated.
, if just this might be pitched to centralized management of college football that was interested in the good of the entire business.. But that does not exist, and thats another column for another day.
What college football would get from this adjustment: harmony; championship game that really matter; increased access to a more financially rewarding playoff; a more equal opportunity for the little men; renewed regional identity; valued competitions preserved, brought back– and, in many cases, pushed into irreversible existence. The advantages are abundant.
Everyone would play 11 league video games, taking on every opponent within the conference every season. And the endless carping from conferences that play more league video games than others would be silenced.
Having automated playoff bids connected to championship game– and having enough space in the playoff for every single conference champ– would eliminate another chronic problem. Win your league, get a shot at the national title. Its just that easy. It works for the NCAA basketball competition, and it would work for the new FBS.
And there would be triple the access to the playoff, from 4 to 12 teams. Instead of having to battle its method through everlasting Big Ten roadblock Ohio State for a playoff bid, Penn State has a clearer course. Very same with Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and others. Schools out west would no longer have to stress whether their league was strong enough to contend for a playoff spot. Spreading out around the heavyweight groups to more conferences increases playoff gain access to, which must aid with recruiting.
The alignment also would theoretically supply the have-nots of college football with a possibility to stand toe-to-toe with the haves. League membership for the likes of Ohio along with Ohio State, Georgia Southern alongside Georgia and Louisiana Tech together with LSU is an action towards competitive equality.
( If youre worried about a proliferation of mismatches in this conference alignment, you havent been paying attention. Eliminating FCS opponents from the schedule will lower the number of hide-your-eyes massacres.).
There is not a lot of workplace or barber shop small talk in, say, Orlando in between Florida and Missouri fans when the Gators and Tigers play; there sure would be when the Gators play Central Florida. And the fans can pretty easily drive to many of these video games.
Along those lines, consider the immediate competitions that would emerge: UCF and South Florida would get their shots at Florida, Florida State and Miami. Marshall would lastly get West Virginia on an annual basis, and Cincinnati would get Ohio State. Fresno State, which has never played USC, UCLA or California in your home and hardly ever played them anywhere, would fulfill them regularly.
There are the rivalries torn asunder by adjustment however put back together here: Texas– Texas A&M, Missouri-Kansas, Utah– Utah State. Rivalries maintained by nonconference games: Alabama-Tennessee, USC– Notre Dame, Georgia-Auburn, Clemson– Florida State, Penn State– Ohio State, Nevada-UNLV.
Jeff Haynes/Sports Illustrated.
Now, the disadvantage of the brand-new FBS.
The defects in this system are apparent. The factor to consider would have to be that the good outweighs the bad, and I believe it does.
This would require the fracturing of ancient conference bonds. Same with the rest of the Power 5– no conference would remain the same.
The most significant sticking point of the conference breakup is this: The Power 5 schools would need to show the non-P5 schools, which goes against every money-grubbing, power-consolidating principle they have pertained to embrace. When you have every benefit, providing a few of them up is counterintuitive. The schools with influence would utilize that influence to stop it from taking place. Staggering profits shares based upon competitive success is one option that could make the offer more palatable to the establishment schools.
Theres no way the Fighting Irish will willingly give up independence to sign up with a conference together with Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and Marshall. They are a better total profile fit with the Mid-Atlantic or Yankee Conference, but for locations sake, they are where they are.
There is a factor why so lots of Sun Belt and Mid-American Conference video games are played midweek, and why other leagues are combating for airtime on off-brand networks– those programs do not do huge rankings. The concept of freely sprinkling them in with the glam schools from the glam leagues, instead of keeping them in their corner of the FBS universe, would not be well received.
However lets consider the possible ramifications of cable cutting, alternative broadcast platforms and a more scattered media landscape. If there are more outlets, why not provide them more conferences with heading acts? Why not 10 conferences that all have programs that are viable ratings draws, as opposed to 5 conferences with audience appeal and 5 without?
There are academic incompatibilities that relate straight to the schools objectives. The biggest lament most schools in the Group of Five have is lack of routine chance to compete on the very same level with the big young boys.
Its fun to believe about and argue about. The Great College Sports Realignment that started in 2010 can be improved upon, by simultaneously broadening and contracting.
Got a much better concept? Email your own proposed realignment to me at [email protected].
Heres the Forde Bowl Subdivision lineup (FBS Profile Rank is a 1– 120 metric that combines a schools five-year average Sagarin football ranking; its 2020 U.S. News & & World Report National University ranking; and its 2018– 19 Learfield Cup all-sports ranking):.
THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE.
Boston College.
48.
Wake Forest.
UCLA.
T-15.
Arizona.
Tulane.
80.
Rice.
Buffalo.
76.
Kent State.
Charlotte.
120.
UAB.
Ohio.
94.
Marshall.
THE DEEP SOUTH CONFERENCE.
LSU.
19.
Florida.
Akron.
108.
Middle Tennessee.
North Carolina.
T-15.
Georgia Tech.
SMU.
78.
Temple.
Indiana.
T-42.
Kentucky.
Eastern Michigan.
112.
Ball State.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANK.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
Memphis.
83.
UCF.
Appalachian State.
97.
Georgia Southern.
UAB.
106.
Charlotte.
UNLV.
107.
Nevada.
Iowa State.
T-49.
Oklahoma State.
Rutgers.
74.
Duke.
Texas A&M.
13.
Mississippi State.
Pittsburgh.
54.
West Virginia.
UCF.
67.
Memphis.
Purdue.
52.
Iowa.
Arkansas State.
96.
Tulsa.
Hawaii.
84.
Army.
Army.
64.
Hawaii.
Marshall.
115.
Ohio.
Georgia Tech.
41.
North Carolina.
Vanderbilt.
40.
Mississippi.
Florida State.
11.
Clemson.
Texas Tech.
T-60.
Louisiana-Lafayette.
THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE.
Nevada.
T-103.
UNLV.
THE GREAT MIDEAST CONFERENCE.
Mississippi State.
47.
Texas A&M.
Navy.
T-44.
Air Force.
Kansas.
82.
Colorado.
Ball State.
118.
Eastern Michigan.
Wisconsin.
7.
Michigan State.
Syracuse.
46.
NC State.
Congratulations to North Dakota State; acknowledgements to UTEP, Texas State, UTSA, South Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe, Bowling Green, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Coastal Carolina, Troy and Liberty. Rather of having to battle its way through everlasting Big Ten roadblock Ohio State for a playoff quote, Penn State has a clearer course. Along those lines, think of the instant competitions that would emerge: UCF and South Florida would get their shots at Florida, Florida State and Miami. There are the competitions torn asunder by realignment however put back together here: Texas– Texas A&M, Missouri-Kansas, Utah– Utah State. Competitions protected by nonconference video games: Alabama-Tennessee, USC– Notre Dame, Georgia-Auburn, Clemson– Florida State, Penn State– Ohio State, Nevada-UNLV.
Southern Miss
.
T-99.
Baylor.
34.
Louisiana Tech.
Florida Atlantic.
116.
UMass.
Arkansas.
57.
Texas.
South Florida.
71.
South Carolina.
Auburn.
T-22.
Georgia.
Penn State.
9.
Ohio State.
South Carolina.
38.
South Florida.
Oregon State.
77.
Arizona State.
Georgia Southern.
T-101.
Appalachian State.
Minnesota.
21.
Michigan.
NC State.
T-31.
Syracuse.
Kentucky.
39.
Indiana.
Temple.
73.
SMU.
Clemson.
28.
Florida State.
Utah State.
92.
Fresno State.
East Carolina.
T-101.
Houston.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANK.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANK.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
Old Dominion.
111.
FIU.
THE GREAT MIDWEST CONFERENCE.
Toledo.
T-103.
Western Michigan.
Arizona.
T-60.
UCLA.
Arizona State.
37.
Oregon State.
Western Kentucky.
88.
Miami (Ohio).
THE SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE.
. THE MID-ATLANTIC CONFERENCE.
Flying force.
T-49.
Navy.
Oklahoma.
24.
Nebraska.
Nebraska.
56.
Oklahoma.
North Texas.
119.
Southern Miss
Alabama.
25.
Tennessee.
Colorado State.
85.
North Dakota State.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANK.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
Maryland.
51.
Virginia.
Iowa.
T-22.
Purdue.
RELEGATED.
San Jose StateNew Mexico StateUTEPUTSATexas StateLouisiana-MonroeTroyBowling GreenCoastal CarolinaSouth AlabamaLiberty.
PROMOTED.
North Dakota State.
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Virginia.
20.
Maryland.
Miami.
29.
Virginia Tech.
Western Michigan.
93.
Toledo.
Louisville.
53.
Cincinnati.
Michigan.
1.
Minnesota.
Georgia State.
114.
UConn.
Houston.
69.
East Carolina.
Texas.
8.
Arkansas.
Northwestern.
18.
Stanford.
Missouri.
T-58.
Illinois.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANK.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
North Texas.
Louisiana-Lafayette.
113.
Kansas State.
66.
TCU.
THE MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE.
Middle Tennessee.
T-103.
Akron.
Wake Forest.
27.
Boston College.
Florida.
6.
LSU.
Washington State.
65.
Wyoming.
San Diego State.
72.
New Mexico.
Massachusetts.
90.
FAU.
West Virginia.
63.
Pittsburgh.
Fresno State.
87.
Utah State.
Cal.
14.
BYU.
Tennessee.
33.
Alabama.
USC.
3.
Notre Dame.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANK.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
Michigan State.
36.
Wisconsin.
Rice.
79.
Tulane.
Oklahoma State.
T-31.
Iowa State.
Virginia Tech.
35.
Miami.
Kent State.
110.
Buffalo.
Texas Tech. THE YANKEE CONFERENCE.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANK.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
Miami (Ohio).
89.
Western Kentucky.
Ohio State.
5.
Penn State.
Cincinnati.
75.
Louisville.
BYU.
T-42.
California.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANK.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
Central Michigan.
98.
Northern Illinois.
Connecticut.
81.
Georgia State.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANk.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
Wyoming.
95.
Washington State.
Tulsa.
86.
Arkansas State.
Illinois.
55.
Missouri.
Louisiana Tech.
T-99.
Baylor.
Florida International.
109.
Old Dominion.
TCU.
30.
Kansas State.
New Mexico.
91.
San Diego State.
Boise State.
70.
Oregon.
Washington.
12.
Utah.
Georgia.
10.
Auburn.
Utah.
T-44.
Washington.
Mississippi.
62.
Vanderbilt.
Oregon.
26.
Boise State.
Stanford.
2.
Northwestern.
Notre Dame.
4.
USC.
Duke.
17.
Rutgers.
Colorado.
T-58.
Kansas.
Northern Illinois.
117.
Central Michigan.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN CONFERENCE.
North Dakota State.
68.
Colorado State.
SCHOOL.
FBS PROFILE RANK.
NON-CON OPPONENT.
