THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL LANDSCAPE AS WE KNOW IT IS CHANGING: THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD GO
by The Football Vets
When news broke that Texas and Oklahoma wanted to exit the Big 12 to join the SEC, the college football world flipped on its head. Now while the deal isn’t inked yet, its time to get the best seats on the outbound train. The structure of the New SEC is obvious and will look something this:
We all know that the Big 12 is going the way of Dodo Bird and the South West Conference. We will pause here for a moment of silence…Ok, moving on. A new phase of college football is coming. With Texas and Oklahoma seeking greener pastures in the SEC, other teams will be left behind to wander the football conference wilderness. They will have to hunt for new pastures of their own. Likewise, the other power conferences will need to expand their markets to stay competitive. This is the mad scramble to fill their rosters to guarantee a seat at the big kids table: the 12 team CFB Playoff
Notre Dame has already had a one-night stand with the ACC in 2020 and West Virginia is a kissing-cousin marriage made in heaven for the conference with Virginia Tech already there. So, it is apparent that the conferences will return to being regional, if a bit expanded. It is easy to imagine the conferences looking something like this:
a. Proposed Conference Realignment- New Teams highlighted in yellow
Why is this new realignment so important? As we said before the inevitable 12 team CFB play off. What does a 12 team play off look like? Let’s get the easy part out of the way first. Of course, the conference champions get an automatic bid. And it’s also vitally important that the championship games matter so they will also get a bye for the next week.
So, how do we decide the next eight teams? Well by the highest ranked of course, but this just about guarantees three teams from every power conference. Now the question is how do we get there without the playoffs turning into the repetitive 4 team dance we have now? The Answer: a schedule that ensures out of conference play.
With each conference split into two divisions each team will play all the teams in their division and one rotating team from the opposite division. Additionally, each team must play one team from each of the other conferences. I know what you’re thinking. “That awesome! But its only 11 games.” It is only 11 games. The teams get another bye week. Not really, just kidding, but they will get to play a team from what would be the regionally aligned Group of Four....Now you are really curious, I bet.
Conference realignment has a lot to do with market share and every big-time sports league needs its minor league. While we won’t go into full detail now, just understand the Group of Five football conferences will need to undergo a realignment as well. This will allow them to capitalize on the new football cornucopia unfolding above them. Additionally, the new alignment would introduce a new term to football: Relegation. Why relegation? The fans want good football and the conferences want money. So Minor league teams have a chance to move up and Major league teams need incentive to keep playing good football. However, how this is done is a conversation for another time.
So ultimately, the train is coming, and the Power 5 conferences will need to get on board early to ensure their spot in the unavoidable 12 team CFB play off. Likewise, the group of five will have to realign as well if they want their share of money and a chance to play in the big time. With this plan the College Football Constellations are shining bright. Let’s not smog the sky with petty bickering and let’s get ready for some awesome FOOZE BALL!