With SEC expansion and all the curiosity of the fallout from coast to coast, my question is ... what took so long.
I think most people would agree that the prevalent reason for forming conferences in the first place was to compete with your neighbors in different athletic endeavors. The conference alignment focused on the ability to have teams and the fans travel with relative ease for the games. Across the nation, conferences formed with connecting border states or regional accessibility in relatively small groups of schools. Soon thereafter, inter-regional rivalries sprung from post season competition like bowl games.
As the bowl seasons got bigger with more lucrative financial packages, something a conference could share among all member schools, soon bred conference growth ... the Big 6 begat the Big 8 that begat the Big 12. By this time the necessity of conference geography as a benefit, became less and less important with improved travel options and expanded athletic budgets. In the 1970's, the NFL was rife with change as witnessed by an AFL-NFL merger, teams traveling from coast to coast and even repurposing the most sacred of religious day of the week into a pro football franchise experience. If the NFL had this figured out in the 70's why did college football take 50 years to realize in could happen a lower level?
I'll take a stab at the future alignment of college football and basketball teams ... the revenue sports.
Think of the 'other' football, in England, The English Premiere League (EPL) as a template. The EPL has twenty teams that compete against every team in the EPL every year. At the end of the year a couple of things occur, the winner of the competition is crowned champion (duh) but also, the least proficient or worst teams are eligible for relegation. But to where? Basically the First Division then if further relegation is required, to the Second Division. Teams that had championship seasons in the First and Second Division are then eligible for promotion to the league above their current one.
College football has a similar set-up with the Power 5 and Group of 5 divisions.
I would suggest that two, fifteen team conferences be established, every school in each conference would play each other (a 14 game schedule), at the end of the year a playoff would be established to determine a national champion. This would lend us to the current playoff question about how many teams are involved ... I have no set number in mind, at least two, maybe four? That would result in a 16 game season at most for the championship contenders. After the championship is decided, there would be a conversation about which teams should be relegated and which should be promoted.
If the top 30 teams are involved in each Division ... Premiere, First and Second Divisons, that provides spots for 90 teams. Any teams NOT involved in these three top divisions would complete at levels more common to the current Division AA and Division A football programs. All these smaller programs would also be eligible for promotion based on the results of the previous season.
Regarding the non-revenue sports? Welcome back to the regional structure of conference alignment or something very close to it. That would save travel costs yet promote a regional edge to interscholastic competitions.
I think most people would agree that the prevalent reason for forming conferences in the first place was to compete with your neighbors in different athletic endeavors. The conference alignment focused on the ability to have teams and the fans travel with relative ease for the games. Across the nation, conferences formed with connecting border states or regional accessibility in relatively small groups of schools. Soon thereafter, inter-regional rivalries sprung from post season competition like bowl games.
As the bowl seasons got bigger with more lucrative financial packages, something a conference could share among all member schools, soon bred conference growth ... the Big 6 begat the Big 8 that begat the Big 12. By this time the necessity of conference geography as a benefit, became less and less important with improved travel options and expanded athletic budgets. In the 1970's, the NFL was rife with change as witnessed by an AFL-NFL merger, teams traveling from coast to coast and even repurposing the most sacred of religious day of the week into a pro football franchise experience. If the NFL had this figured out in the 70's why did college football take 50 years to realize in could happen a lower level?
I'll take a stab at the future alignment of college football and basketball teams ... the revenue sports.
Think of the 'other' football, in England, The English Premiere League (EPL) as a template. The EPL has twenty teams that compete against every team in the EPL every year. At the end of the year a couple of things occur, the winner of the competition is crowned champion (duh) but also, the least proficient or worst teams are eligible for relegation. But to where? Basically the First Division then if further relegation is required, to the Second Division. Teams that had championship seasons in the First and Second Division are then eligible for promotion to the league above their current one.
College football has a similar set-up with the Power 5 and Group of 5 divisions.
I would suggest that two, fifteen team conferences be established, every school in each conference would play each other (a 14 game schedule), at the end of the year a playoff would be established to determine a national champion. This would lend us to the current playoff question about how many teams are involved ... I have no set number in mind, at least two, maybe four? That would result in a 16 game season at most for the championship contenders. After the championship is decided, there would be a conversation about which teams should be relegated and which should be promoted.
If the top 30 teams are involved in each Division ... Premiere, First and Second Divisons, that provides spots for 90 teams. Any teams NOT involved in these three top divisions would complete at levels more common to the current Division AA and Division A football programs. All these smaller programs would also be eligible for promotion based on the results of the previous season.
Regarding the non-revenue sports? Welcome back to the regional structure of conference alignment or something very close to it. That would save travel costs yet promote a regional edge to interscholastic competitions.
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