Conference re-alignment is a hot topic around the college football world and the issue generated a lot of buzz in the current open thread.
Here is the plan to save college football from the Stampede Blue open threads (big tip to Colts Homer).
- Four 16 team conferences
- 8 team divisions
- Schedule is a round robin in division plus 2 teams from the other division and 3 non-conference games with no 1-AA games allowed and 1 game has to be against another big conference school (sorry SEC).
- Title games in each conference
- Plus 1 to the bowl system
This gives what is in effect, a 8 team playoff between the winner of each 8 team division.
So mashing 6 conferences into 4 is the messy part. Here's my proposal (with special thanks to mgrex, diagenesis and Lovin Blue for tweaks/ideas) right after the jump.
B10 (Midwest)
West: Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri
East: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Pitt
Pac10 (Pacific)
West: USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon St. Washington, Colorado
East: Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, BYU, TCU
SEC (South)
East: Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky, So. Carolina, Tennessee
West: Bama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Miss St.
ACC/Big East (Atlantic)
South: Duke, UNC, NCSt. Wake, Virgina, VT, Miami, So. Florida
North: BC, Cincy, UConn, Louisville, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia, Maryland
Added to major conferences: Notre Dame TCU, BYU, Utah.
Dropped from major conferences: Iowa State, Kansas State, Washington State, Baylor, Vanderbilt.
and Colts Homer has drawn up his own proposal for a football-only regional arrangement.
East (Warner) Region
North: UConn, Syracuse, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Penn State, West Virginia, Louisville, Maryland
South: Miami, Florida, Florida State, USF, Duke, NC State, UNC, Wake Forest
North (Rockne) Region
East: Cincinnati, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois
West: Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri
South (Bryant) Region
East: Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson
West: Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Arkansas, LSU, Kentucky, Tennessee
West (Stagg) Region
North, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, BYU, Boise State, Colorado
South, USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Added to major conferences: Utah, BYU, Boise, Notre Dame
Dropped from major conferences: Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Baylor, Northwestern, Miss St.
So, college football saved? Not so big on this route? Don't think the sport even needs saving? Let's hear it.