We’re coming up on another College Football Season. USC and UCLA have bolted for the Big 10, starting in 2023, and Texas and Oklahoma will be joining the SEC a year later. These moves make two 16 school conferences and turmoil in the remaining FBS conferences.
The sports talking heads are pondering Norte Dame joining a conference and the demise of the ACC, Pac 12, and Big 12.
In my book, “Go for 25”, available on Amazon, I first detailed a plan to have a 64 school top tier for football, breaking into eight eight-team groups. An eight-school playoff would include only the winner of each group.
I’ve made two other posts on the subject:
College Football Playoff Expansion
College Football Playoff Revisited
Now, more than ever, the non-Big 10/SEC/FBS schools should consolidate into one College Football Conference (“CFC”) that will decide their champion on the field of play.
My idea is for football only. The current conference alignments for all other sports are working well.
I detailed a relegation and promotion scheme to include up-and-coming schools in the top 64 team tier, dropping the underperforming schools. To be promoted, schools must win a bowl game.
Without the Big 10 and SEC, fewer schools are included in the CFC. The CFC Tier 1 would have four groups. I haven’t decided if a group should have 10 or 12 schools.
With 12 schools, a school would play the other 11 teams in the group and one game against their rival. Group standings would include group games only. This configuration would lock out Big 10 and SEC schools from regular season games, which would not be suitable for TV money.
With ten schools, a school would play the other nine teams in the group, one rival game, and 3 out of group games. Group standings would include group games only. It would be good to schedule the 3 out of group games against other CFC Tier 1, independent, Big 10, and SEC teams.
The remaining CFC schools would be placed in 10 team groups in Tier 2. The top teams in each Tier 2 group, based on group games only, would play a bowl game with the goal of promotion to Tier 1.
A college has five options; Big 10, SEC, CFC, independant, or FCS level.
With the CFC model, schools could come and go without impacting the other schools. Any school new to the CFC would be placed in Tier 2 in their first year. FCS schools would not need to win a bowl game for promotion. Those schools leaving CFC would need to be adopted by an FCS conference, Big 10, or SEC or become independent.
The CFC could have either 1, 2, or 4 schools included in the College Football Playoff. The four group winners would be those designated with four schools allowed. For two teams, there would be two play-in games. For one school, there would be three play-in games. Schools losing play-in games would be allowed to play a bowl game for seeding into the group realignment process.
Bowl games need to be meaningful. After all bowl games are complete, the schools will be ranked. Rather than using geographical location to determine members of groups, let the schools pick their group.
This process could be a made-for-TV money maker, scheduling the “group selection” show for the dead time between the Super Bowl and March Madness. Early enough in the year to start selling season tickets.
Each year, the schools are ranked from 1 to 96, placing the top 40 schools in Tier 1 and the remaining teams in Tier 2.
Initial Year: Going into the first year, all schools wanting to be in the CFC would need to be ranked based on opinion and bowl game performance. The top 40 teams would fall into Tier 1, and the remaining schools in Tier 2.
If there are more bowl games than the 42 required for seeding, the play-in games could be held as a bowl game, or schools not in a bowl or play-in game could be used in the bowls.
Subsequent Years: In previous postings, I described how schools would be ranked, promoted, and relegated.
Schools losing bowl games and remaining in Tier 1 would be required to stay in their prior-year group. Teams winning bowl games would select their group in seed order.
Group Selection Show: We will know how the schools are ranked before the show begins. The group winners will stay in their group. Tier 1 schools losing their bowl game and escaping relegation will remain in their group.
Tier 1 schools with a choice will have 3 minutes to make a group selection.
Tier 2 schools with a choice will have 2 minutes to make a group selection.
The groups need to stay balanced.
For example, before a group can have a fourth team, all other groups must have two schools.
This leveling concept will work at each seed in the tiers.
Just a dream and things I think about during long runs. It stops me from yelling, “get off my lawn.”