Re-Tooling College Football

by Confessions Of A Fanatic

Much of what you read beyond this point will be intriguing. A good portion may also be unnecessary, but I've been playing around with the idea and method for the past 2 or 3 years, and constructed a concrete plan about 10 months ago, so I figured I'd gauge a response to it from other sports fans.

Now understand that all of this is speculatory. I don't actually expect any of this to happen, or even hope parts of it occur at all. This is simply an exploration to look into a possibility.

Part I: Conference Realignment

• Note: Repercussions for basketball conferences not considered here

This would be the "unnecessary" portion. Rather than the 11 conferences and 3 independent teams (Navy, Notre Dame, Army) that exist in the current environment, I have condensed the entire 119-team field to just 10 conferences; The ACC, Big 12, PAC-10, SEC, and Big Ten all remaining as is, and the Big East taking on 4 more members to become a 12-team league. In addition, Conference USA changes just one member, but remains at 12, the MAC returns to 12 teams, the Mountain West takes on 3 teams to make 12, and the remains of the WAC and Sun Belt combine to form the 14-team "Great Western Conference". Below are more detailed versions of these changes.

Big East
Eastern Division: West Virginia, Connecticut, Syracuse, Rutgers, Navy, Army

Central Division: South Florida, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Central Florida

Conference USA simply adds Temple to their Eastern Division to replace UCF.

Mountain West
North Division: Brigham Young, Air Force, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

South Division: San Diego State, New Mexico, UNLV, TCU, Hawaii, Nevada

"Great Western Conference"
Eastern Division: Florida Atlantic, La.-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Florida International, Arkansas State, La.-Lafayette

Western Division: Idaho, Utah State, Fresno State, New Mexico State, San Jose State, North Texas, Troy

Part II: BCS Restructuring

For this part of my idea, the system wasn't overhauled as much as the method in which it was used was. I took the existing BCS rankings and plugged them into a new playoff system. Here are the stipulations I've added:
1. BCS rankings are still used to decide a 10-team playoff field
2. Playoffs are run at current bowl sites
3. Non-BCS Conference team enters field with finish in Top 16
4. No more than 2 non-BCS conference schools can compete in the playoffs
5. The 6 BCS conference champions are given the top 6 spots, in order of finish
6. There is no limit on the number of teams from one BCS conference
7. The regular season is reduced to 11 games

The following bowls will be used for the playoffs (9 Total): Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, Orange, Liberty, Sun, Gator, Cotton, Holiday The Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, and Orange bowls would host the National Championship on a rotating basis, like the system that existed until this past season.

Part III: Implementation

By using the results from last years' regular season, we can observe how the new system would actually work.

Conference Championship Games
ACC- Wake Forest over Georgia Tech
Big East- Louisville over West Virginia
Big Ten- Ohio State- no championship game
Big 12- Oklahoma over Nebraska
PAC-10- USC- no championship game
SEC- Florida over Arkansas
C-USA- Houston over Southern Miss
MAC- Ohio over Central Michigan
MWC- Boise State over Hawaii
GWC- Troy over Middle Tennessee

Final Regular Season BCS Rankings
1. Ohio State
2. Florida
3. Michigan
4. LSU
5. USC
6. Lousivlle
7. Wisconsin
8. Boise State
9. Auburn
10. Oklahoma

In this scenario, Auburn would not compete in the playoff however, because Wake Forest, the ACC Champion is granted an automatic bid.

With these rankings, I have projected a tournament field and results:

First Round
Liberty Bowl- #7 Wisconsin over #10 Wake
Sun Bowl- #8 Boise State over #9 Oklahoma

Second Round
Holiday Bowl- #1 Ohio State over #8 Boise State
Gator Bowl- #4 LSU over #5 USC
Cotton Bowl- #2 Florida over #7 Wisconsin
Rose Bowl- #3 Michigan over #6 Louisville

Third Round
Sugar Bowl- #1 Ohio State over #4 LSU
Orange Bowl- #2 Florida over #3 Michigan

Championship Game
Fiesta Bowl- #2 Florida over #1 Ohio State


Now I'm not sayiing that this would be better, I'm just saying it's something interesting to look into. The results I've put up are based on what already happened last season, so if this had actually played out, who knows what would've happened. So weigh in on this if you want. Which ideas worked, which ones didn't?

Confessions Of A FanaticDiv-I Stud

860 days ago

Score 0

I figured this would stir some controversy... I guess not

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JuTMSY4Legend

860 days ago

Score 1

No...its a really fun idea...and i like how you made it fit and "hypothetically equal" the result of this years championship...the only thing we're losing are upsets a la boise state... That is really a big part of not just college football, but football...the whole "any given sunday" possibility

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Taytay 24All-American

860 days ago

Score 2

What is the point of a ten team field? If you require four rounds anyway, expand it to 16 to fill out the rounds.

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Confessions Of A FanaticDiv-I Stud

860 days ago

Score 0

I was more just trying to keep the amount of games played per team down. I agree, 16 teams may be a better number, but if we're trying to make it so these players are not playing 15 or 16 games, I felt 10 could be the number. Also on the subject of a 16-team field, I was thinking that with 10 teams, you're ensuring that every team is top notch. With 16, you could have a lopsided matchup between the 1st and 16th seed, this of course would change from year to year though.

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Taytay 24All-American

860 days ago

Score 0

This saves six teams only one game, max. Remember, with each round you are eliminating teams. Only two teams play the full 15 games (11 regular season, 4 playoffs).

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CoreyisarealboyMajor Leaguer

860 days ago

Score 0

I like it for the most part. I don't think a 14-team football conference would work, especially with only 11 regular season games. You would think it'd be split in seven team divisions with each team playing each member of its division. That's six games right there. Add three non-conference games and you only have two games left to compete against the other division.

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Confessions Of A FanaticDiv-I Stud

860 days ago

Score 0

I agree with you. The reforming of conferences was the "unnecessary" part of the whole thing, and me doing it showed that it wouldn't work, unless of course, the PAC-10 and Big Ten were willing to take on extra members, which wouldn't happen, but it would eliminate the 14-team league scenario.

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Baltimoresports247All-American

860 days ago

Score 0

The BCS just needs to be fixed...period...this could work except for the conference realignment idea in my opinion...the "great western conference" just has too many schools...other than that some interesting ideas

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JuTMSY4Legend

860 days ago

Score 0

Uhh...4 team playoff...look, if you're the 5th best team in the nation...too effin' bad

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Taytay 24All-American

860 days ago

Score 1

JuT, we have 64 teams in a basketball tourney, but 4 is enough for football?

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JuTMSY4Legend

860 days ago

Score 1

You can't play every other day in football...

Plus, the more teams you add the more you dilute the chances of a suprise team...which is both good and bad...

You'd have to start the "playoffs" earlier in december...and few people want to deal with that...

a 4 team playoff is the best, most immediate and most possible outcome right now...which i forget to mention above...

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Taytay 24All-American

860 days ago

Score 0

I'm a 16 team tourney guy, but I'm saving my treatise on it for at least October.

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JuTMSY4Legend

860 days ago

Score 1

It'll be years before we see that... Heck, i'll take the +1 idea right now...but a ithink teh 4 team playoff is something that could happen next year and you would get significantly less complaints because of it...sure a team like boise will still complain, but they would still get a decent bowl...

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Taytay 24All-American

860 days ago

Score 0

Baby steps. I agree: I'll take +1 for now, too, 4 teams would be even better.

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JuTMSY4Legend

860 days ago

Score 0

I think you might see an 8 team tourny...but 16 (4 weeks) is a little heavy...it'd clearly be the most possible, IMO...and the idea above about 10 teams would be possible...without diluting it so much that you've got some teams that really don't belong...

Even the the NCAAs upsets into the final 4 are rare...Mason was an exception and look how they were lauded...

Its because the Colonial Conference is just that damn good...

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DeuelioJV Squad

860 days ago

Score 1

The best bet is a four teamer. 16 is far too many teams when only 117 or so play Div 1 football as opposed to over 300 in college basketball. A four team tournament is a reality and I think it will ultimately be where we go.

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Davis21wylieMVP

860 days ago

Score 0

I love a four-team playoff system!

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Confessions Of A FanaticDiv-I Stud

860 days ago

Score 0

One of the main motivations for the 10-team system was that it wouldn't change anything from a numbers standpoint, as the same amount of teams are included in the BCS currently. However, I would endorse a 4 or 8 team bracket as well. Four would just be tough to do because of how it shuts out some of the major conferences from the chance to play for the National Championship. Not that I'm complaining, more just looking at it from the stance of what the major conferences would be more likely to endorse.

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CmdrporterWaterboy

860 days ago

Score 1

The idea to break up the League Championship will not appeal to any of the big school because it will take a lot of money away from the leagues and the NCAA in general. The only way to have a true NCAA Football Championship is to get rid of the many conferences and have the football teams play in divisions or area of the country. Northwest, East, Southwest etc...then only play 8 or 9 games than the top 64 teams enter the NCAA Championship brackets and do the same as basketball 32 games than 16 to 8 to 4 to 1 than NCAA Title Game. But league won't do it because everyone would lose to much money and the NCAA would lose millions. For years the NCAA has run the football programs into the ground in some ways. Millions of dollars are at stake here and without all the bowl games millions will be lost it is that simple. With the present system in place a NCAA Championship game will never happen. It would require the teams to miss to much school and play to many games. And without any doubt the bottomline here will always be MONEY..Football programs generally fund the entire sports programs at most universities with a few exceptions. If the money was taken away from the programs because of the new system for NCAA football championship what would the schools do to support and fund the other sports programs in the NCAA..

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

860 days ago

Score 2

I still feel the bcs is a flawed system designed for the rich to get richer and the poor just remain as paupers wishing the could be included,trying each year to get blue chip players, but just watching them sign with the bcs teams. There is no hope good college programs outside the bcs to compete fairly. The bcs is the the reinvention of the feudal system as is just as flawed and unfair. I say bunk to the whole idea and just let the teams compete evenly and the best teams will rise to the top. Then the best players don't have to go to a bcs team team in order to ever get any recognition. I say spread the talent naturally. It might really surprize you how many Boise State's there are and wouldn't it be fun to see a New Mexico team knock off Florida State or Brigham Young knock off Ohio State for the National Chamionship? That's what I call exciting. Come on big hogs, share the talent and the wealth. Only in football does the this outdated feudal sysytem still exist!!!

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Pfiore03Waterboy

860 days ago

Score 0

Now I've just started watching College Football a few years ago. Now the Big East. It wouldn't make sense to have an Eastern and Central Divisions because where is the "Central" part about the Big East, location wise. I mean it would be easier to have an East and Western Division. There really should be some sort of playoff system like maybe a Division I-AA (now part Division I). I mean something in that caliber.

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Sportsnut42000Pee Wee

859 days ago

Score 1

Look, this topic really isn't that hard to figure out. Take a look at EVERY other football level, from pee-wee through NFL. Every level has a tournament, except Division 1-A. Now, for the solution, simple. 16 team playoff format. An 8 or 4 team playoff would be better than what is in place at the moment, but in those setups, a #8 winning the title isn't THAT far of a stretch (you couldn't hardly consider it a Cinderella victory). Now, supporters of the BCS the way it is use the arguement that students miss too much school as it is, and installing a playoff system would cause students to miss even more school. However, I played college football at a Division 2 school, and we were in the playoffs every year. I would bet I missed less school than most people would think (even going to the finals 4 out of 5 years). I still took exams, and was in class regularly. As far as money goes, why not introduce 4 brand new bowls to help with the locations for the playoffs? There is 4 new locations that will shovel millions of dollars each location for a chance to host those games?

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