How one final realignment could save college football
In the aftermath of the conference realignments of 2005 and 2010-2014, college football remains popular, but is full of disappointing realities for its most traditional fans. Texas doesn't play Texas A&M. Nebraska doesn't play Oklahoma (or Colorado, or Missouri). Pittsburgh doesn't play West Virginia (or Penn State). And Missouri doesn't play Kansas.
There is also an imbalance in the conferences' respective rules that makes the sport overall less engaging from a national standpoint. I am a passionate Georgia fan and SEC fan. But how does any of the following make sense if the "Power 5" is supposedly the cohesive competitive field for a national championship?
- The Big 12 has 10 teams
- The Pac-12 has 12 teams
- The Big Ten has 14 teams
- The SEC has 14 teams
- The ACC essentially has 15 teams (Notre Dame)
In addition, even the conferences' respective rules for schedules, divisions, and championships can differ between the leagues. All of this will inevitably lead to an utter mess for the current College Football Playoff. Not to mention the high degree of difference in non-conference scheduling.
Take Georgia's 2031 schedule, for example - where the non-conference slate includes road trips @ Ohio State, @ Georgia Tech, and a home game against Oklahoma. So, depending on the SEC cross-divisional rotation (unknown beyond 2025 at the moment), Georgia could theoretically play 12 games against Power Five opponents including traditional powers like Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Auburn, Florida...in the same season. Depending on the year, those could all be Top 10 teams. They likely will be this year (although Auburn is preseason #11). Not to mention an additional conference game - against another Top 10 opponent - if you include an SEC Championship Game.
How can that schedule possibly be compared by The Committee to, say, an Oregon team that year (if their non-conference is weak and/or Pac-12 remains in its current state)? How does an 11-2 SEC Champion with that schedule compare to a 13-0 Pac-12 champion that same season?
This is not an SEC bias. Turning the comparison on its head, take Ohio State and Auburn in 2025. Ohio State plays 9 Big Ten games (including Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan) and non-conference games against Texas and Washington. Auburn is currently slated to play Baylor and South Alabama (with 8 conference games). How would they compare those teams evenly?
It's impossible to predict, but the point is clear: comparing 2 teams with different conference power, conference schedules, and non-conference scheduling, makes any Playoff Committee difficult. They've gotten it right thus far, but there will be inevitable controversy so long as the dynamics in the Power 5 remain this way.
And finally, but most importantly, the geography makes no sense. Auburn is in the West while Missouri is in the East? Texas A&M plays South Carolina every year (1,037 miles away) - but doesn't play Texas anymore (107 miles away)? West Virginia and Texas Tech are in the same conference, but West Virginia and Pittsburgh are not? This not only doesn't make sense in a normal season, but during this season with COVID and conference power struggles, "now is the time to reconsider college conference realignment" (see Ivan Maisel's terrific piece on this).
So here is my proposal.
The Great College Football Realignment
The principles are basic:
- finalize conference realignment once and for all
- accomplish scheduling in a manner that maximizes fan engagement
- utilize a lightly expanded postseason (6 teams) that protects the sanctity of the regular season while maximizing national interest and standardizing competition across all conferences
- Southern Conference - championship game = Sugar/Peach
- Eastern Conference - championship game = Orange
- Central Conference - championship game = Cotton/Fiesta
- Western Conference - championship game = Rose Bowl
EASTERN
|
CENTRAL
|
Clemson
|
Alabama
|
Georgia
|
Auburn
|
Florida
|
LSU
|
FSU
|
Miami
|
South Carolina
|
Mississippi State
|
Tennessee
|
Kentucky
|
Georgia Tech
|
Louisville
|
Vanderbilt
|
Ole Miss
|
EASTERN
|
ATLANTIC |
Virginia |
North Carolina
|
Virginia Tech
|
Boston College |
Penn State
|
Pittsburgh |
West Virginia |
Maryland
|
Syracuse
|
Duke |
Purdue
|
NC State
|
Indiana
|
Wake Forest |
Illinois |
Northwestern
|
SOUTHWEST
|
MIDLAND
|
Oklahoma
|
Nebraska
|
Oklahoma State
|
Missouri
|
Texas
|
Texas A&M
|
Baylor
|
Colorado
|
TCU
|
Arkansas
|
Texas Tech
|
Utah
|
Arizona
|
Kansas
|
Arizona State
|
Kansas State
|
NORTH
|
WEST
|
Notre Dame
|
USC
|
Ohio State
|
Oregon
|
Michigan
|
Stanford
|
Michigan State
|
UCLA
|
Wisconsin
|
Washington
|
Iowa
|
Washington State
|
Minnesota
|
California
|
Iowa State
|
Oregon State
|