Big 15 x 5

Submitted by The Mathlete on

Since we are blowing the whole thing up, why don’t we look at what a truly consolidated power structure in which all the big boys stay at the table, invite a few of the little guys that have been chirping the loudest and push everyone else out of the picture.  The result is 5 conferences, 15 teams each and a 75 team SugerMegaUltraDivision1BowlPlayoffChampionshipDivision.

My rules, 15 teams per conference, Big East disappears, no members poached from within the 5 remaining conferences.  65 teams from the Big Six Conferences, Notre Dame and 9 other teams survive.

Scheduling

The conferences would each be split into 3 divisions, 5 teams each.  Four inter-division games are obvious and from there we have two options, option one is 3 cross division games per division and 2 non conference games and option 2 is 2 cross division games per division and 4 non conference games.  Personally, I like the first option because if you mix any match-ups for rivalries you still play all the teams every other year as opposed to once every four years.  I think if you are consolidating like this, non-conference games are less of a necessity.

Since I have already blatantly stolen some of the ideas from UMFootballCrazy’s Big 16, why stop now.  Besides the 3 division format, I also liked the 4 team conference playoff at the end.  3 Division winners plus a wildcard face off in a four team conference championship.  The 5 conference winners plus 3 wild cards could then face off in an 8 team playoff for the national championship.

Conferences

Big 10 11 12 14 15

West Central North
Syracuse Michigan Illinois
Rutgers Michigan St Northwestern
Pitt Indiana Minnesota
Penn St Purdue Wisconsin
Ohio St Notre Dame Iowa

New teams: ND, Pitt, Rutgers and Syracuse

2009 projected playoffs: MSU @ OSU, PSU @ Iowa

Michigan could preserve rivalries with Ohio St and Minnesota and under the 3 game scenario, rotate among the other 4 in each division every other year.

SEC

West Central East
LSU Kentucky Alabama
Arkansas Louisville South Carolina
Ole Miss Tennessee Florida
Miss St Vanderbilt Auburn
Memphis Cincinnati Georgia

New teams: Memphis, Cincinnati, Louisville

2009 projected playoffs: LSU @ Florida, Cincinnati @ Alabama

Big 12 Bible Belt Conference

South West East
Texas Oklahoma Nebraska
Texas A&M Oklahoma St Missouri
Texas Tech Colorado Iowa St
Houston Colorado St Kansas
TCU Baylor Kansas St

New teams: TCU, Colorado St, Houston

2009 projected playoffs: Nebraska @ Texas, TCU @ Oklahoma St

ACC

North Central South
BC UNC Clemson
Maryland Duke Miami
Virginia NC St Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech Wake Forest Florida St
Conn West Virginia South Florida

New teams: UConn, West Virginia, South Florida

2009 projected playoffs: WVU @ Georgia Tech, Clemson @Virginia Tech

PAC 10 15

North West East
Washington UCLA Arizona
Washington St USC Arizona St
Oregon Cal Utah
Oregon St Stanford BYU
Boise St SD/Fresno UNLV

New teams: Boise St, San Diego St or Fresno St, Utah, BYU, UNLV

2009 projected playoffs: Arizona @ Boise, BYU @ Stanford

National Playoff

1 Alabama
7 TCU
4 Ohio St
5 Georgia Tech
2 Texas
8 Iowa
3 Boise
6 Florida

Conference champions are then seeded 1-5 with the three at large selections going 6-8.  Seeding are adjusted so that conference opponents can’t meet until the championship game.  To make this work #7 TCU is switched with #8 Iowa.

Other Thoughts

Personally I like some of the ideas brought in from international soccer better than this, but that radical of a change isn’t likely to happen anytime soon or ever for that matter.  National championship participants would probably be playing 17 games in a season which does seem like a bit of a stretch.  Basketball scheduling would be an 18 game conference schedule with 4 opponents (probably division) getting a home and home and the other 10 teams getting one match-up each during the regular season. Conference tournaments could either be 1st round bye for 1st place team or Big East style bracket where 1-9 get a first round bye and then 1-4 get a second round bye.  I didn’t have much trouble making up the conferences or the divisions, but a couple teams could probably move around.  West Virginia could fit better in the Big 10 and switch with Syracuse or Rutgers.  As far as teams in or out of these conferences, the hardest calls where which California team to take, San Diego St or Fresno St and which teams to add to the former Big 12, could potentially bring in Tulsa instead of Houston or Colorado St.

Comments

cadmus2166

April 21st, 2010 at 6:13 PM ^

I don't think it's likely to happen this way, but it's the most "gentlemanly" idea proposed so far. And let's face it, the Big East is on borrowed time at his point, so they're getting ripped apart regardless.

Joined: 01/04/2010

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the_white_tiger

April 21st, 2010 at 6:24 PM ^

I personally think that this is the best idea, although it would take a miracle for it to happen. Personally, I'd go with a schedule with 3 OOC games and 8 conference games, which would be the 4 other divisional teams, and two games from other divisions, one from each. That way rivalries could theoretically be protected, or if not, the team that finished the same place in the division last year could be on the schedule (the fourth place team in the west in 2010 would play the two other 2010 fourth place teams in 2011.) 12 may seem to be too many games, 17 for the national championship teams is a bit excessive, so 11 regular season games might be a bit more practical. I like the conference playoff games, the three divisional champions and a "wild card" much like baseball would be great in determining a champion. The national championship tournament is good where it's at, give each of the conference champions an auto-bid and give three others at-larges so there is an even 8 teams. I could nitpick on the divisions, teams in the conferences, etc. but they are pretty good, and trying to make a perfect fit would be nearly impossible. Great post as usual.

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bluebyyou

April 21st, 2010 at 6:17 PM ^

Interesting, but based on my read, the conference winner and wild card would play a 12 game schedule, followed possibly by a two game conference playoff, and then potentially three more games. That is 17 games. Several teams would play 15 games. Am I missing something? Sounds like too many games to be practical. Plus, the three wildcard teams for the national championship sounds like a potential issue.

Joined: 09/07/2009

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Kilgore Trout

April 22nd, 2010 at 11:06 AM ^

I like the concept of blowing it up. I'd make one modification. I would do 4 16-team conferences. This limits the field to 64 teams, but I guess that has to be it. Each conference is split into two 8 team divisions. At the end of the season, each conference has a title game and the four winners go to a playoff. Two big advantages to doing it this way. Cuts down the amount of playoff games significantly. Make it an 11 game regular season and then at the end of the regular season, in addition to the 1v1 championship game, have 2 play 2 and so forth to get everyone to 12 games. So the two teams in the national championship game play 14 games which ends up only being one more than is currently in place. The other advantage is that people would be free to schedule whoever they wanted in the non-conference since it would have no bearing on their ability to make the national championship game. No at large / wildcard means you have to win your conference. I think that would really help foster teams challenging themselves in the non-conf schedule to prepare for the conference.

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