ESPN: Changing landscape hits non-AQ
I'm not huge on Schlabach articles, but this is a great comprehensive look at what's happening in the non-AQ conferences. For those that are confused or have completely given up on lower-level CFB. Hopefully this will help: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8948775/college-football-changing-landscape-hits-non-aq-conferences-too
February 15th, 2013 at 10:43 AM ^
Thanks for posting.
February 15th, 2013 at 11:37 AM ^
/s
February 15th, 2013 at 12:04 PM ^
February 15th, 2013 at 12:29 PM ^
February 15th, 2013 at 1:26 PM ^
Eight 12-team conferences...N, S, E, W, NE, SE, MW, ME. (Aren't enough teams in the west).
If you finish last in your conference you're demoted down a level.
For the "B-Level" they play a regular season with the same eight 12-team conferences. Then have an 8-team playoff. If you make the 8-team playoff, you're guaranteed to move up to the "A-Level" the following season. It would make their regular season INSANE for team trying to move up.
I'd actually watch both levels because you'd want to see the best football and regular season games that matter in the A level because only conference winners make the playoffs. In the B level it would be everyone trying to win the conference so they can move up.
...radical I know.
Another idea I thought about after reading this article. Why do we even have conferences? Why not let EVERYONE be independent and then just let the bottom feeders fall off. Schedule whoever you want. Eventually the big boys will break away which is going to happen anyway.
Okay, back from lunch daydreaming. Enjoy your day everyone. Go Blue.
February 15th, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^
That was a pretty informative summary, and thank you for sharing.
It actually reminded me that there was this (I had found it some time ago), if anyone is interested in a comprehensive high-level look, conference by conference - http://collegesportsinfo.com/conference-realignment-grid/
It has some Google Map overlays of conferences in their current configuration as well as brief summaries of news - going back a few years actually - of proposed, rumored and actual news for each team. It's a decent overall view of the current and possible future states of all conferences, including some FCS and Division II items as well.
Does the switch to being an FBS Independent snap NMSU's 50-plus year bowl drought? It gives them a chance to schedule the ten or eleven teams with even worse defenses from a statistical standpoint.
February 15th, 2013 at 12:27 PM ^
I usually sum it up as a general trend: most of the CUSA teams joined the Big East, most of the Sun Belt teams joined CUSA, and FCS teams that want to move up joined the Sun Belt.
Consequently, the Big East is the new CUSA, CUSA is the new Sun Belt, and the Sun Belt is the new FCS.
February 15th, 2013 at 3:05 PM ^
February 15th, 2013 at 4:26 PM ^
The amazing part is the Big East actually makes geographic sense again. It's just a southern league with northern outliers now instead of a northern one with southern outliers.
February 16th, 2013 at 9:41 AM ^
No it doesn't...Houston, SMU, Tulane and potentially Tulsa have no business in the Big East. Cincinnati also remains in the league.