I couldn't agree more! Texas, TAMU, ND, Nebraska, Pittsburgh are my five if I'm dreaming. I could also live with Mizzou, UCONN, or Syracuse instead of Pittsburgh.
Personally, I think any plan that requires some games to be TBA at the start of the season is a non-starter. Maybe I'm wrong, but I REALLY think it would be important for the schools and the alumni and the fans to have all 12 games set in stone before the season starts. I have a hard time imagining the presidents or athletic directors agreeing to anything else.
A bit confusing but not as much as changing divisions in the middle of the season or some other wacky promotion/relegation model that takes into account the previous year's record.
UM's sample Big 16 schedule for the first four years:
First two years: OSU, MSU, ND, Wisc, Minny, NW, ILL, TX, TAMU
Second two years: OSU, MSU, ND, PSU, PITT, Indiana, Purdue, Iowa, Nebraska
From 1996 to 1998 the WAC had 16 teams. Here's how they did it and it worked fine and it's simple and it solves all the issues.
You create four pods of four teams each. Pod Alpha, Pod Omega, Pod 2, and Pod 4. Pod Alpha is always in the "East Division" and Pod Omega is always in the "West Division". However, Pod 2 and Pod 4 switch divisions every two years.
The result of this is that each team has three permanent rivals in their pod which they play every season and they play every other team two on and two off. Example ho:
Pod Alpha: OSU, UM, MSU, ND
Pod Omega: Texas, TAMU, Iowa, Nebraska
Pod 2: Wisc, Minny, NW, Illinois
Pod 4: PSU, PITT, Indiana, Purdue
Year one and year two:
East Division: OSU, UM, MSU, ND, Wisc, Minny, NW, Illinois
West Division: Texas, TAMU, Iowa, Neb, PSU, PITT, Indiana, Purdue
Each team plays the seven teams in your division plus two teams from the diametrically opposite pod (ie. Alpha teams would play two Omega Teams).
Year three and year four:
East Division: OSU, UM, MSU, ND, PSU, PITT, Indiana, Purdue
West Division: Texas, TAMU, Iowa, Neb, Wisc, Minny, NW, Illinois
Each team would then play the other two teams from the diametrically opposite pod that they missed the previous two years. Thereby, you never go more than two years without playing everyone in the league.
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