It has become clear that the realignment of the major collegiate athletic conferences has become a complete farce, with ridiculous, coast-to-coast conferences creating crazy travel schedules for supposed “student-athletes” and destroying the traditions and traditional regional rivalries that make college sports great.
The latest round of restructuring, as it happens, has resulted in exactly 64 schools spread among the “Power 4” conferences. As suggested by UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, an obvious solution here is to create a “super league” (which I first suggested years ago), and realigning those 64 schools into four conferences of 16 schools each, divided into eight-team divisions, which would essentially create an eight-team playoff: four conference championship games, two semifinals and a national championship game. Conference members would play all seven division rivals and two teams from the other division on a rotating basis, for a total of nine conference games. As such, every member of every conference plays every other member at least once in a four-year period. (Conferences would also be permitted to dispense with divisions if they choose and instead designate three permanent rivals for each school, rotating the other 12 conference members at six a year, so that everyone plays everyone home and away at least once in a four-year period.)
My proposed realignment would emphasize traditional rivalries and geographic realities to the degree possible (although three schools east of the Mississippi River would still end up in the Big XII). The traditional major bowl alliances would also be restored, with the Big Ten champion meeting the champion from the Big XII (which would absorb most of the former Pac-12) in the Rose Bowl, and the SEC champion going to the Sugar Bowl to face the ACC champion.
This new “Premier League” of college football would also allow for Notre Dame and the four Pac-12 members left out in the latest round of musical chairs to join as independents, and for one independent to potentially qualify for a playoff spot, in lieu of the lowest-ranked conference champion, if any of the independents meets three specific criteria.
ACC
Add: Maryland, Rutgers from Big Ten; West Virginia from Big XII
Lose: Louisville to Big XII
Bringing Maryland back to its traditional home and adding Rutgers and West Virginia gives the ACC the entire Atlantic coast footprint, and it also restores eastern football in a meaningful way. The ACC North would be what the Big East should have been (minus Penn State). More than half of the traditional ACC, plus the Florida and Georgia additions, would be together in the ACC South.
The only downside to the plan is that Virginia and North Carolina would be in different divisions and, under a nine-game conference schedule with two foes rotating every year, the UVA-UNC rivalry would only be played as a conference game once every four years. However, if both schools wish to continue playing every year, they could schedule each other for a nonconference game in the other three years (as North Carolina and Wake Forest do now). If the ACC wants to preserve the rivalry as a conference game every year, Florida State and Miami could be shifted to be with the eastern football schools, with Virginia and Virginia Tech shifting into the division with the North Carolina schools, Clemson and Georgia Tech. Given Miami’s history with the other eastern schools, including as a founding member of the Big East football conference, this would make some sense from a traditional standpoint.
ACC North
Boston College
Maryland
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Syracuse
Virginia*
Virginia Tech*
West Virginia
ACC South
Clemson
Duke
Florida State*
Georgia Tech
Miami*
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Wake Forest
*—Virginia and Virginia Tech could swap places with Florida State and Miami if needed to preserve the Virginia-North Carolina rivalry.
If the ACC chose not to have divisions, the slate of permanent rivals might look like this:
Boston College: Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Rutgers
Clemson: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami
Duke: North Carolina, Wake Forest, North Carolina State
Florida State: Miami, Clemson, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech: Clemson, Florida State, Miami
Maryland: Virginia, West Virginia, Rutgers
Miami: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson
North Carolina: Duke, North Carolina State, Virginia
North Carolina State: North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest
Pittsburgh: West Virginia, Syracuse, Boston College
Rutgers: Maryland, Syracuse, Boston College
Syracuse: Boston College, Pittsburgh, Rutgers
Virginia: Virginia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina
Virginia Tech: Virginia, West Virginia, Wake Forest
Wake Forest: Duke, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech
West Virginia: Pittsburgh, Maryland, Virginia Tech
SEC
Add: Oklahoma State from Big XII
Lose: Missouri to Big Ten
More than any of the other Power 4, the SEC has done a good job of expanding in a way that makes sense. Only Missouri, which is more in the Big Ten’s footprint (and really wanted to join the Big Ten) is an odd fit in the SEC. Swapping Missouri for Oklahoma State would restore two of college football’s great traditional rivalries: Missouri-Kansas (see Big Ten) and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State. It would also be a better fit for both the Big Ten and SEC’s geographical footprints.
SEC East
Alabama
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
SEC West
Arkansas
LSU
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas
Texas A&M
Should the SEC elect not to have divisions, it would be very, very easy to designate three permanent rivals for each school. The only games that would not be considered traditional rivalries would be South Carolina-Kentucky, Alabama-Mississippi State, Arkansas-Oklahoma State, and Mississippi State-Oklahoma State. However, Alabama and Mississippi State are neighbors, as are Arkansas and Oklahoma State, and Mississippi State and Oklahoma State both have similar positions in their states: as the “ag” school, looked down upon by the “flagship” school, and in that way would make very natural rivals.
Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State
Arkansas: LSU, Texas, Oklahoma State
Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Florida
Florida: Georgia, Auburn, South Carolina
Georgia: Florida, Auburn, South Carolina
Kentucky: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina
LSU: Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas A&M
Mississippi: Mississippi State, LSU, Vanderbilt
Mississippi State: Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma State
Oklahoma: Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M
Oklahoma State: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi State
South Carolina: Georgia, Florida, Kentucky
Tennessee: Vanderbilt, Alabama, Kentucky
Texas: Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Arkansas
Texas A&M: Texas, LSU, Oklahoma
Vanderbilt: Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi
Big Ten
Add: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State from Big XII; Missouri from SEC
Lose: Oregon, Southern California, UCLA, Washington to Big XII; Maryland and Rutgers to ACC.
This new alignment would stop the madness and get the Big Ten back to what it used to be and always should be: a Midwestern-based league, with most traditional rivals playing each other every year. The Big Ten West would essentially be the core of the old Big Eight, minus the Oklahoma schools and Colorado.
Big Ten East
Illinois
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Northwestern
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Big Ten West
Iowa
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Should the Big Ten decide not to have divisions, it would be relatively easy to designate three permanent rivals for each conference member. The most difficult one to figure out would be Iowa, but its longstanding rivalries with Iowa State, Minnesota and Wisconsin would mean having to scrap Iowa vs. Nebraska on a yearly basis, and replacing it with Iowa State vs. Nebraska (a former Big Eight/Big XII rivalry). A non-divisional lineup could restore most of the Big Ten’s traditional trophy games (such as Illinois/Ohio State and Michigan/Minnesota) to yearly contests.
Illinois: Northwestern, Purdue, Ohio State
Indiana: Purdue, Michigan State, Northwestern
Iowa: Iowa State, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Iowa State: Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska
Kansas: Missouri, Kansas State, Nebraska
Kansas State: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
Michigan: Ohio State, Michigan State, Minnesota
Michigan State: Michigan, Indiana, Penn State
Minnesota: Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan
Missouri: Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State
Nebraska: Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State
Northwestern: Illinois, Indiana, Purdue
Ohio State: Michigan, Penn State, Illinois
Penn State: Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin
Purdue: Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern
Wisconsin: Minnesota, Iowa, Penn State
Big XII
Add: Louisville from ACC; Oregon, Southern California, UCLA and Washington from Big Ten
Lose: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State to Big Ten; Oklahoma State to SEC; West Virginia to ACC
With footholds in California, Texas and Florida under this new alignment, the Big XII shouldn’t miss Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia very much. It would basically become a Sunbelt/Pacific coast league. Adding Louisville from the ACC would restore a traditional rivalry between UL and Cincinnati. The only odd fit would be Colorado in the East Division, but the Buffaloes are not likely to complain about annual matchups with four Texas schools and Central Florida. Seven of the old Pac-12 would be reunited in the West Division, plus BYU, thus preserving its “Holy War” rivalry with Utah.
Big XII East
Baylor
Central Florida
Cincinnati
Colorado
Houston
Louisville
Texas Christian
Texas Tech
Big XII West
Arizona
Arizona State
Brigham Young
Oregon
Southern California
UCLA
Utah
Washington
A non-divisional lineup with three permanent rivals per school might look like this, with emphasis on keeping together longstanding traditional rivalries (such as the Texas schools and the west coast schools). Unfortunately, there would be a handful of odd pairings (Arizona State-Louisville, BYU-UCF and BYU-Cincinnati), but because BYU traditionally has liked to travel due to its desire to be a messenger for the Mormon faith, this actually might work out all right.
Arizona: Arizona State, Colorado, Utah
Arizona State: Arizona, Colorado, Louisville
Baylor: TCU, Texas Tech, Houston
Brigham Young: Utah, Cincinnati, UCF
Central Florida: Cincinnati, Louisville, BYU
Cincinnati: Louisville, UCF, BYU
Colorado: Utah, Arizona, Arizona State
Houston: TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech
Louisville: Cincinnati, UCF, Arizona State
Oregon: Washington, USC, UCLA
Southern California: UCLA, Washington, Oregon
Texas Christian: Baylor, Houston, Texas Tech
Texas Tech: Baylor, TCU, Houston
UCLA: USC, Oregon, Washington
Utah: BYU, Colorado, Arizona
Washington: Oregon, UCLA, USC
Independents
The four Pac-12 schools left standing when the latest round of musical chairs stopped (California, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State), as well as Notre Dame, would be invited to join the new league as independents. It’s obvious that Notre Dame would have to be included. And clearly, the flagship school from the nation’s biggest state can’t be left out, nor can its chief rival, which is considered one of the world’s leading schools. Inviting Oregon State and Washington State is a call which is less clear-cut, but their football programs are arguably no worse than California’s or Stanford’s. The top-ranked independent each year would be eligible to make the playoffs (replacing the lowest-ranked conference champion) if it meets three criteria:
- Plays at least nine Premier League opponents. Because the members of the four conferences all would play nine conference games, this is only fair. (If all the independents play each other, they will have satisfied almost half this requirement and would only need to find five more opponents from the four conferences. If Notre Dame continues its deal with the ACC, in which it plays five ACC schools a year, the Irish would have a full slate, without even considering its annual rivalry game with USC.)
- Loses no more than one game.
- Outranks at least one conference champion.
Playoffs
Two bowls would be designated as the semifinals, with the Big Ten and Big XII champions playing in the Rose Bowl, and the ACC and SEC champions playing in the Sugar Bowl, both games being restored to New Year’s Day, in accordance with tradition, and the championship game to follow a week later. While the site could rotate, the best solution would be to have the game in Dallas every year (thereby throwing a nod to the old Cotton Bowl, which used to be considered one of the primary bowls, and also having it in a top-flight stadium close to the middle of the country). The lowest-ranked conference champion could be replaced by an independent if the top-ranked independent meets the three criteria listed earlier.
While the Orange Bowl would be left out of the rotation for the playoffs, it could also be a New Year’s Day bowl, with the top independent, or the conference champion replaced by the top independent, getting an automatic bid and facing the highest-ranked Premier League team that did not win its conference. No other bowls would be played on New Year’s Day.
A potential scenario for New Year’s Day would be as follows:
Orange Bowl: Notre Dame/USC vs. Alabama/Georgia
Rose Bowl (semifinal): Ohio State/Michigan vs. USC/Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl (semifinal): Georgia/Alabama vs. Clemson/Florida State