...I still can't believe that shit happened yesterday.
The more I sit with this, I think we will get two mega-conferences that break off from the NCAA and do their own thing. (Some form of March Madness still exists with the NCAA and non-NCAA teams together.)
Big Ten West: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Colorado
Big Ten Central: Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame
Big Ten East: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, North Carolina, Duke
SEC West: Texas, aTm, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, LSU, Arkansas, Nebraska, Missouri
SEC Central: Mississippi, Mississippi State, Bama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, West Virginia
SEC East: Florida, Miami, FSU, Georgia, Clemson, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Both mega-conferences have their own 4-team playoff (a formula can choose the best 2nd-place team) and the playoff winners play for the National Championship.
Each team plays their division every year, and 2 crossovers from each of the other divisions and one non-conference game.
ND may not love their division in this, but they can't afford to be left out and they'll have 1 and in many years 2 of USC, Stanford, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State & Penn State on their schedule. Plus, as the top program in their division, they're going to be in the postseason picture on a pretty much annual basis. By playing east coast and west coast teams every year and maintaining, in some form, their historical rivalries, it gives them enough of what they want.
(I have the Big Ten choosing Colorado and the Denver media market/closer proximity to the western teams over Kansas basketball. But that could go the other way and the Big Ten adds Kansas along with the other basketball powers for UNQUESTIONED hoops dominance. For now I go with Colorado.)
Instead of offering a stronger athletic program in Baylor or Houston when the SEC already has the state of Texas locked in with UT/aTm, the SEC instead offers Nebraska a chance to get back to playing their old Big 8/Big 12 rivals in Texas, aTm, Oklahoma, et al, and they jump at it. Notre Dame takes their spot in the B1G Central.
What I could see then happening is a "football division" of the Big East: Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, Kansas, Iowa State, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, UCF, Pitt, Syracuse, BC, NC State and Wake Forest. UConn is the only football school currently in the Big East, so this would give them a home. 14 football schools, 10 non-football. A pair of 7-team football divisions and a trio of 8-team basketball divisions. You've got a fantastic basketball conference fused with a football mid-major that's better than the MAC, but far from a Power 5.
Three hoops divisions...
Syracuse, UConn, BC, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown
Pitt, Cincinnati, Xavier, Louisville, Wake Forest, NC State, Georgia Tech, UCF
Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Creighton, Butler, Memphis, Marquette, DePaul
Everyone plays a home & home in their division (14 games) and everyone else once. No non-conference at all. 30 games.
Two football divisions...
Syracuse, BC, UConn, Wake Forest, NC State, Georgia Tech, UCF
Pitt, Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State
A western mid-major superconference forms from Baylor, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech, BYU, ASU, Cal, Oregon State & Washington State and the most desirable of the mid-majors - SMU, UNLV, Nevada, San Diego State, Boise State, New Mexico, Air Force, Tulsa, Tulane, Louisiana, Utah State, Colorado State... then maybe Gonzaga & New Mexico State for basketball.
The more I sit with this, I think we will get two mega-conferences that break off from the NCAA and do their own thing. (Some form of March Madness still exists with the NCAA and non-NCAA teams together.)
Big Ten West: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Colorado
Big Ten Central: Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame
Big Ten East: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, North Carolina, Duke
SEC West: Texas, aTm, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, LSU, Arkansas, Nebraska, Missouri
SEC Central: Mississippi, Mississippi State, Bama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, West Virginia
SEC East: Florida, Miami, FSU, Georgia, Clemson, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Both mega-conferences have their own 4-team playoff (a formula can choose the best 2nd-place team) and the playoff winners play for the National Championship.
Each team plays their division every year, and 2 crossovers from each of the other divisions and one non-conference game.
ND may not love their division in this, but they can't afford to be left out and they'll have 1 and in many years 2 of USC, Stanford, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State & Penn State on their schedule. Plus, as the top program in their division, they're going to be in the postseason picture on a pretty much annual basis. By playing east coast and west coast teams every year and maintaining, in some form, their historical rivalries, it gives them enough of what they want.
(I have the Big Ten choosing Colorado and the Denver media market/closer proximity to the western teams over Kansas basketball. But that could go the other way and the Big Ten adds Kansas along with the other basketball powers for UNQUESTIONED hoops dominance. For now I go with Colorado.)
Instead of offering a stronger athletic program in Baylor or Houston when the SEC already has the state of Texas locked in with UT/aTm, the SEC instead offers Nebraska a chance to get back to playing their old Big 8/Big 12 rivals in Texas, aTm, Oklahoma, et al, and they jump at it. Notre Dame takes their spot in the B1G Central.
What I could see then happening is a "football division" of the Big East: Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, Kansas, Iowa State, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, UCF, Pitt, Syracuse, BC, NC State and Wake Forest. UConn is the only football school currently in the Big East, so this would give them a home. 14 football schools, 10 non-football. A pair of 7-team football divisions and a trio of 8-team basketball divisions. You've got a fantastic basketball conference fused with a football mid-major that's better than the MAC, but far from a Power 5.
Three hoops divisions...
Syracuse, UConn, BC, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown
Pitt, Cincinnati, Xavier, Louisville, Wake Forest, NC State, Georgia Tech, UCF
Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Creighton, Butler, Memphis, Marquette, DePaul
Everyone plays a home & home in their division (14 games) and everyone else once. No non-conference at all. 30 games.
Two football divisions...
Syracuse, BC, UConn, Wake Forest, NC State, Georgia Tech, UCF
Pitt, Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State
A western mid-major superconference forms from Baylor, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech, BYU, ASU, Cal, Oregon State & Washington State and the most desirable of the mid-majors - SMU, UNLV, Nevada, San Diego State, Boise State, New Mexico, Air Force, Tulsa, Tulane, Louisiana, Utah State, Colorado State... then maybe Gonzaga & New Mexico State for basketball.
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