How about a P3 (and a G8)?
There are currently three power conferences with a functioning network. That seems like enough networks for me. So, starting with that, how could we come up with a balanced, rational alignment that can be integrated into the CFP?
Here's one suggestion:
PAC (18)
West: Wash, Wash St, Oregon, Oregon St, Stanford, Cal, USC, UCLA, Arizona
East: Ariz St, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Texas Tech, OU, OK St, Kansas, K State
B!G (18)
West: Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, N'western, Minn, Wisc, Iowa, Nebraska, Mich St
East: Michigan, Ohio St, Penn St, Rutgers, MD, Virginia, UNC, Duke, Ga Tech
SEC (18)
West: Texas A&M, Mizzou, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St, Bama, Auburn, Vandy
East: Tenn, Kentucky, S Car, Georgia, Florida, Va Tech, NC State, Clemson, FSU
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Each division plays a balanced 4/4 home-away schedule. Division champs based only on games within the division. Crossovers permitted/encouraged but not required. Division champs play in CCG, with winner guaranteed a spot in CFP semis. Loser is guaranteed an NY6 bowl. First tiebreaker is head to head, then highest ranked. B1G/PAC send a third team to Rose Bowl, and SEC sends its third team to Sugar Bowl.
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What is now the G5, plus what's left of Big 12 and ACC morph into the G8, in which no conference has more than 10 members for purposes of selecting playoff teams.
Big 12 - Baylor, TCU, Iowa St, Houston, SMU, Memphis, BYU, Boise, New Mexico
ACC - Louisville, Syracuse, BC, Pitt, Miami, Wake Forest, WVU, Cincy, UConn
MAC West - Ball St, NIU, W Mich, C Mich, E Mich, Bowling Green, Kent, Miami (O)
MAC East - Akron, Ohio, Toledo, Buffalo, UMass, Marshall, Temple, ECU
USA West - Rice, So Miss, UTEP, La Tech, N Texas, UTSA, Tulsa, Texas St, Tulane
USA East - MTSU, Western Ky, ODU, Charlotte, UCF, USF, FIU, FAU, App State
MWC - AFA, Colo St, UNLV, Wyoming, Nevada, Fresno, Hawaii, San Jose, SDSU, Utah St
SBC - Troy, S Alabama, UAB, Ga Southern, Ga St, ULL, ULM, N Mexico St, Idaho
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The four highest ranked G8 champions play off to determine two guaranteed spots in the CFP series. If one of them is ranked #4 or higher, and is ranked ahead of Notre Dame, they get the fourth semifinal spot. If not, both get at-large NY6 bids, and the fourth semi spot goes to the highest ranked P3 team not a conference champion.
These are likely to be four quality teams, and the winners should be worthy representatives in the NY6. By my count, the G8 group would include at least 11 different schools who have played in at least one BCS/CFP game.
While some conferences have been broken up for football scheduling purposes, the could still remain administratively one unit for negotiating media deals (for example, the MAC and C-USA). The remnants of the B12 and ACC would be free to enter a similar arrangement if they wanted to. The point is to give all 72 G8 teams a clear path to the CFP, not to limit their flexibility.
There it is. Commence with all the reasons I'm a babbling idiot. (BTW, I understand this is a fantasy, and the chances of anything like this happening are close to nil.)
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