(01-08-2016 02:02 PM)ecuacc4ever Wrote: You forgot the advocates for status quo :)
ATLANTIC
Boston College
Clemson
Florida State
Louisville
NC State
Syracuse
Wake Forest
COASTAL
Duke
Georgia Tech
Miami
North Carolina
Pitt
Viriginia
Virginia Tech
Snag #1
If the first two seasons of it have been any indication, Louisville/Virginia is one of the best up-and-coming nasty football rivalries in P5. Why would anyone want to give that up...?
Snag #2
You'd have to convince one (if not all three) of North Carolina, Duke and (maybe) Virginia to give up annual games with Georgia Tech. Good luck.
That right there is the stickiest problem for the league, and IMO the biggest reason that the status quo won't be easily broken.
There are several considerations that are usually taken into account in trying to arrange divisions when there isn't a single obvious geographical solution. One of these is competitive balance. Right now, the two divisions are closely balanced, strength wise if you are looking at
average strength. Now, at the top, they aren't as well balanced because Miami and Va Tech - which were the equals to FSU and Clemson when they were added to the league - have slipped lately.
But where is it written that two divisions have to be balanced? It's not a rule, and if it gets in the way of a better solution it could, and should, be set aside.
Another assumption is that every school should play each other on some sort of regular basis. Again, where is this rule written? It certainly sounds like something conferences ought to do. But at what cost? I heard a number of posters from many different schools express that they really didn't care if they ever played .....(insert team here)....
Within the current rules, as long as there are two divisions which play a round robin within the division, crossovers can be established however the conference wants. Here's a radical thought. What if every school had two permanent crossovers instead of one? And what if, instead of having 14 members vote on which those crossovers would be, we have a draft instead.
My suggestion for the divisions would be (in alphabetical order):
Duke
Louisville
North Carolina
NC State
Virginia
Va Tech
Wake Forest
BC
Clemson
Florida St
Ga Tech
Miami
Pitt
Syracuse
Let the weaker division draft their crossovers in alphabetical order, with the second round in reverse alphabetical order (Duke would have picks #1 and #14 and Wake would have #7 and #8). I guess the draft would play out something like this:
Duke would probably pick Ga Tech first, and I suspect Louisville would want Miami. With the third pick Carolina would likely take Ga Tech off the board. I believe NC State would want Clemson. Since Ga Tech is no longer available, UVa picks Pitt and Va Tech selects Clemson, taking them off the board.
With the next two picks, Wake takes BC and Syracuse. This leaves FSU available for Va Tech. FSU lobbies UVa to take somebody else, so the Cavs select BC. State chooses the Noles, and Carolina takes Miami. Louisville takes Pitt, leaving Syracuse for Duke's second pick.
To recap, from the point of view of the division that did not pick their crossovers, this is how the dust settled in my imaginary draft:
BC..................Wake & Virginia
Clemson..........State and Va Tech
Florida State...Va Tech and State
Ga Tech..........Duke & UNC
Miami.............Louisville & UNC
Pitt................Virginia & Louisville
Syracuse........Wake & Duke
Now any two schools who want to play each other can choose to do so OOC. The only game I see as a potential annual game is Ga Tech and Virginia. Other schools may want to rotate among all the other schools who are willing to play them, while some schools may prefer not to play any more than their fixed slate of 8 league opponents.
In this scenario, which schools would be the happiest, and which ones the most disappointed with their schedule?
