(03-08-2021 05:02 PM)BePcr07 Wrote:  

(03-08-2021 04:24 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(03-05-2021 11:13 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(03-05-2021 06:15 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Conferences of 9 teams are not ideal in the sense that all teams cannot play in-conference at the same time, but here's my effort at a "P8" of 9-team circuits:

ACC: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Big 9: Colorado, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Big North: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Purdue, Wisconsin

Great East: Boston College, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, West Virginia

Pac-9: Boise State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State

SEC: Alabama, Auburn, Central Florida, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, South Florida

South Central: Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Memphis, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

SWC: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Houston, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Utah

I didn't break up any states, and I got the Big 8 and the original ACC 8 back together.

Congrats Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee, Miss St, and Ole Miss; instead of playing Alabama and Auburn, you get to play Louisville and Memphis now!

Congrats Bama and Auburn; instead of playing LSU and Tennessee, you get to play the directional Florida schools that used to be in CUSA now!

It's perhaps less balanced competitively, but here's an alternate arrangement where the Alabama schools are not placed with the Florida and Georgia schools. In exchange, the South Carolina schools move to the SEC, the Kentucky schools move to the ACC, and UMD trades places with WVU to make the map of states look less crappy.

ACC: Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia

Big 9: Colorado, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Big North: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Purdue, Wisconsin

Great East: Boston College, Cincinnati, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple

Pac-9: Boise State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State

SEC: Central Florida, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, South Carolina, South Florida

South Central: Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, Memphis, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

SWC: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Houston, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Utah

I like this alignment pretty well. When going up to 72, the additional 7 non-power schools that people add seem to unanimously include Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, and South Florida. The final 2 have the most disagreement. I would have BYU and Temple but this has Boise St and Temple. I've seen some alignments with San Diego St or SMU instead. There are others.

In your alignment, the only change I'd consider is switching Notre Dame with Ohio St. This places Ohio St with its historical rivals and Notre Dame into an East Coast group which they seem to prefer.

In a 9 team conference hypothetical world you can't remove Ohio St and Alabama out of their home conferences.