This is probably a pipe dream, but here is my idea:

Have 8 conferences with 16 teams per conference (128 total teams).
Each conference will have two divisions (Tier 1 and Tier 2).
At the end of each season, the team from Tier 1 that finishes in last place will be demoted down to Tier 2, and the team that finishes in first place from Tier 2 will be promoted up to Tier 1.
The conference champions can only come from Tier 1.
Then have a 16 team playoff with all 8 conference champions and 8 at-large teams.
The at-large teams can come from any Tier.
Teams not making the playoff can still be eligible for bowl games.


WESTERN
Tier 1
USC
UCLA
California
Stanford
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Tier 2
Hawaii
Fresno State
San Diego State
San Jose State
Nevada
UNLV
Boise State
Idaho

MOUNTAIN
Tier 1
Colorado
Air Force
BYU
Utah
Arizona
Arizona State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Tier 2
Montana
Wyoming
North Dakota State
Utah State
Colorado State
New Mexico
New Mexico State
Tulsa

SOUTHERN
Tier 1
LSU
SMU
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas A&M
Texas
Houston
Baylor
Tier 2
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Tech
Tulane
Rice
North Texas
Texas St
UTEP
UTSA

CENTRAL
Tier 1
Nebraska
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Iowa
Wisconsin
Purdue
Notre Dame
Tier 2
Missouri State
Iowa State
Minnesota
Northwestern
Northern Illinois
Illinois
Indiana
Ball State

MIDWEST
Tier 1
Michigan State
Michigan
Ohio State
Ohio
Cincinnati
Kent State
Kentucky
Louisville
Tier 2
Western Michigan
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Toledo
Akron
Miami OH
Bowling Green
Western Kentucky

SOUTHEASTERN
Tier 1
Arkansas
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Auburn
Alabama
Florida
Florida State
Miami FL
Tier 2
Arkansas State
Southern Miss
Troy
UAB
Central Florida
South Florida
Florida Atlantic
Florida International

EASTERN
Tier 1
Georgia
Georgia Tech
Clemson
South Carolina
North Carolina
Duke
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Tier 2
Georgia State
Appalacian State
Wake Forest
NC State
Charlotte
East Carolina
Middle Tennessee
Memphis

NORTHEASTERN
Tier 1
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
Pittsburg
Penn State
Rutgers
Syracuse
Maryland
Boston College
Tier 2
Virginia
Marshall
Army
Navy
Temple
Buffalo
U Conn
U Mass

Better than many other wild ideas I have seen.

(06-01-2013 12:54 PM)andy76 Wrote:  This is probably a pipe dream, but here is my idea:

Your idea for what? Why on earth, e.g., would LSU want to trade affiliations with Florida, Alabama, and Georgia for affiliations with SMU, TCU, and Baylor?

(06-01-2013 02:09 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(06-01-2013 12:54 PM)andy76 Wrote:  This is probably a pipe dream, but here is my idea:

Your idea for what? Why on earth, e.g., would LSU want to trade affiliations with Florida, Alabama, and Georgia for affiliations with SMU, TCU, and Baylor?

Obviously so they could play Houston and Texas Tech more often.

Seriously though, I like the idea of dropping down/moving up.

I also like the idea of BC, SU, Pitt, PSU, WVU, RU, UMD, and VT in the same conference. Throw in ND, UCONN (bball only), Georgetown (bball only), Villanova (bball only) and call it a day for the northeast. In addition to making geographic and cultural sense, it would have very good basketball, football, and academics.

INteresting, but will never happen. I do wish there was serious consideration of the promotion/demotion concept.

In a word:

No.

No power conference will trade their voluntary association with eachother for forced association with little brothers.

"Tier 2
Georgia State
Appalacian State
Wake Forest
NC State
Charlotte
East Carolina
Middle Tennessee
Memphis"


You serious, Clark?

It's an interesting concept, but no.

What I possibly see happening in the future is the ACC (WV, ND), SEC (?), and PAC 12 (TX, TCU/TT, OK, OSU) will increase to 16 schools and form their own football division. Each conference will have four divisions. Another possibility is that the aforementioned conferences will increase to 15 schools and have 3 divisions in each conference. The highest ranked school in each conference would get a bye in a mini-playoff within each conference. The P4 (the B12 wouldn't exist) would make tons of $$$ if they adopted a format similar to the NFL.

(06-01-2013 12:54 PM)andy76 Wrote:  This is probably a pipe dream, but here is my idea:

Have 8 conferences with 16 teams per conference (128 total teams).
Each conference will have two divisions (Tier 1 and Tier 2).
At the end of each season, the team from Tier 1 that finishes in last place will be demoted down to Tier 2, and the team that finishes in first place from Tier 2 will be promoted up to Tier 1.
The conference champions can only come from Tier 1.
Then have a 16 team playoff with all 8 conference champions and 8 at-large teams.
The at-large teams can come from any Tier.
Teams not making the playoff can still be eligible for bowl games.


WESTERN
Tier 1
USC
UCLA
California
Stanford
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Tier 2
Hawaii
Fresno State
San Diego State
San Jose State
Nevada
UNLV
Boise State
Idaho

MOUNTAIN
Tier 1
Colorado
Air Force
BYU
Utah
Arizona
Arizona State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Tier 2
Montana
Wyoming
North Dakota State
Utah State
Colorado State
New Mexico
New Mexico State
Tulsa

SOUTHERN
Tier 1
LSU
SMU
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas A&M
Texas
Houston
Baylor
Tier 2
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Tech
Tulane
Rice
North Texas
Texas St
UTEP
UTSA

CENTRAL
Tier 1
Nebraska
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Iowa
Wisconsin
Purdue
Notre Dame
Tier 2
Missouri State
Iowa State
Minnesota
Northwestern
Northern Illinois
Illinois
Indiana
Ball State

MIDWEST
Tier 1
Michigan State
Michigan
Ohio State
Ohio
Cincinnati
Kent State
Kentucky
Louisville
Tier 2
Western Michigan
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Toledo
Akron
Miami OH
Bowling Green
Western Kentucky

SOUTHEASTERN
Tier 1
Arkansas
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Auburn
Alabama
Florida
Florida State
Miami FL
Tier 2
Arkansas State
Southern Miss
Troy
UAB
Central Florida
South Florida
Florida Atlantic
Florida International

EASTERN
Tier 1
Georgia
Georgia Tech
Clemson
South Carolina
North Carolina
Duke
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Tier 2
Georgia State
Appalacian State
Wake Forest
NC State
Charlotte
East Carolina
Middle Tennessee
Memphis

NORTHEASTERN
Tier 1
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
Pittsburg
Penn State
Rutgers
Syracuse
Maryland
Boston College
Tier 2
Virginia
Marshall
Army
Navy
Temple
Buffalo
U Conn
U Mass

No, it'll never happen. I would probably disagree on who's Tier 1 and who's Tier 2 in many cases, but the idea is actually a good one. But it's only a good idea if it requires relegation and promotion, as in European soccer. This is what American sports lack that makes European leagues so interesting. The fight at the bottom of the table becomes just as exciting and important as the fight at the top of the table when relegation is thrown into the mix.

The promotion system is a joke. Look at EPL where it allows the same 3 teams to win almost every year and nobody else can build a club to challenge them except once in a blue moon.

(06-01-2013 05:51 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  The promotion system is a joke. Look at EPL where it allows the same 3 teams to win almost every year and nobody else can build a club to challenge them except once in a blue moon.

Do you mean college football is not like this now. Compared to the number of teams involved in each, is the % that far off?

(06-01-2013 12:54 PM)andy76 Wrote:  This is probably a pipe dream, but here is my idea:

Have 8 conferences with 16 teams per conference (128 total teams).
Each conference will have two divisions (Tier 1 and Tier 2).
At the end of each season, the team from Tier 1 that finishes in last place will be demoted down to Tier 2, and the team that finishes in first place from Tier 2 will be promoted up to Tier 1.
The conference champions can only come from Tier 1.
Then have a 16 team playoff with all 8 conference champions and 8 at-large teams.
The at-large teams can come from any Tier.
Teams not making the playoff can still be eligible for bowl games.


WESTERN
Tier 1
USC
UCLA
California
Stanford
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Tier 2
Hawaii
Fresno State
San Diego State
San Jose State
Nevada
UNLV
Boise State
Idaho

MOUNTAIN
Tier 1
Colorado
Air Force
BYU
Utah
Arizona
Arizona State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Tier 2
Montana
Wyoming
North Dakota State
Utah State
Colorado State
New Mexico
New Mexico State
Tulsa

SOUTHERN
Tier 1
LSU
SMU
TCU
Texas Tech
Texas A&M
Texas
Houston
Baylor
Tier 2
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Tech
Tulane
Rice
North Texas
Texas St
UTEP
UTSA

CENTRAL
Tier 1
Nebraska
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Iowa
Wisconsin
Purdue
Notre Dame
Tier 2
Missouri State
Iowa State
Minnesota
Northwestern
Northern Illinois
Illinois
Indiana
Ball State

MIDWEST
Tier 1
Michigan State
Michigan
Ohio State
Ohio
Cincinnati
Kent State
Kentucky
Louisville
Tier 2
Western Michigan
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Toledo
Akron
Miami OH
Bowling Green
Western Kentucky

SOUTHEASTERN
Tier 1
Arkansas
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Auburn
Alabama
Florida
Florida State
Miami FL
Tier 2
Arkansas State
Southern Miss
Troy
UAB
Central Florida
South Florida
Florida Atlantic
Florida International

EASTERN
Tier 1
Georgia
Georgia Tech
Clemson
South Carolina
North Carolina
Duke
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Tier 2
Georgia State
Appalacian State
Wake Forest
NC State
Charlotte
East Carolina
Middle Tennessee
Memphis

NORTHEASTERN
Tier 1
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
Pittsburg
Penn State
Rutgers
Syracuse
Maryland
Boston College
Tier 2
Virginia
Marshall
Army
Navy
Temple
Buffalo
U Conn
U Mass

First, thanks for putting SMU in Tier 1.

However, you blew it putting Iowa state, Minnesota, Northwestern , Illinois and North Carolina State in Tier 2... and putting KENT STATE in Tier 1.

(06-01-2013 07:32 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  First, thanks for putting SMU in Tier 1.

However, you blew it putting Iowa state, Minnesota, Northwestern , Illinois and North Carolina State in Tier 2... and putting KENT STATE in Tier 1.

and UVA

(06-01-2013 05:51 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  The promotion system is a joke. Look at EPL where it allows the same 3 teams to win almost every year and nobody else can build a club to challenge them except once in a blue moon.

That doesn't make promotion/relegation a joke.

Besides, the US college system would be more like the European Champions League once it got beyond the regional level - and there, there's no real domination. A German team won it this year, an English team the year before, a Spanish one the year before that, and an Italian one the year before that.

In the U.S. college system, certain teams would probably always play in the top level,* but others would move in and out of the top level, giving them exposure to the largest audience and the most money based not on where they happened to end up in the 50's or the population of their metropolitan area, but how well they perform.

*But not necessarily - if a team has major infractions like Ohio State or Penn State did recently, they might have to move down. And look at a big program like Auburn who did poorly enough to get relegated this past year. Why shouldn't a team have to spend a season at the next level down when they do so poorly, and allow an over-performing team to try their hand in the upper echelons?

Because conferences are voluntary associations and will not give that up so that midmajors can feel better.

Great minds... hehe... circa January 2013...

(06-01-2013 08:57 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  Because conferences are voluntary associations and will not give that up so that midmajors can feel better.

Nobody here thinks this will ever happen. But it is a fairer way to do things, and it prevents those in the power conferences from blocking top-performing programs in lesser conferences from proving themselves on a bigger stage.

Recent discussion on the promotion/relegation question...

http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=632...pid9328939

(06-01-2013 08:33 PM)Cardinals Wrote:  

(06-01-2013 05:51 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  The promotion system is a joke. Look at EPL where it allows the same 3 teams to win almost every year and nobody else can build a club to challenge them except once in a blue moon.

That doesn't make promotion/relegation a joke.

Besides, the US college system would be more like the European Champions League once it got beyond the regional level - and there, there's no real domination. A German team won it this year, an English team the year before, a Spanish one the year before that, and an Italian one the year before that.

In the U.S. college system, certain teams would probably always play in the top level,* but others would move in and out of the top level, giving them exposure to the largest audience and the most money based not on where they happened to end up in the 50's or the population of their metropolitan area, but how well they perform.

*But not necessarily - if a team has major infractions like Ohio State or Penn State did recently, they might have to move down. And look at a big program like Auburn who did poorly enough to get relegated this past year. Why shouldn't a team have to spend a season at the next level down when they do so poorly, and allow an over-performing team to try their hand in the upper echelons?