(04-21-2021 11:55 AM)colohank Wrote: Would a G5's promotion to P5 carry with it a commensurate raise in pay, and relegation of a P5 to G5 a loss of benefits? If so, then it's likely that the elevation of those once-hungry G5s to P5 status would be permanent. If Kansas and other perennial bottom feeders lack the motivation and the means to excel now, imagine how they'd fare on a G5 starvation diet.
It wouldn't have to be a "zero-sum game" (i.e., with permanent winners and losers), which your question suggests. It might be the exact opposite - a "win-win game." Everybody benefits - - the tide rises and lifts all the boats.
Essentially, it would create more bang for the buck for the college sports fan, with twice as many teams per conference to follow, and intruiging possibilities.
There would be some refinements to work out, to prevent the system from reverting into stagnation. The system would have to have some design features to boost opportunities for the lesser programs.
However, maybe the way relegation works, in part, is that the upper tier division of the mega-conference is much more competitive, and so naturally, it will be harder for the upper-division teams to win.
Meanwhile, with some tweaks, such as an 8-team CFP and expansion of NCAA/NIT to 128 teams, top athletes wouldn't be quite as likely as they are now to want to play for the top 4 or 5 teams.
We have something resembling a
de facto relegation type of system or a periodic "changing of the guard" in college basketball, already, with UNC, Duke, Indiana, and Kentucky not even making the NCAA tournament in 2021.
By design, the relegation component would function to prevent stagnation, by giving the lower tier programs an extra incentive to move up. Less stagnation means more excitement and more viewership.
Perhaps an extra tweak would be required to make it harder for the same schools to dominate a sport. An example would be to do as the Big Ten used to do when two FB teams were tied for first place - - the team that hadn't played in a Rose Bowl game for the longest period would represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl that season.
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