(05-16-2022 03:36 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  I could see the SBC scraping formal divisions, but having everyone continue to play the same schedules they would with divisions. That way, everyone keeps playing the current setup, but the title game is between the top two.

That won't work if you want to play everyone in 2 years. Also where would the newbies fit in?

(05-16-2022 03:51 PM)SMUstang Wrote:  

(05-16-2022 03:36 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  I could see the SBC scraping formal divisions, but having everyone continue to play the same schedules they would with divisions. That way, everyone keeps playing the current setup, but the title game is between the top two.

That won't work if you want to play everyone in 2 years. Also where would the newbies fit in?

They don't want to play everyone in 2 years. Why would Georgia Southern want to play ULM? Or Arkansas State care about playing ODU? With actual divisions now, why would ULL care about playing App. St (in the regular season)?

ODU and Marshall in the East, USM in the West. That was the whole point of adding those schools to begin with.

I think every P5 conference would drop divisions in a heartbeat. MWC I think would probably drop divisions, but wouldn't guarentee it. AAC I think wants to do what the SBC did creating 2 geographical divisions, but are more likely to drop divisions than SBC. If you go to the MAC board, it seems like the majority of their fans are opposed of dropping divisions so they appear to be the conference most likely to keep divisions. C-USA appears to want to stay at 9 so probably round robin scheduling for them.

At 16 teams I doubt the SEC will drop divisions. It’ll be a nightmare scenario to select who plays in the CCG.

I'm inclined to think the Sun Belt will keep east and west "divisions" for scheduling purposes but not for determining who gets into the CCG, which would be top 2. However, here's a divisionless Sun Belt football schedule model with 3 protected opponents per school:

(05-16-2022 11:54 AM)SMUstang Wrote:  Assuming it is approved by the NCAA.

The Big 12 for sure, that's why they stopped discussing divisions during the Spring Meetings.

(05-16-2022 01:26 PM)SouthEastAlaska Wrote:  I agree with the comments that all of the P5 will go division-less given the choice. I'm not sure they will all move to this as soon as 2023 but they will make the move sooner rather than later.

Yep, I agree with that as well. Eliminating divisions increases your chance at at-large CFP berths especially in an expanded playoffs.

(05-16-2022 03:24 PM)solohawks Wrote:  They only conference where divisions make sense is the Sunbelt

The MAC and MWC also work pretty well with geographic divisions.

I think every conference will except for The Belch because of its great geographic divisions. Saves them money on travel to stay in 2 regional divisions.

The hodgepodge that is the AAC will likely (continue to) go without divisions altogether.

(05-16-2022 07:25 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  The hodgepodge that is the AAC will likely (continue to) go without divisions altogether.

Other than the off chance of South Florida really wanting to play Temple in a conference championship game for a sos boost, I don't see why this would be preferable to just splitting east and west (even allowing for Navy maybe wanting to be in the "west").

(05-16-2022 02:14 PM)inutech Wrote:  I think schools may play the odds on that vs travel costs and getting regional match-ups.

But you don't have to have official divisions to still play a "division" schedule. You can do shadow divisions with permanent rivalries that still emulate an actual division schedule in a divisionless model. The SBC East can still exist in every thing but name only.

Brett McMurphy reported recently that the MWC is strongly considering dropping divisions for 2023:

https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/moun...sions-2023

Credit to AztecSU who posted this link on the MWC board.

(05-16-2022 05:28 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(05-16-2022 03:24 PM)solohawks Wrote:  They only conference where divisions make sense is the Sunbelt

The MAC and MWC also work pretty well with geographic divisions.

No divisons in the MAC allows Toledo to not be isolated from the other Ohio schools

No divisions in MWC allows an annual Boise SDSU and Boise Fresno game

(05-16-2022 04:48 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  At 16 teams I doubt the SEC will drop divisions. It’ll be a nightmare scenario to select who plays in the CCG.

I think they have been discussing 4 pods of 4 teams each, with 3 permanent rivals.

(05-16-2022 07:25 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  The hodgepodge that is the AAC will likely (continue to) go without divisions altogether.

I really like this lineup. GREAT JOB.

(05-17-2022 07:27 AM)djsuperfly Wrote:  

(05-16-2022 02:14 PM)inutech Wrote:  I think schools may play the odds on that vs travel costs and getting regional match-ups.

But you don't have to have official divisions to still play a "division" schedule. You can do shadow divisions with permanent rivalries that still emulate an actual division schedule in a divisionless model. The SBC East can still exist in every thing but name only.

True and that should be the schedule regardless of how the CCG teams are picked. Though I would not be surprised if the Sun Belt kept the divisions "in name" for at least 1 year. Unless the East and West champs are both ranked at the end of year 1, they'll move to 1 division in 2024.

(05-17-2022 07:27 AM)djsuperfly Wrote:  

(05-16-2022 02:14 PM)inutech Wrote:  I think schools may play the odds on that vs travel costs and getting regional match-ups.

But you don't have to have official divisions to still play a "division" schedule. You can do shadow divisions with permanent rivalries that still emulate an actual division schedule in a divisionless model. The SBC East can still exist in every thing but name only.

Interesting, so instead of having 3 protected games, just have the programs all still play their region, but allow the CCG to be the Top 2. I could see that working out. A true divisionless model doesn't make sense for them otherwise. Marshall will want to play App State, JMU, Coastal, Georgia Southern, etc. every year vs. ULM and Texas State. Partially because of the quality of the opponent, but mostly because it have the potential to be a great rivalry when the opponents are regional.

(05-16-2022 04:48 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  At 16 teams I doubt the SEC will drop divisions. It’ll be a nightmare scenario to select who plays in the CCG.

Agreed. I do think the ACC and Pac 12 will quickly drop divisions. Big 12 won't start divisions. Big 10 will likely drop them as well.

I suspect the AAC and Sun Belt will keep divisions. Just don't know about MWC and MAC. They've got reasonable divisions now.

(05-17-2022 08:42 AM)freshtop Wrote:  

(05-17-2022 07:27 AM)djsuperfly Wrote:  

(05-16-2022 02:14 PM)inutech Wrote:  I think schools may play the odds on that vs travel costs and getting regional match-ups.

But you don't have to have official divisions to still play a "division" schedule. You can do shadow divisions with permanent rivalries that still emulate an actual division schedule in a divisionless model. The SBC East can still exist in every thing but name only.

Interesting, so instead of having 3 protected games, just have the programs all still play their region, but allow the CCG to be the Top 2. I could see that working out. A true divisionless model doesn't make sense for them otherwise. Marshall will want to play App State, JMU, Coastal, Georgia Southern, etc. every year vs. ULM and Texas State. Partially because of the quality of the opponent, but mostly because it have the potential to be a great rivalry when the opponents are regional.

Yeah, I think that's what the Sun Belt will land on. I imagine that it would be announced that the SBC is moving to a "Top 2 Championship" rather than actually say it's removing divisions tho.