(06-22-2022 10:55 AM)topper1296 Wrote:  My vote is for 9-12. 14 or more is way too big (CUSA learned this lesson and the SBC is about to). You have to split up the revenue pie into too many pieces (this matters more for G5 conferences than P5 conferences) and you don't get to play teams from the other division very often.

The Sun Belt will have a better deal in place for 14 teams than C-USA did and so it shouldn't be as bad. The loss in revenue of having 14 vs 12 is counter-balanced by the fact there are less airport trips and more bus trips.

To me there is not one size but whatever size adds enough economic value.

SEC made the move to 16 because they believed UT/OU added economic value.

It also becomes about the average conference value. The XII with BYU, UH, UC, UCF found a conversation on par with the average value of the conference moving forward.

G5 have generally operated with the model of not taking in basketball only members but they can add value and they don't cut into the FB pie of the conference. Gonzaga to the MWC could be one of those in the future.

(06-22-2022 11:24 AM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  The loss in revenue of having 14 vs 12 is counter-balanced by the fact there are less airport trips and more bus trips.

Well, that always depends on the teams in question.

You could have 12 bus trips in theory. Or 14.

You don't have a UTEP or trips to Miami compared to the CUSA-14. So your divisions are tighter, and that will help compared to CUSA. But not compared to an idealized SB.

(06-22-2022 11:32 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  To me there is not one size but whatever size adds enough economic value.

Is the goal of an athletic conference to maximize the economic value of the league as a whole? Or is there some competitive goal? Or some indefinable value for students? Or alumni?

The original question relies on some assumptions about what we mean by "ideal."

How about a 56 team semi pro SEC and then we all can get back to real college football and forget about this current state of affairs.

This question has been asked before. My favorite variation on the question is: what is the ideal FBS schedule. My answer:

4 AD games (permanent rivals, FCS, neutral sites, buy-games, etc)
2 cross sectional games (against teams of relatively even strength)
6 regional games

I wouldn’t even mind all 133 teams having their non-AD games chosen by algorithms equipped with last year’s strength, miles between campuses, and some history-of-play bonus, such that the 12 game totals are roughly even between all 133 teams.

(06-22-2022 11:48 AM)inutech Wrote:  

(06-22-2022 11:24 AM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  The loss in revenue of having 14 vs 12 is counter-balanced by the fact there are less airport trips and more bus trips.

Well, that always depends on the teams in question.

You could have 12 bus trips in theory. Or 14.

You don't have a UTEP or trips to Miami compared to the CUSA-14. So your divisions are tighter, and that will help compared to CUSA. But not compared to an idealized SB.

True. In Troy's case we are <8 hours away from every divisional member except Texas State.

(06-22-2022 01:00 PM)Crayton Wrote:  This question has been asked before. My favorite variation on the question is: what is the ideal FBS schedule. My answer:

4 AD games (permanent rivals, FCS, neutral sites, buy-games, etc)
2 cross sectional games (against teams of relatively even strength)
6 regional games

I wouldn’t even mind all 133 teams having their non-AD games chosen by algorithms equipped with last year’s strength, miles between campuses, and some history-of-play bonus, such that the 12 game totals are roughly even between all 133 teams.

My solution to this (again, when y'all get around to making me king of college sports) is to mandate 6 game at home and 6 games on the road for a regular season football season.

9 members. Football gets a round robin w/ even number of home and away games. Basketball gets a double round robin guaranteeing a home and away against everybody.

26.6 teams. That way 5 champs and 3 at larges go to the playoff.

(06-22-2022 09:29 AM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(06-22-2022 09:13 AM)UTEPDallas Wrote:  9-12

It all depends on the conference and what they want to accomplish.

Agree.

Question to those who think 9-12 is the optimal number: Why is it that 3 P5 conferences have 14 members and that 2 G5 conferences have decided to expand to 14 members? Was that not optimal from their standpoint?

.

Because of $$$.

While 9-12 is probably optimal from fan perspective, I guess TV networks like to deal with bigger conferences for TV inventory purposes. Also a bigger conference works better for 24/7 TV network.

9-11.
Depends on whether you want to play an 8, 9 or ten game conference football schedule. I would still want to play a round-robin basketball schedule, too.

9 or 12

From a fan perspective, playing the same 8 teams (ala a single round-robin) is not fun. Give me variety… but still give me a fair shot at a conference title.

(06-22-2022 01:26 PM)b2b Wrote:  9 members. Football gets a round robin w/ even number of home and away games. Basketball gets a double round robin guaranteeing a home and away against everybody.

Yep

(06-22-2022 02:46 PM)Crayton Wrote:  From a fan perspective, playing the same 8 teams (ala a single round-robin) is not fun. Give me variety… but still give me a fair shot at a conference title.

See, I like facing the same 8 teams every year in football. Familiarity breeds rivalry.

(06-22-2022 02:46 PM)Crayton Wrote:  From a fan perspective, playing the same 8 teams (ala a single round-robin) is not fun. Give me variety… but still give me a fair shot at a conference title.

This is why God gave us nonconference games.

(06-22-2022 11:06 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Any even number, as long as all the conferences are at the same size.

That's an interesting answer.

Questions:

Why is "an even number" better than an odd?

Why "as long as all the conferences are at the same size?"

.

I think 16 will be the norm before long.
4 pods of 4 teams, rotating schedules with on cross pod/division permanent rival.

(06-22-2022 05:28 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(06-22-2022 11:06 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Any even number, as long as all the conferences are at the same size.

That's an interesting answer.

Questions:

Why is "an even number" better than an odd?

Why "as long as all the conferences are at the same size?"

.

Even number of teams means all can play at the same time in-conference. And having all conferences the same size satisfies my OCD.