(09-06-2022 09:31 AM)_C2_ Wrote: Frank, I'm not suggesting that 5-7 teams get relegated, but the worst of the worst and we're only talking 2-4 at the most over a rolling 2 -year period.
Even then, no one wants to take that risk. That's simply not in the self-interest of anyone in power in college sports (or any American sports, for that matter).
As an Illinois fan, I get that I'm privileged here that my alma mater was a founding member of the Big Ten 120-plus years ago. It probably grates a lot of schools that have performed well on-the-field that a school like Illinois or places like Rutgers and Vandy are in the Big Ten and SEC for reasons that have nothing to do with on-the-field achievement.
So, I understand the emotional reasons why a promotion/relegation system is proposed virtually every single week (if not multiple times per week) on this forum. Fans that think their schools are "deserving" of a higher place on the pecking order want to see some pathway to get to that higher place and move down the "undeserving" schools.
However, I also think people don't quite understand what makes a "
good bad" team. For example, schools like Illinois and Rutgers are basically perfect to be last place teams: top academic flagship schools in major recruiting states that are also home to lots of Big Ten alums that bring in major TV markets that directly translate into revenue for the BTN. They are like, well, the value of the Chicago Bears and New York Jets with respect to the NFL (also terrible teams in big markets that happen to share the fan bases of Illinois and Rutgers). I'd say a similar thing for Vandy or schools like Missouri or Kentucky in the SEC, too.
Now, if you want to say that the very top brands will form a separate closed-off Super League, I wouldn't put it past that to occur. That actually makes financial sense for those particular schools even though I think that would be terrible for the sport. However, when we're looking at "replacement level" schools that the bottom of a league, Ohio State would definitely rather have Illinois there instead of Northern Illinois and Alabama would definitely rather have Vandy there instead of Middle Tennessee State regardless of performance in any given year.