Let's Envision The Ideal Realignment Scenario
Yesterday, I opined that as legislators lay siege to the NCAA's amateur model and COVID-19 strains relationships between conferences and their member schools, the concept of a wholesale FBS realignment is worth entertaining.
Today, I give you a glimpse at what that altered structure might tangibly look like. If you haven't yet read my column laying out the merits of realignment, now is an opportune time to do so. In fact, here's a handy hyperlink.
I proposed that the FBS add two competitive teams from the FCS ranks, thus bringing the total number of schools playing FBS football to 132. Those schools could subsequently be arranged into eleven conferences of 12 teams apiece, split into two six-team divisions therein.
Plenty of models for realignment have been proposed over the last few months, but to me, all of them have glaring weaknesses. Many are overly regionalized, and loop Power 5 titans into conferences with lowly Group of 5 programs (Florida and FIU, to pick one example). Realignment does no good if it decreases parity. At the same time, other models attempt to maintain balance of power and historically significant rivalry series, but pay no mind to the financial and physical consequences of long road trips to away games.
With that in mind, here is my carefully crafted realignment scenario, laid out one conference at a time. This scenario features a resurrected Southwest Conference as the eleventh conference alongside the existing Power 5 and Group of 5. As you'll see, I've chosen to promote James Madison and Sam Houston State from the FCS to the FBS.
In my previous column, I emphasized that realignment should take three things into consideration: geography, balance of power, and history/rivalry. With that in mind, my objectives with this realignment plan are threefold: 1) keep conferences and divisions as geographically sensible as possible, 2) maintain a reasonable distribution of power within the conference, while simultaneously taking into account the natural rise and fall of program success, and 3) preserve as many of college football's fabled rivalries as possible, while also attempting to restore historical narratives that have been lost over time due to previous realignment efforts.
So let's dive in, starting with the conference most pertinent to Sooner Nation.
BIG 12
The objective here was simple: hearken back to the glory days. From a competitive standpoint, the conference was at its best in the late 1990's and early-to-mid-2000's. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, Kansas State and Missouri all had top-flight squads for the better part of a decade. Texas Tech had a brief period in the limelight under Mike Leach, and even Kansas made an Orange Bowl run in 2007.
This reimagined conference features eleven of the original 12 teams, bringing back all the vibes of classic Big 12 football. Only Iowa State is missing, as Arkansas replaces the Cyclones. The Razorbacks never seemed to be a perfect fit in the SEC or the old SWC, but it makes so much sense for them to join the Big 12 given my stated realignment objectives. Road trips become significantly shorter, and Arkansas can renew their dormant rivalry with Texas.
And you know that there would soon be a new rivalry brewing between the Razorbacks and the Sooners. How fun would that be?
BIG TEN
I know, I know; Notre Dame doesn't want to join a conference. But I'll say what I've said many a time in the past: the Irish will come to realize that in the CFP era, they need a permanent home. Given their campus location in South Bend and their longstanding feuds with Michigan and Michigan State, putting the Irish in a revamped Big Ten seems to be the logical solution.
The Big Ten's traditional powerhouses - Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State - all remain, as do Michigan State, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Northwestern. However, there are three additional newcomers besides Notre Dame. West Virginia and Iowa State both have no business being in the Big 12 for geographical reasons, but can provide solid competition in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Cincinnati is a historically solid Group of 5 program that, once given the added recruiting sway held by Power 5 member schools, could be immediately competitive.
SEC
I'm thrilled at the prospect of a conference that looks like this. Clemson, Miami and Florida State finally get a chance to dispel all the narratives that SEC loyalists have pushed on them over the years, and Georgia Tech can bring the triple-option offense to the most smash-mouth conference in America. This realigned SEC retains the blue-blood schools and cuts dead weight to create the most competitive version of the conference imaginable.
ACC
The new ACC is much more geographically concentrated, as outliers like Boston College, Pittsburgh and Miami are out of the picture. The Coastal Division consists of six Carolina schools, making road trips very easy. Meanwhile, the Capitol Division features six programs on similar competitive footing, headlined by bitter rivals Virginia and Virginia Tech.
PAC-12
This conference stays virtually the same, but replaces its two newest members (Utah and Colorado) with two viable and sensible alternatives. Boise State has dominated the Mountain West for years, and can absolutely hold its own in a Power 5 environment. Nevada doesn't have quite the name brand that Boise State does, but is regularly competitive in the Mountain West and shouldn't have too high of a climb to become relevant in the Pac-12.
MOUNTAIN WEST
BYU and Utah are the two biggest additions for the Mountain West, as the Frontier Division features six solid bowl regulars in very close proximity to one another. The Sonoran Division is a bit more of a grab bag, especially with Hawaii in the mix. But the Warriors have to play somewhere, and the Mountain West is the most logical spot.
AAC
This new-look AAC takes some of the more overmatched programs from the Big Ten, SEC and ACC and pits them against one another. Vanderbilt, Purdue, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Louisville haven't been competitive in their current conferences for years, and could benefit from a change of scenery. Juxtapose those six schools with a diverse cast of Group of 5 programs, and this conference has potential to be extremely competitive from top to bottom. Plus, that Kentucky-Louisville rivalry will be a ton of fun.
CONFERENCE USA
Here, we get our first look at an FCS call-up. James Madison has arguably been as successful as any FCS program over the last decade, and can join four other recent FBS additions in the Appalachian Division. Meanwhile, the New England Division solves travel issues for a sextet of FBS programs in the far northeast. It also pulls Syracuse, Boston College, and Rutgers out of less-than-competitive situations in their current conferences.
MAC
The MAC stays quite literally unchanged. In my previous column, I outlined all the ways that the MAC is the model FBS conference in terms of structure. So as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't break it. There's absolutely no reason to realign the MAC even slightly.
SUN BELT
What to do with all the Deep South programs that don't fit in the SEC? Currently, these twelve Group of 5 programs are scattered about the AAC, Conference USA, and the current iteration of the Sun Belt. Putting them all in the same conference is the sensible thing to do. Four Florida schools and two Alabama schools comprise the Atlantic Division, while the Gulf Division features three programs from Louisiana, one from Mississippi and two from Georgia. In theory, the divisions don't have to look exactly like they're laid out here; Troy and South Alabama might just as well be switched with Georgia State and Georgia Southern. But one way or another, this Sun Belt concept is nearly as organized and as efficient a conference in theory as the MAC is in reality.
SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
Finally, we arrive at what would be the eleventh FBS conference. Rice, SMU, TCU and Houston return to their roots and form the core of a regenerated Southwest. The SWC folded in 1996, but remains a crucial cog in college football's structural timeline. Restoring it would rekindle a world of fond memories, and give every one of these programs a breath of fresh air.
TCU hasn't really been able to find a long-term home since they left the SWC, while SMU and Houston would surely like to relive their 1980's glory days. Sam Houston State, the second hypothetical FCS addition, would be no doormat. New Mexico State, Texas State and Rice could use the added prestige that would indubitably come with membership in a rebirthed SWC. Tulsa and UTSA are by no means incompetent, but could similarly benefit from additional clout. UTEP is surely tired of traveling all over the country to play games in Conference USA. North Texas and Louisiana Tech have no shortage of talent or history, and are a perfect fit in terms of their proximity.
So if realignment requires an eleventh conference, let's bring back the SWC, by all means.
Is there anything I overlooked in this plan, or do you have a better one? Let me know via Twitter (@ParkerThune). I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions.
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