One Conference Realignment Idea WVU Fans Should Use on College Football 26

A blast from the past mixed with some new regional rivals.
Jul 12, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the West Virginia Mountaineers helmet and logo during Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Jul 12, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the West Virginia Mountaineers helmet and logo during Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

College Football 26 is out, and West Virginia fans can rewind the clock to the old Big East days in dynasty mode by doing a massive round of conference realignment.

In dynasty mode, you have the ability to move schools to any conference after each season and before the start of your first season. You could make the Sun Belt full of blue bloods and have the SEC full of 1-star programs if you wanted. It's all about how you want the landscape to look.

Here's one realignment idea I came up with that Mountaineer fans may find fun.

ACC (18): Boston College, Cincinnati, Liberty, Louisville, Kentucky, Maryland, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, UCF, UConn, USF, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia.

Big Ten (18): Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wake Forest, Wisconsin.

Big 12 (18): Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cal, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah.

SEC (18): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt.

On paper, this new-look ACC doesn't look all that challenging, but having Notre Dame and Penn State in the mix helps. This is a nice blend of the old Big East and schools that are in the region, which would reignite some rivalries (Penn State) and create new ones (Kentucky). Liberty is a massive school, a program on the rise, and has beautiful facilities. Making them the 18th member was an easy choice.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.

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