College Football HQ

Kirk Herbstreit makes bold college football realignment prediction

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit doesn't think realignment is done yet.
James Parks|
Kirk Herbstreit makes bold college football realignment prediction
Kirk Herbstreit makes bold college football realignment prediction

College football realignment is in the air once again after first Texas and Oklahoma announced a move to the SEC, and USC and UCLA followed with a jump to the Big Ten.

That would seem to put college football in a position where it's dominated by two so-called "super-conferences," but Kirk Herbstreit doesn't think it'll stop there.

Where college football realignment is headed next

“The more I listen and more I’m talking to people, I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t settle, ultimately, with three power conferences,” Herbstreit said on ESPN.

Who would that third conference be? Given the state of things, probably not the Pac-12, which just lost its two premier brands and could lose more in the future.

That leaves either the ACC or the Big 12, or perhaps the Big 12 in a merger with the Pac-12, which has been reported this offseason.

The next phase of realignment could involve college football's most famous independent.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen with Notre Dame,” Herbstreit said. 

“But, for argument’s sake, if they eventually give in and go to the Big Ten, that would put the Big Ten at 17. You know the Big Ten is going to get one more or two more, right? So that will change things dramatically.”

Those teams left out of the SEC and the Big Ten will have the incentive to join the presumptive third, upcoming super-conference.

"Whoever's left when the dust settles, they don't go into the SEC, they don't go into the Big Ten, I think there's a good chance we're going to end up with three power conferences right around 20 teams," Herbstreit said. 

"What I want to know is what will happen to the teams that are left out of those 55-60 teams in this new world that we're headed towards."

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | News | Schedules | Facebook

Published
James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

Home/News