(07-10-2017 11:08 PM)ChrisLords Wrote: I like the Idea of the SEC -2 and ACC -2 merging; and the B1G -2 and Pac 12 merging; and having 2 premiere leagues and 2 relegation leagues. You could even break away from the NCAA for football.
Maybe even make it SEC + 2, ACC +2, B1G +2 and Pac 16.
The NEW Southern Conference - at 36:
Plains Division
Texas, TT, TCU, Oklahoma, Kansas, Mizzou
Gulf Division
TAMU, LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss, MSU, Alabama
Southeast Division
Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina
Appalachian Division
FSU, Clemson, GT, Vandy, Louisville, WF
Atlantic Division
Miami, UNC, NCSU, Duke, UVa, Navy
Northeast Division
Notre Dame, VT, Pitt, Syracuse, BC, Cincinnati
Everyone has two permanent out of Division games so for ND it would be perhaps Navy and Miami, for Auburn it would Alabama, and perhaps Clemson. Texas might be TAMU and Arkansas. Bama might be OU and Auburn, etc., etc.
Six Division winners and two wild cards form an 8 team playoff with the first round at the home of the higher ranked.
The Conference Semifinals would be in the Orange, Sugar, or Peach Bowl.
The Championship would rotate around the above three.
The winner could face the Big 28 champion.
For example you might get:
Oklahoma, Alabama, Clemson, and ND hosting Miami, Georgia, Texas, and Florida State.
Then have OU and Bama winner meet the Clemson and UGa winner.
Only Cincy, BC, Syracuse, Navy, WF, and Duke have stadiums that are really too small to host - so those odds are just 6 of 36 in any one year so they would need an arrangment with the NFL in Baltimore or DC, New England, NY, Cincy, and Charlotte.
If ND would not join you could plug WVa into their spot or make a case they are worth more than Cincy or Navy, but to get ND, you probably have to have Navy.
The other thing you would do is make non-conference games not count in the standings so as to encourage good OOC games. The two wild cards are designed in part to address a 9-3 ND team that lost to Stanford, USC, and absprbed confernce loss. Although in this format, there would prbably be very few SoCon, Big Whatever, meetings and no rivalry games outside ND's and Nebraska/OU, and Pitt/Penn State.
I can't imagine the decision making process in a conference that size and in reality what you would have is six conferneces under one umbrella.