Ok, because I have a lot of time on my hands these days and we have nothing else to talk about. Let’s talk about ideas for the upcoming season. If conferences decided not to sponsor football for the year, but schools still wanted to play, how would you imagine that would look???

I’m going with the idea that some states have issued travel bans from other states, like they have in the Northeast. So if you had to play within your state this is how I would picture Alabama looking.

Have all DI schools play each other, FBS/FCS

Alabama(FBS)
Auburn(FBS)
UAb(FBS)
Troy(FBS)
South Alabama(FBS)
Jax St(FCS)
Samford(FCS)
Alabama St(FCS)
Alabama A&M(FCS)
North Alabama(FCS)

All DII/III/NAIA schools would play

Birmingham Southern(D3)
Huntingdon(D3)
Miles College(2)
Tuskegee University(2)
West Alabama(2)
Faulkner(NAIA)

I would make for some interesting times with Alabama and Auburn having to travel to some in state teams as well as FCS teams. But all of this would be easy travel, no needed hotel stays and everyone in the state is bound by the same COVID rules.

And yes, there are 16 college football teams in the state of Alabama, and 14 of them are Montgomery north.

It actually would be pretty cool to get one year of something completely different, like a state championship. Obviously no way the P5 teams take part in that, but it'd be fun.

Five of the SIAC schools that have had their conference cancel football are in Georgia. Miles College in Alabama, also a SIAC school, are looking at options to play outside of the conference this fall.

USA versus:

1. Alabama
2. Auburn
3. UAB
4. Troy
5. Jax State
6. Samford
7. Alabama State
8. Alabama A&M
9. North Alabama
10. Southern Miss

Louisiana has 13 football-playing schools. 5 FBS, 6 FCS, and 2 D3. I would put the 2 SWAC schools with the FBS teams, since they are so close to 3 of the FBS schools (Tech and ULM for Grambling, LSU for Southern). Then the Southland teams get paired with the D3 teams:

Grambling
LSU
ULL
ULM
Southern
Tech
Tulane

Centenary
Louisiana College
McNeese
Nicholls
Northwestern State
Southeastern

Another way could be to split the teams into north vs south, but then you run into the issue of FBS vs D3 matchups, and separating the HBCUs:

Centenary
Grambling
Louisiana College
NWSt
ULM
Tech

LSU
McNeese
Nicholls
ULL
Southeastern
Southern
Tulane

If LSU doesn't participate, they can opt out and leave both groups with 6 teams each in both scenarios.

(07-10-2020 05:13 PM)debragga Wrote:  Louisiana has 13 football-playing schools. 5 FBS, 6 FCS, and 2 D3. I would put the 2 SWAC schools with the FBS teams, since they are so close to 3 of the FBS schools (Tech and ULM for Grambling, LSU for Southern). Then the Southland teams get paired with the D3 teams:

Grambling
LSU
ULL
ULM
Southern
Tech
Tulane

Centenary
Louisiana College
McNeese
Nicholls
Northwestern State
Southeastern

Another way could be to split the teams into north vs south, but then you run into the issue of FBS vs D3 matchups, and separating the HBCUs:

Centenary
Grambling
Louisiana College
NWSt
ULM
Tech

LSU
McNeese
Nicholls
ULL
Southeastern
Southern
Tulane

If LSU doesn't participate, they can opt out and leave both groups with 6 teams each in both scenarios.

I realize we're not actually discussing any of these as true possibilities, but I think your second option is more likely simply because I see zero chance some FCS conferences would be willing to partner with D3 schools while their peers are hanging with the FBS, let alone a P5.

Texas could probably do an FBS conference, an FCS/D2 conference, and a D3/NAIA conference:

FBS:
Baylor
Houston
North Texas
Rice
SMU
TCU
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas State
Texas Tech
UTEP
UTSA

FCS/D2:
ACU
HBU
Incarnate Word
Lamar
Prairie View
SFA
Sam Houston State
Tarleton State
Texas Southern
Angelo State
Midwestern State
Texas A&M-Commerce
Texas A&M-Kingsville
UTPB
West Texas A&M

D3/NAIA:
Austin College
East Texas Baptist
Hardin Simmons
Howard Payne
Mary Hardin-Baylor
McMurry
Southwestern
Sul Ross State
Texas Lutheran
Trinity
Southwestern Assemblies of God
Texas College
Texas Wesleyan
Wayland Baptist

Ok, we’ve heard from Louisiana, Texas and Alabama. What about Arkansas(12 teams), Georgia(18), South Carolina(15), and North Carolina(34). How would you do instate only football only???

Still be plenty of games for TV, and a lot of schools that never get to be on TV would have the opportunity.

(07-12-2020 11:33 AM)Usajags Wrote:  Ok, we’ve heard from Louisiana, Texas and Alabama. What about Arkansas(12 teams), Georgia(18), South Carolina(15), and North Carolina(34). How would you do instate only football only???

Still be plenty of games for TV, and a lot of schools that never get to be on TV would have the opportunity.

The Earth would explode leading to a gigantic black hole that would suck all remaining life out of the Universe.

North Carolina could put together a DI league that would look pretty good: UNC, NCSU, Duke, Wake Forest, App, ECU, Charlotte, Elon, NC A&T and Western Carolina. That would include 3 current FCS team.

The remaining FCS teams could combine with DII: Gardner Webb, Campbell, Central Carolina, WSSU, JCSU, Lenoir-Rhyne, Chowan, Linvingstone, UNC-Pembrook, Wingate, Catawba

I think South Carolina would have a bigger challenge, but if the Carolinas combined, the DI conference would be outstanding (Drop the 3 FCS and add SC, Clemson and CCU).