A Radical Realignment Plan for College Football WSJ article

[Danielr11220]

How would an FCS version of this look like?


What a "Division IV" in college sports would look like is still anyone's guess. But two Ohio State sports researchers have an idea: What if schools were sorted into conferences based on their football strength?
http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-DU542_COUNT0_G_20140722221045.jpg



http://online.wsj.com/articles/a-radical-realignment-plan-for-college-football-1406069526

[Smitty]

Not a huge basketball buff, but pretty sure Cluster 1 would be awful

[DFW HOYA]

Much of the ACC and Big 12 didn't make the cut.

[superman7515]

Not a huge basketball buff, but pretty sure Cluster 1 would be awful

Florida, Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas... That's pretty solid basketball.

[SUPharmacist]

Florida, Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas... That's pretty solid basketball.

I would put Ohio State as solid basketball from that cluster as well.

[superman7515]

I would put Ohio State as solid basketball from that cluster as well.

Agreed, they slipped past me. All in all, that's a pretty solid basketball conference, and a national championship wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility in basketball as well.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

On what planet does someone include Utah and Penn State but exclude Baylor?

Oh wait, they were from Ohio State. Carry on.

[OL FU]

Glad I read the link and saw that this was also based on finances because on recent football strength there are quite a few group two schools better than group one schools.

[813Jag]

Agreed, they slipped past me. All in all, that's a pretty solid basketball conference, and a national championship wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility in basketball as well.
nobody in that group is really bad at basketball. Auburn will be better under Pearl.

[clenz]

It would be interesting to see a relegation style set up done for football conferences and the FCS/FBS.

The conference set up goes away and some convoluted and controversial computer system is put in place to put all 250ish D1 programs into 10 team leagues and 5 divisions.

The basic set up would be
Division 1:
League 1
League 2
League 3
League 4
League 5

Division 2
League 6
League 7
etc...

Those leagues play all of their 9 league games

The top 3 from each league get promoted to the leave above and the bottom three get relegated to the league below.

On top of those 9 conference games you take the top team from leagues 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, and 21-25 from the year before and they play each other (keeping a 13 game schedule total) and the team with the best record from those wins the "champions league" for their divisions

The hilarity that would ensue with a team from League 10 advancing to League 2 and a team from League 1 falling to league 10 would be awesome to watch.

No, we wouldn't have a "true" national champion through a playoff, but it would be some good stuff.



Damn, I want to see that. I really do.

[walliver]

The defending national champion in Group 2.
A team that lost to Georgia Southern in Group 1.

The real problem with this idea is that it ignores regionalization and media markets and doesn't make much sense. Two Alabama schools in Group 1xconfusedx.

A more rational solution is for the ACC and SEC to trade Clemson and FSU for Kentucky and Vanderbilt. And move West Virginia and Notre Dame to the B1G. This would create 4 geographically based Big Time conferences who could sort out their championship with a 4 team playoff with 4 conference champions. The onlt problem with this is that UNC, NC State, Georgia Tech and the other ACC also-rans would never go for it (possibly the SEC could kick out Mississippi State and replace them with GT, with MSU going to the Big 12).

[DFW HOYA]

About as likely as the Ivy adding Georgetown and Johns Hopkins and moving to divisional play.

[LeadBolt]

nobody in that group is really bad at basketball. Auburn will be better under Pearl.

Alabama and Georgia have traditionally been basketball challenged...

[813Jag]

Alabama and Georgia have traditionally been basketball challenged...
I know neither has ever been championship caliber but my point was that they aren't bad. Bama is always a solid bubble team (7 to 10 league wins) that'll rise up every couple years. Georgia has been more down than up.

[DFW HOYA]

I know neither has ever been championship caliber but my point was that they aren't bad. Bama is always a solid bubble team (7 to 10 league wins) that'll rise up every couple years. Georgia has been more down than up.

Alabama: 7 SEC titles (last in 1991), 20 NCAA's, regional finalist in 2004
Georgia: 1 SEC title, 11 NCAA's (two vacated), one Final Four (1983)