Has there ever been Conference Pairs for the Champ Game?

[GaSouthern]

Just wondering if there has ever been conference pairs for the National Champ game, I know GSU has played furman twice but when we did we were not in the same conference. xconfusedx

[Franks Tanks]

Just wondering if there has ever been conference pairs for the National Champ game, I know GSU has played furman twice but when we did we were not in the same conference. xconfusedx

I am assuming GSU wasnt in the SoCon at that point, what conference where you back then?

[GaSouthern]

GSU was Indy until 1992 (?)

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

No, there hasn't. It's like there is a supernatural force that prevents it.

[GaSouthern]

I could go for a FU vs. GSU matchup again to finish out the 08 season, with of course GSU winning ;)

[appstate38]

I believe the answer to your question is no.
http://www.rauzulusstreet.com/football/college1aa/college1aachampions.htm

[Jerbearasu]

No, there hasn't. It's like there is a supernatural force that prevents it.

Now that the brackets are decided by the committee and not seeding it is pretty hard to get in the opposite bracket of the majority of your conference... It had to happen in the CAA's case this past year because you are not allowed to play a conference opponent in the first round and there are only 4 games on each side of the bracket. But for the most part you are on the same side of the bracket as the rest of your conference preventing the title matchup.

[PaladinFan]

No offense to UNI and Texas State fans, but I believe in 2005 the two best teams played in the semis (App State/Furman). Had Furman gotten a seed (lot of argument that they should have), the two likely would have met in the championship.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Now that the brackets are decided by the committee and not seeding it is pretty hard to get in the opposite bracket of the majority of your conference... It had to happen in the CAA's case this past year because you are not allowed to play a conference opponent in the first round and there are only 4 games on each side of the bracket. But for the most part you are on the same side of the bracket as the rest of your conference preventing the title matchup.

I didn't think this was correct because I remember thinking lots of times that Montana could play a conference rival for the title if everything broke right. I went and checked it out and it turns out that prior to 1994 for the Big Sky Conference it was 6 times they were on the same side and 5 times on opposing sides of the bracket. Since 1994 we have slightly more chance of being on the opposite side of the bracket in that 6 times we could have played for a NC if both had gotten there and 5 times we were on the same side. Overall it is a tie in that 11 we could have, and 11 we couldn't have.

[Eyes of Old Main]

No, there hasn't. It's like there is a supernatural force that prevents it.

Or if not that, at least a conspiracy.

[Jerbearasu]

I didn't think this was correct because I remember thinking lots of times that Montana could play a conference rival for the title if everything broke right. I went and checked it out and it turns out that prior to 1994 for the Big Sky Conference it was 6 times they were on the same side and 5 times on opposing sides of the bracket. Since 1994 we have slightly more chance of being on the opposite side of the bracket in that 6 times we could have played for a NC if both had gotten there and 5 times we were on the same side. Overall it is a tie in that 11 we could have, and 11 we couldn't have.
I am not saying it happens all the time or that it is really a conspiracy to keep a conference only championship away. The committee has seeded the top 4 teams since around 2002 (give or take a year) and they try to regionalize all the teams to keep traveling expenses to a minimum. Obviously teams in your conference are generally going to be close to you. This is also why the Gateway seems to always get an OVC team in the first round and the CAA seems to always get the MEAC champ.
It definitely happens more when your conference only has 2 representatives in comparison to 3 teams because it gets a little more tricky when more than 1 at-large bid comes from the same conference... I remember in particular 2001 when GSU had to play App in the QF and then Furman in the Semi's.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

I am not saying it happens all the time or that it is really a conspiracy to keep a conference only championship away. The committee has seeded the top 4 teams since around 2002 (give or take a year) and they try to regionalize all the teams to keep traveling expenses to a minimum. Obviously teams in your conference are generally going to be close to you. This is also why the Gateway seems to always get an OVC team in the first round and the CAA seems to always get the MEAC champ.
It definitely happens more when your conference only has 2 representatives in comparison to 3 teams because it gets a little more tricky when more than 1 at-large bid comes from the same conference... I remember in particular 2001 when GSU had to play App in the QF and then Furman in the Semi's.

Yeah this might be more of a difference from the conference point of view as of the 5 or 6 times that we had three in there was only one time that all 3 were on the same side of the bracket. I don't think there is a conspiracy either. In fact it looks pretty evenly split as far as the conferences go excepting 2001 and a few other both on one side examples. Interesting as to what the committee was thinking as far as the setup in 2001, the SLC had Northwestern St., McNeese, & SHSU on the opposite side from the SoCon. Montana & NAU were also in there with the SLC's. They really took the regionalization to heart in 2001. Something else interesting as far as those who think the regionalization thing is something new should look at how curiously the seeding system worked. It just so happened that a majority of the time the seeds worked out so that the regional match ups worked out quite nicely. At least twice I saw that E. Kentucky and W. Kentucky were seeded 5 and 12 and most of the other ones matched very well for the region they were in except for only a few examples.