I keep hearing sportscasters say that we are headed for a time when we will have 4 super conferences of 16 or more teams each. Certainly with the teams currently moving, Pitt and Syracuse being the latest, it seems that the super conference scenario is most likely what we are going to be left with in the very near future. I'm really not sure how I feel about this. I guess i'm a bit of a traditionalist, but I do know that times change, and it's usually because of money. It's not that many years ago when conferences like the SEC and Big 12 split into divisions and started playing a Championship game. I accepted this (kicking and screaming), even though I always hated the idea of having a conference where every team doesn't play every other team each year. When my Nittony Lions joined the Big 10, they didn't add a Championship game, but they did adopt a scheduling system where again, each team only played 8 of the 10 other members of the conference. I don't like it. I guess I never will. Outside of the almighty buck, can anyone explain to me how having these gigantic regional conferences will be a positive thing? Roll Tigers
Not that I like the idea of super/mega conferences... it looks like that's the only way CFB will ever have a true playoff for National Championship. =S
Regular Season>Divison Championship>Conference Championship... then the 4 remaining teams (if we are down to 4 super/mega conferences) do the 'play-off' thing in playing each other. At least that's what I 'heard'.
I've heard similar, plus,.. 20 team megas are considered optimum. Some thinking that 4 megas could force playoffs, or even bolt the NCAA and start their own governing body. Wild talk, but it's out there.
One thing I don't think anyone else has thought about, or at least no one has mentioned yet is how the SEC expanding will effect LSU's schedule. LSU wants / needs to have 7 home games a year. With a 13 game schedule and the SEC expanding to 14 (I'm guessing they aren't going to just had aTm but one for the east as well) I think the most obvious change will be LSU dropping Florida from their yearly schedule and replacing them with aTm. Now if the SEC expands to 16 I have to assume the next change would be taking away the random SEC east team game. I don't think LSU budges on the number of home games. I can't even imagine a 20 team SEC that would require 2 MORE SEC games being added to the current schedule. How does everyone feel about a change like that? We lose Florida to gain aTm on a yearly basis, and possibly lose random SEC east teams for Missouri or another school like that to be played yearly.
There will be a lot of give and take. No one will want to play a non-conference road game, meaning all non-conference games will be played at home vs the NW States of the world.
This could be closer to a reality than you think. "IF" they dice this thing up and have 4 mega's with at least 64 teams in it they very well could chuck the NCAA a deuce and say "this is how we are going to do things". The main problem is going to be those phuckers out on the left coast that have thier heartstrings double knotted onto the teats of the rose bowl. They just won't let go.
I think there's cause for hope The PAC has been constipated for years because of ol fogie leadership. We have newer leadership now in PAC Commissioner Larry Scott, he certainly is not a traditionalist. He is changing everything out west, who knows, he may champion the playoff demands.
Just hearing the Rose Bowl makes me shudder. I can hear Keith Jackson's voice calling the Rose Bowl "The Grand Daddy of them all!"