I am not sure when it all started. I can’t even keep track of the changes and proposals. But Division 1 College Football is going through radical transformation. Slowly but surely, college football will end up with 5-6 super-conferences of 16 teams. Those schools that don’t get in one of these elite conferences, look to be shut out of the lucrative post-season BCS championship.
What has transpired over the past few years (or will happen)
- Nebraska left the Big12 to join the Big10. (Ironically, the Big12 has 10 teams and the Big10 has 12 teams).
- Colorado left the Big12 to join the Pac12.
- Texas A&M is strongly considering a move to the SEC.
- TCU is scheduled to join the BigEast (a Texas school in the East?) because they have an automatic BCS bid.
- Syracuse and Pitt want to leave the BigEast and join the ACC.
- Missouri has rumored to join the Big10, the SEC and the Big East.
- Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State may join the Pac12.
- Utah, BYU and Boise State have all moved around — I can’t even keep it straight.
- Schools continue to move around and I get confused.
Why is this happening?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
There is so much money in big time college football that the drive to be in one of the big games is over-riding regional interests; long-standing rivalries and cohesion of conferences. Many claim this is horrible and that this is the ruin of the game. I don’t feel that way. Yes, it is weird for me to see Nebraska in the Big10 but that’s the way it is. It always seemed strange that Iowa and Iowa State were not in the same conference. The Big12 was once the Big8 and before that the Big6. Times change.
Tradition plays a big part in college sports. So much that the usual schools (Alabama, Oklahoma, USE, Texas etc) get favorable rankings in the national pools and have greater opportunity to cash in on the big bowl games and BCS money. It is unfair to Boise State and TCU etc. to have to compete in this arena. So, the super-conferences allow these other schools to have a fair shot at the top.
My hope is there are six super-conferences. The champions of each get invited to the BCS playoffs. There are 2 at-large bids. We have an 8-team tournament.
I love tradition. But the old system is not working. Time to create new conferences and new rivalries.
Nothing ever stays the same.
