(02-02-2018 09:04 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(02-02-2018 08:58 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-02-2018 08:51 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(02-02-2018 04:22 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-02-2018 03:54 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Great point. Any size conference works and can be stable so long as it's profitable and the league structure keeps traditional rivals playing.

I struggle with why the WAC didn't see the flaw in their 16 team model. They knew full well that the Utah schools and New Mexico would be cut off from Wyoming, AFA, and Wyoming and yet they did it anyway.

Big 10 (at 24):

West: California, Cal Los Angeles, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, Washington

Midwest: Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin

Mideast: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue

East: Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Virginia


SEC (at 24)

West: Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech

Southwest: Alabama, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Miss. State, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

Southeast: Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami

East: Clemson, Kentucky, N.C. State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech


Now you have 48 schools in the Mega 2 and the Big 10 / SEC Rivalry tag sells better than any whether it is a special one and done at a neutral site, a bowl game, or a home and home.

These two could pool their media contracts and the leverage would be astronomical.

Your Tweener 3 can become a healthier Tweener 2:

ACC:

North: Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia

South: Central Florida, Duke, East Carolina, Louisville, South Florida, Wake Forest

Big 12:

West: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, San Diego St., Utah, Washington State

East: Baylor, Brigham Young, Colorado State, Iowa State, Kansas State, T.C.U.

* Notre Dame can attach wherever they wish.

The G5 should then realign into two strong conferences as well of 12 to 16 schools an that should form the FBS.

When I formulated my two megaconferences, part of my motivation was to show just how few schools need to be added to the B1G and SEC in order to include virtually all of the top programs attractive to a national audience without expelling any current members of those conferences.

Using 8 year power ratings for all FBS teams, 29 of the top 40 teams would be in my M2, and all of the top 16 programs. If I am ESPN, and trying to create a condition which would fill the most time slots on all my channels every week of the season, these 40 would be enough. They could provide about 12 games of national interest every week of the season. Why would I need to add 8 more mouths to feed, only 2 of which are Top 40 teams (#27 Virginia Tech and #32 Miami)?

Now, if I am the B1G and the SEC, I go out of my way to avoid suggesting our 16 team postseason tournament is a national championship tournament. Chances are, in most years the AP and Coaches Polls will have one of our members ranked #1 at the end of the year. And, if they should ever vote for someone else, so what? What does it cost you? Nothing.

Those other 8 are decent names with which to pad the Win Loss record. You've got to keep the alumni and boosters on board as well. If you want to look like an A student on an above average ability you need some C & D students in the class too. That old bell curve has worked for eons.

I liked your plan too. I just thought the middle was too large.

Actually, the B1G would still have plenty of teams to beat up on. Only the SEC would have too strong a ratio of excellent teams to reliable losers.

I considered that too. But I also considered the Big 10 in basketball season. What looks like more football dregs would be mid tier in the Big 10 but their basketball schools would provide the top the Big 10 has been missing of late and with Michigan State's future looking quite bleak right now it would be instant relief.

Then the SEC would be more competitive in basketball but not dominant and the Big 10 would be more competitive in football, but not dominant. And that helps sell the rivalry even more as both camps will usually have something to crow about.