The 4x20 mega-conference rumor

[EJ]

I was talking to a client of mine, who is a former Ohio State player from the mid 1990s

He says the rumor around the Big 10 is that there will end up being 4 super conferences with 20 teams each.

Each super conference will have four 5-team divisions. The four division champions in each conference will have a playoff to determine the conference champion. Then the 4 conference champions will have a second set of playoffs games to determine a national champion.

So, this setup would be a playoff system with 16 teams (4 division champs from 4 conferences) and then have a 4-round playoff to determine the national champion.

Right now, there are about 120 division 1-A teams. If 80 go to the super conferences, I am not sure where the other 40 go...

Again, just a rumor, but interesting possibility. I'm not sure if we are in a position to be one of the 80...

[Woof!]

I was talking to a client of mine, who is a former Ohio State player from the mid 1990s

He says the rumor around the Big 10 is that there will end up being 4 super conferences with 20 teams each.

Each super conference will have four 5-team divisions. The four division champions in each conference will have a playoff to determine the conference champion. Then the 4 conference champions will have a second set of playoffs games to determine a national champion.

So, this setup would be a playoff system with 16 teams (4 division champs from 4 conferences) and then have a 4-round playoff to determine the national champion.

Right now, there are about 120 division 1-A teams. If 80 go to the super conferences, I am not sure where the other 40 go...

Again, just a rumor, but interesting possibility. I'm not sure if we are in a position to be one of the 80...

I seriously doubt that you will ever see a 16 team playoff.

[Dawg06]

I was talking to a client of mine, who is a former Ohio State player from the mid 1990s

He says the rumor around the Big 10 is that there will end up being 4 super conferences with 20 teams each.

Each super conference will have four 5-team divisions. The four division champions in each conference will have a playoff to determine the conference champion. Then the 4 conference champions will have a second set of playoffs games to determine a national champion.

So, this setup would be a playoff system with 16 teams (4 division champs from 4 conferences) and then have a 4-round playoff to determine the national champion.

Right now, there are about 120 division 1-A teams. If 80 go to the super conferences, I am not sure where the other 40 go...

Again, just a rumor, but interesting possibility. I'm not sure if we are in a position to be one of the 80...

For that to happen, either the NCAA would have to change their rules to allow for conference semi-final games, or those four super-conferences would have to break away from the NCAA.

[RealityCheck]

For that to happen, either the NCAA would have to change their rules to allow for conference semi-final games, or those four super-conferences would have to break away from the NCAA.

This could be done under the current structure very easily.

1) Teams in those conferences play 4 OOC games and 7 originally scheduled conference games (4 against their own division and one each from the other divisions) or 3 OOC and 8 conference (4-2-1-1).

2) The semifinals make up week 12 of the regular schedule. The 16 teams not in the semifinals would get another conference game (sites predetermined on a rotating basis). Semifinal sites are also predetermined unless opponents were both scheduled to be at home or on the road--better record gets the home game in those cases.

3) Championship games would be the regular 13th game as is the case now.

[RealityCheck]

I seriously doubt that you will ever see a 16 team playoff.

On the contrary, a 16-team playoff is inevitable. It will take a few years, but it is coming.

Not too long ago the feeling was that there would never be any type of playoff of any kind.

One thing I would insist upon that would keep the super-conferences honest is a relegation system. Teams must perform to maintain their places in the top tier of conferences. Lower-tier champions get promoted to replace the top-tier last place teams. And you could have some great bowl games with the 2nd place lower-tier teams playing top tier next-to-last teams with promotion/relegation on the line.

[hookdown]

On the contrary, a 16-team playoff is inevitable. It will take a few years, but it is coming.

Yeah, all the "experts" that are on the radio and such think that an 8 team playoff will be in place before the current playoff contract is through and we have not even started it yet. ESPN is paying $500M/year for the four team version, maybe close to a billion for 8? 16 would get more. FCS seems to do just fine with 20 teams.

Three things I would hope to come out of a 16 team event (but I am not going to hold my breath):

1) All conference champs included (could be as few as 7-8 or so by that time)
2) X amount of dollars to the schools in the playoffs, Y amount of dollars to the NCAA, everything else split equally among all FBS schools
3) Reduce the regular season back to 11 games


Other "wants" would be first round games on campus, championship game on New Years Day, start playoffs the second weekend of December, and start the season a week earlier.

[Woof!]

Other "wants" would be first round games on campus....

For Tech, due to the limited seating capacity at the Joe, I'm guessing that this would be a Shreveport game that so many people here have disdain for.