The Solution

[Dawg06]

The following is "The Solution" to the BCS and conference realignments:

• All 120 FBS teams are forced for join 1 of 10 12-team conferences.

• Each conference is divided into 2 6-team divisions.

• Each conference holds a conference championship game between the divisional winners at an NFL venue within the conference footprint.

• Each conference champion enters a 12-team playoff.

• Each conference champion is seeded according to the computer rankings.

• The top 6 seeds receive first-round byes, and the bottom 4 seeds play in a play-in game.

• The winner of the playoffs is the undisputed national champion.

• Teams with winning records that don't win their conference qualify for bowl games.

*Indicates conference change

ACC
East
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Duke
Wake Forest
Virginia
Virginia Tech
West
Cincinnati*
Louisville*
Kentucky*
Tennessee*
Vanderbilt*
Memphis*

Big East
North
Boston College*
UConn
Rutgers
Army*
Syracuse
Penn State*
South
Pitt
West Virginia
Maryland*
Navy*
Marshall*
East Carolina*

Big Ten
East
Ohio State
Notre Dame*
Michigan
Michigan State
Purdue
Indiana
West
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
Iowa State*

Big XII
North
Nebraska
Colorado
Arkansas*
Missouri
Kansas
Kansas State
South
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
TCU*

C-USA
East
South Florida*
UCF
Southern Miss
Tulane
UAB
Troy*
West
Baylor*
SMU
Rice
Houston
Tulsa
Louisiana Tech*

MAC
East
Kent State
Ohio
Bowling Green
Akron
Toledo
Buffalo
West
Central Michigan
Western Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Ball State
Northern Illinois
Miami (OH)

Pac 10
North
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Utah*
BYU*
South
USC
UCLA
California
Stanford
Arizona
Arizona State

SEC
East
Clemson*
South Carolina
Georgia
Georgia Tech*
Miami (FL)*
Florida
West
Florida State*
LSU
Alabama
Auburn
Ole Miss
Mississippi State

Sun Belt
East
Arkansas State
Middle Tennessee State
Western Kentucky
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Temple*
West
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
North Texas
New Mexico State*
San Diego State*
Idaho*

WAC
East
Colorado State*
Air Force*
Wyoming*
Utah State
New Mexico*
UTEP*
West
Boise State
Hawaii
Nevada
UNLV*
Fresno State
San Jose State


PLAYOFFS
Week 1
Game 1: 8 vs. 9
Game 2: 7 vs. 10
Week 2
Game 3: 4 vs. 5
Game 4: 3 vs. 6
Game 5: 2 vs. WG2
Game 6: 1 vs. WG1
Week 3
Game 7: WG5 vs. WG4
Game 8: WG6 vs. WG3
Week 4
Game 9: WG8 vs. WG7

[inudesu]

The conference changes are hold-up number one. At best you could maybe get the non-12 member conference members to merge, but you'd never get the current SEC, ACC, Big 12 very shaken up.

[Dawg06]

The conference changes are hold-up number one. At best you could maybe get the non-12 member conference members to merge, but you'd never get the current SEC, ACC, Big 12 very shaken up.

You could if the NCAA, Congress, or Obama mandate the "change". It makes too much sense.

[Bigdog13]

You could if the NCAA, Congress, or Obama mandate the "change". It makes too much sense.

While I agree the system needs an overhaul it is none of the govt.'s business.

[weunice]

Here is my solution:

OK, the BCS is bunk ... Most would agree with that so I am going to dish out my personal desire when it comes to an Division 1-A NCAA playoff. This is from the perspective of a fan of a non-BCS school but I try to keep in perspective the desires of the big boys, the current bowls and the money players involved.

1. Mandate a 10 game schedule. 8 conference and 2 to play with. One 1-AA game a year can be scheduled ... rather SHOULD be scheduled. Required 4 home games. I would prefer a fixed 5 home and 5 away with requirements that each conference have to visit every other conference on the road at least once every 3 years.

2. NO CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES. Each conference should determine for itself a set of tie breaker rules to determine a champion in order that a designated playoff champion is crowned.

3. There will be a 32 team playoff consisting of 31 games.

4. The playoff will consist of "4 regions" NE, SE, NW, SW. Placements will be done similar to basketball. The winners in NE, SE play for the right to the NC game and the winners of the NW, SW play for the right to the NC game.

5. Prior to playoff selection (preferably before the season to facilitate planning) the CURRENT bowl committees will PURCHASE the slots they want. For example, X bowl buys SE, 1st round 4-5 game. That committee handles advertising and gets appropriate gate, cuts and whatnot. Naturally the higher up the ladder, the more the game will go for.

6. For the first 3 rounds, the higher seeds host.

7. The Final Four is played at host sites selected by the committees that win bidding for those games.

8. ALL ELEVEN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS GET A BID regardless of their record.

9. At large bids are done by a selection committee similar to that of basketball.

OBJECTIONS:

-Big boys lose those 6th and 7th home games.
+not if they finish in the Top 16 nationally, which many, if not most, would on a regular basis. Besides, scheduling a 6th home game in not out of the question in the in-season rules.
You would have to earn those games. Seems fair .... right?

- We would lose the bowl tradition and fewer teams would make the postseason and get bowl payouts. Your plan hurts the little guy.
+ There is nothing in my plan that prevents a small collection of post season bowls or even something like a 16 team NIT-like tournament for teams that ended up just outside the 32 team cut. The playoff games can maintain SOME of the bowl tradition ... The 1-8 SE region Gator Bowl in Orlando Florida featuring Central Florida vs Auburn.

- This is taxing on the student athletes because they have to play too many games
+ Myth. The two teams playing in the national championship game would play 15 games each. MOST teams would play 10-11 games. Why folks don't have a problem with 1-AA teams doing this but for some reason DO with 1-A teams is beyond me.

MY THOUGHTS: First off ALL Division 1-A teams now theoretically have access to the National Championship even in for all practical purposes they do not.
Second ... Can you imagine the kind of money the bidding process would bring in and better yet the ticket prices, corporate sponsorships and whatnot for playoff games at the home sites? This would benefit the program that is working hard to make it to elite status the most. The system very much benefits the Fresno States, Utahs, Boise States and good mid-majors that do not have the benefit of BCS money and TV time currently. ALL games would be sold out, without a question.
Third, could you imagine the corporate sponsorship money at the Final Four level. This would be March Madness on steroids.
Finally, we would have a REAL national champion.

Isn't it worth giving up a few home games for something that will benefit everyone?

[Dwayne From Minden]

As long as the four letter network is willing to throw a 40% increase to the BCS without mandating any changes to the format - there is NO HOPE that any noticeable change will be made to the BCS in the near future....

ESPN should be shot, drawn and then quartered for atleast not implementing a plus one scenario -

[rustondawg5198]

If the NCAA ever started trying to force conferences to realign just for geographic and football playoff purposes, many of the big-name schools would withdraw from the NCAA and form their own organization. It's happened before (see also: the formation of the CFA for television contract purposes). They would set up their own championship and at least keep some semblance of the bowl system intact. Or they might all designate football as a "club" sport and start going nuts with scholarships, TV contracts, etc.

[champion110]

There are easy logical answers to the whole mess. The two scenarios above are logical. The problem is that the bcs is NOT about logic. It is about money and keeping those teams in the bcs happy.

We (non-bcs D1a teams) had them where we wanted them a few years back, but settled WAY too early. The only way anything changes is if ALL non-bcs D1a teams stick together and fight until it is fair. Until then, the bcs will protect their own.

[faninmonroe]

1. Mandate a 10 game schedule. 8 conference and 2 to play with. One 1-AA game a year can be scheduled ... rather SHOULD be scheduled. Required 4 home games. I would prefer a fixed 5 home and 5 away with requirements that each conference have to visit every other conference on the road at least once every 3 years.


-Big boys lose those 6th and 7th home games.
+not if they finish in the Top 16 nationally, which many, if not most, would on a regular basis. Besides, scheduling a 6th home game in not out of the question in the in-season rules.
You would have to earn those games. Seems fair .... right?

Isn't it worth giving up a few home games for something that will benefit everyone?

Great theory but most of the big time BCS programs have big time Athletic Foundtion debt. The only way that debt cash flows is with 7 home games. Most of the debt is derived via bond issues.........millions and millions and millions of dollars. I would not be shocked if the average of all BCS programs that have had on campus stadium expansions in the last 7 years to average $45+ million in debt.

Any BCS school that has done any stadium upgrades or major athletic facility development will fight this to the death....their foundations would be bankrupt in 24 months if this happened. Plus, those foundations have given back serious cash to their respective universities.

College atheltics is an arms race and in the current economic climate, many BCS schools just may have bitten off more than they can chew........

[JAY]

Keep the BCS, just take out all influence of the Human Polls.


Take the champions of the 6 major conferences.

The last two spots will be filled by another conference champion if they are ranked in the top 15 (or top 12, whatever).

say Utah, Boise, and Ball State all finish in the to 15. you take the 2 highest ranked teams period.

If no league champions or just one finishes in the top 15, you fill remaining spots with the highest ranked non conference champions.

Right now, the 8 team playoff would be:

1. Alabama (or Florida)
2. Texas Tech (or other Big 12 winner)
3. USC (or PAC 10 winner)
4. Utah
5. Penn St. (or big10 winner)
6. Boise
7. Cincy (or BE winner)
8. UNC (or ACC winner)

If Alabama or Florida cry about not getting in, they should have won the sec championship. if one of the big 12 south teams dont get in, they should have won their division. (thats what kept georgia out of the championship game last year)


Play the 4 quarterfinal games around christmas. use current bowls to do it. this would make these games mean way more than they do now)

cotton
capital one
holiday
chick-fil-a


the semifinals would be around new years like normal.

Fiesta
Orange
(rotate the Sugar Bowl in)

The Championship game would be a week later.

Sugar Bowl (rotate the Fiesta and Orange in)



I dont know what to do with the Rose Bowl. Either make them the PAC10 vs Big10 quarterfinal game at christmas instead of the holiday bowl, or let them keep it on new years and they can try to get the best two teams not in the playoffs. (A mediocre Oregon St vs Ohio St. to keep tradition or try to get a Texas/Oklahoma/Texas Tech vs Alabama/Florida top 5 matchup. the winner of that game would cry that they were left out, but they dont have near the beef an undefeated auburn had a few years ago.