Big 12 Back to Division??

[Cycsk]

Set schedules based on the rankings of the prior year. Have set schedules for each position in the rankings to promote better games and balanced schedules.

For example, odd ranked teams play the other 7 odd ranked teams plus the three nearest even ranked teams.
#1 ranked team plays - 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 2, 4, 6
#7 ranked team plays - 1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15, 8, 10, 12

And so on. There still a chance you don’t see an opponent often, but it reduces the chance of one top team from having a weaker or stronger schedule than another in the race to the CCG.

Doesn't almost anything based on rankings functionally tend to create a top tier and a bottom tier?

Personally, I'm intrigued by the concept of a conference with a premier league and a relegation league in which the bottom of the premier league and the top of the relegation league switch places after each season.

 

[Clonehomer]

Doesn't almost anything based on rankings functionally tend to create a top tier and a bottom tier?

Personally, I'm intrigued by the concept of a conference with a premier league and a relegation league in which the bottom of the premier league and the top of the relegation league switch places after each season.

I’d think it would actually prevent tiers with the schedule being fluid each year. The bottom teams would have an easier schedule than the top teams, which should keep them competitive. It’s worked well for the NFL to create parity and interest.

Problem with college has always been divisions get stronger than the other and it just grows more and more. You need to allow weaker teams to get a weaker schedule to let them get some wins. Same idea as relegation, but without moving teams in and out of the conference and presumably the financial impacts of that.

It’s the same system I proposed for basketball. Schedule the home and home games against the teams you finished near in the previous year standings. Then play everyone else once.

 

[andybernard]

What they should do is join the major conferences into one huge conference. Call it an "association" or something like that. And then break that down into geographical divisions. We could call those "conferences". That would be an interesting idea.

 

[Clonehomer]

What they should do is join the major conferences into one huge conference. Call it an "association" or something like that. And then break that down into geographical divisions. We could call those "conferences". That would be an interesting idea.

All under one TV deal? That could never work.

 

[chuckd4735]

If the Big 12 does this, it will absolutely be to cut travel down for the teams on the geographic edges.

 

[Clonehomer]

If the Big 12 does this, it will absolutely be to cut travel down for the teams on the geographic edges.

I think that with all the tie breakers in the football championship game, there had to be concern that eventually it won’t work itself out and there will be a deserving team left out. This year, there were enough warts on each team to justify them missing out. But if you had a couple highly ranked teams and one misses out because a third team had a cake walk schedule, it would be a bad look.

The conference is too big. You have to guarantee that you play the teams you’re competing against for the championship game.

 

[Rural]

Would hope for north and south.

North WV, Cinci, ISU , 2 Kansas, CU, 2 Utahs.

Not bad.

 

[CoachHines3]

PODS!

PODS!

PODS!

 

[AlaCyclone]

PODS!

PODS!

PODS!

Pod! Pod! Everywhere a Pod!

 

[BCClone]

PODS!

PODS!

PODS!

You crazy millennials who will eat/snort anything.

 

[KidSilverhair]

All under one TV deal? That could never work.

It’s been tried. Worked for over 10 years until conferences and networks got greedy.

 

[KidSilverhair]

I think that with all the tie breakers in the football championship game, there had to be concern that eventually it won’t work itself out and there will be a deserving team left out. This year, there were enough warts on each team to justify them missing out. But if you had a couple highly ranked teams and one misses out because a third team had a cake walk schedule, it would be a bad look.

The conference is too big. You have to guarantee that you play the teams you’re competing against for the championship game.

I almost think there’s a purpose for conference semifinals, where you can take the top four teams and find your champion in two weeks. The problem there is adding yet another game in a world with a potential five extra playoff games still to come.

The real answer, of course, is to stop having conferences with more than 12 members (and ideally 10), but I don’t know how you shut that barn door now.

 

[HouClone]

Big 12 doesn't have brand names like Ohio State or Michigan to make it harder for a Big 10 East-West weakness. Big 12 is all parity so think divisions, however they set it up, will be fine. Still not sure if it is a good idea at this time.

 

[Nolaeer]

Pods is the true answer.
WVU, Cinn., UCF, Houston
Utah, BYU, Arz, Arz state
ISU, Kansas, kstate, colo
Baylor, TT, Tcu Oklahoma state

 

[cybychoice]

Pods is the true answer.
WVU, Cinn., UCF, Houston
Utah, BYU, Arz, Arz state
ISU, Kansas, kstate, colo
Baylor, TT, Tcu Oklahoma state

Been obvious since the last additions were announced

 

[HouClone]

For PR purposes, they need to call it divisions and not pods.

 

[cyatheart]

I was very strongly opposed to divisions.....but after reading that, and the way it is structured....maybe not

 

[isucy86]

I almost think there’s a purpose for conference semifinals, where you can take the top four teams and find your champion in two weeks. The problem there is adding yet another game in a world with a potential five extra playoff games still to come.

The real answer, of course, is to stop having conferences with more than 12 members (and ideally 10), but I don’t know how you shut that barn door now.

Agree. The article mentioned the Big12 wanting an extra game and going back to the TV folks to get more money. And FOX or ESPN may be willing to pony-up the $ for two desirable semi-final Conference Championship games.

But with all the "concerned talk" by Presidents, AD's and Coaches about athlete wellness. Not sure where a 14 game regular season and potentially 3-4 CFP games fits that talk for 18-23 year of football players.

Another option would be to flex the final week of the conference season and have the top 4 teams square off in a Conference Championship semi-final round and have the other 12 teams finish off their regular season.

But over the last decade plus, most decisions we have seen from Presidents & AD's money is the driver and not athlete wellness.

 

[theshadow]

Pods is the true answer.
WVU, Cinn., UCF, Houston
Utah, BYU, Arz, Arz state
ISU, Kansas, kstate, colo
Baylor, TT, Tcu Oklahoma state

That's the gimme solution for an 18-game basketball schedule where coaches have been complaining about travel. Pod twice (6), every other team once (12).

For football, though? Eh.

 

[Clonehomer]

That's the gimme solution for an 18-game basketball schedule where coaches have been complaining about travel. Pod twice (6), every other team once (12).

For football, though? Eh.

For football, you’d just combine pods to create 8 team divisions. Rotate pods in your divisions to mix it up.