Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)

[Cardinal and Gold]

I’ve always been against playoff expansion past 8 teams, going to 14/16 is just going to devalue the regular season even more.

Devalued for whom? Just the Big 10 and SEC's regular season would get devalued. I'd say if you have 134 division 1 teams with 35 playing for 7-9 CFP spots(20-25% of the 2 conference's teams+ND get in), 33 playing for 2-3 spots (6-9%), and 66 playing for 1 spot (1.5%). The sport (Big 10/SEC with puppet masters ESPN/FOX) has already completely devalued it for 99ish teams (~74% of the sport), and there's nothing that can devalued it any more than it currently is for these teams.

There needs to be more teams included, but not from the SEC or Big 10. That's a pipe dream, unfortunately. We don't need SEC/Big 10 lower-mids to have a better chance of making it in than the Big 12's #2-4 teams. Expanding without the two backstabbing conferences would bring some value back to the sport as a whole.

I don't really care for any Big 10/SEC fans complaining about devaluing the game. Sorry.

 

[Gonzo]

That’s a slippery slope. It’ll start with bowls. But when tOSU is always on the top TV listing and they can obviously see that contract is bringing in more money per game than the secondary games, why wouldn’t they ask for more?

The fact that the Big10 splits out the games to separate contracts makes it real easy to see and argue how much money you’re bringing to the table for the TV deals. It isn’t one big contract like the Big12 has with ESPN.

Been hearing this for a while now, just don't see it happening. I see an unequal split of CFP/bowl $$$ based on which schools are actually bringing those revenues in. So in that sense there will be unequal revenue sharing. Just don't see an unequal split of revenue from media deal. They could've tried implementing it during this last $8 billion TV deal, but didn't.

 

[cykadelic2]

I’ve always been against playoff expansion past 8 teams, going to 14/16 is just going to devalue the regular season even more.

You can't restrict the field to only 8 teams when you have the existing absurdity of unbalanced conference scheduling due to the ridiculous 16 and 18 team conferences (see 2024 Indiana FB)

Realign into 7 10-team conferences with 9 game round robin scheduling. No need for CCGs. 16 team playoff with 7 conference champs hosting first round games. 9 at large teams (including ND) picked by Selection Committee. Regular season is no longer devalued.

Hell, even rational Mich St and TOE fans would rather compete in a 10-team MW-based B10 for all sports than the current oversized geographic clustereff that the B10 is.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

You can't restrict the field to only 8 teams when you have the existing absurdity of unbalanced conference scheduling due to the ridiculous 16 and 18 team conferences (see 2024 Indiana FB)

Realign into 7 10-team conferences with 9 game round robin scheduling. No need for CCGs. 16 team playoff with 7 conference champs hosting first round games. 9 at large teams (including ND) picked by Selection Committee. Regular season is no longer devalued.

Hell, even rational Mich St and TOE fans would rather compete in a 10-team MW-based B10 for all sports than the current oversized geographic clustereff that the B10 is.

Nah I have no problem with the existing conferences now that we got away with the un even divisions. This year the schedules for MSU and Michigan were very hard, next year they are much eaiser. I’m a fan of that balance

You can still do 8, 4 conference champions and 4 at large bids. You won’t be cutting out a single team that has an actual chance at winning the natty and it makes the regular season meaningful still in the P2.

Again it’s not happening but expanding the playoff is just going to cause more regular season apathy most years.

 

[FerShizzle]

This feels almost inevitable. At some point the actual big earners in those leagues are going to tire of subsidizing the remoras. 2/3rds of the Big 10 especially are much more like Big 12 and ACC schools than they are the top 1/3rd of the Big 10.

Notre Dame making a bazillion dollars while OSU was earning for the Big 10 will only accelerate the top tier of the P2 moving towards independence. Maybe they play a mostly P2 schedule with several other games being able to be sold to the highest bidder. Can you imagine Georgia and OSU both independent, scheduling a home and home, and selling the rights to the highest bidder, they would get far more than their current business model. Everyone keeps talking about expansion, when contraction is what is going to happen next.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

Notre Dame making a bazillion dollars whilr OSU was earning for the Big 10 will only accelerate the top tier of the P2 moving towards independence. Maybe they play a mostly P2 schedule with several other games being able to be sold to the highest bidder. Can you imagine Georgia and OSU both independent, scheduling a home and home, and selling the rights to the highest bidder, they would get far more than their current business model. Everyone keeps talking about expansion, when contraction is what is going to happen next.

Yeah that’s not happening

 

[FerShizzle]

Notre Dame making a bazillion dollars while OSU was earning for the Big 10 will only accelerate the top tier of the P2 moving towards independence. Maybe they play a mostly P2 schedule with several other games being able to be sold to the highest bidder. Can you imagine Georgia and OSU both independent, scheduling a home and home, and selling the rights to the highest bidder, they would get far more than their current business model. Everyone keeps talking about expansion, when contraction is what is going to happen next.

You always disagree with me on this @FriendlySpartan.

 

[Gonzo]

Notre Dame making a bazillion dollars whilr OSU was earning for the Big 10 will only accelerate the top tier of the P2 moving towards independence. Maybe they play a mostly P2 schedule with several other games being able to be sold to the highest bidder. Can you imagine Georgia and OSU both independent, scheduling a home and home, and selling the rights to the highest bidder, they would get far more than their current business model. Everyone keeps talking about expansion, when contraction is what is going to happen next.

ND's media deal earns them less than B1G media payouts. Obviously they made out this year but I don't think they can count on making the CFP title game every year.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

You always disagree with me on this @FriendlySpartan.

I do because it has zero chance of happening

 

[FerShizzle]

ND's media deal earns them less than B1G media payouts. Obviously they made out this year but I don't think they can count on making the CFP title game every year.

That’s because they are stuck playing stupid ACC and service academy schools for half their games.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

That’s because they are stuck playing stupid ACC and service academy schools for half their games.

Now you’re getting it

 

[FerShizzle]

I do because it has zero chance of happening

I wouldn’t say zero.

Can you not see a deal where OSU, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, etc…agree to play 4-6 “conference games” and then get all the media rights to their other games? Can you not agree that would be highly beneficial to those schools financially while still throwing a bone to their conference fodder schools?

 

[Gonzo]

That’s because they are stuck playing stupid ACC and service academy schools for half their games.

Their NBC deal pays them $50 mil per year, and they get $17 mil per year from the ACC. So that ACC payout is actually pretty nice for them. Their current NBC deal goes through 2029, and I'd guess that ACC kickback will be kaput once things get close enough to the end of their GoR for ACC schools to bolt for greener pastures. Will be interesting to see what happens then. The current B1G media deal ends in 2030. If you're predicting the B1G bluebloods will go independent at that time, I'll just go ahead and disagree.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

I wouldn’t say zero.

Can you not see a deal where OSU, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, etc…agree to play 4-6 “conference games” and then get all the media rights to their other games? Can you not agree that would be highly beneficial to those schools financially while still throwing a bone to their conference fodder schools?

Nope. Because the schools media deals are negotiated by the conference as being a member of the big ten. OSU and Michigan are not leaving the big ten, just as bama and Georgia aren’t leaving the SEC. Thus this isn’t happening.

There are already talks of this happening anyways via a SEC and BIG challenge where these games would take the place of a non con game and that would be an additional media package sold.

 

[Clonedogg]

Read some about the 14 team proposal.

Honestly, sign me up. It'll get rid of committee bias while simultaneously cementing the Big 12 as a nationally relevant, multi-bid league.

Is it ideal? No, but we are long past ideal in big time college football.

And for those of you who still want to hold out hope that the Big 12 can win the perception battle to earn equal spots with the B1G/SEC, we'll have several opportunities in upcoming seasons to knock those teams off on a national stage in the playoffs.

And for those of you (like me) in the acceptance stage, the conference can now focus on building the best and most entertaining product it can with a more certain more budget, and guaranteed national relevance.

The +1 (at large) is probably reserved for ND but if they don't cut it some years...I think the 4 bid leagues should not be considered for the at large bid, it should be the highest remaining ACC/BIG12/G6, maybe that will be a compromise that's worked out.

 

[alexssdean12]

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-se...ball-playoff-to-14-or-16-teams-235759195.html

What will this mean for non conference games? If each conference gets to dull out their automatic qualifiers wouldn't that just get determined by conference standing?

I suppose that would mean non-conference games are just meaningless as there will not be at large bids to grab (assuming Notre Dame gets the one most years). So teams could schedule all P5 teams in non-con or all G5 it really wouldn't hurt or benefit you as SOS doesn't really play into decisions anymore. Its all going to be AQ's.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

They won't leave their leagues because nobody else is getting the Notre Dame deal with the ACC. Scheduling for every other sport would be near impossible without the life line the ACC threw them.

 

[PickSix]

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-se...ball-playoff-to-14-or-16-teams-235759195.html

What will this mean for non conference games? If each conference gets to dull out their automatic qualifiers wouldn't that just get determined by conference standing?

I suppose that would mean non-conference games are just meaningless as there will not be at large bids to grab (assuming Notre Dame gets the one most years). So teams could schedule all P5 teams in non-con or all G5 it really wouldn't hurt or benefit you as SOS doesn't really play into decisions anymore. Its all going to be AQ's.

A lot rides on how a conference will determine which 4 teams get the spots. If it's only based on conference record, than I do think those games are meaningless and would probably lose their appeal over time.

In order to prevent that from happening, I bet they go based on the top 4 overall ranked teams as opposed to using only conference standings, so that the non-con at lease matters some.

What I'm curious of is if a B1G/SEC challenge and (presumably) a Big 12/ACC challenge will lead to the end of the CyHawk game?

 

[HFCS]

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-se...ball-playoff-to-14-or-16-teams-235759195.html

What will this mean for non conference games? If each conference gets to dull out their automatic qualifiers wouldn't that just get determined by conference standing?

I suppose that would mean non-conference games are just meaningless as there will not be at large bids to grab (assuming Notre Dame gets the one most years). So teams could schedule all P5 teams in non-con or all G5 it really wouldn't hurt or benefit you as SOS doesn't really play into decisions anymore. Its all going to be AQ's.

I was banned during the CFP so I wasn't around for commenting on CF, but for the first time I ACTUALLY DIDN'T CARE ABOUT COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

Through all this realignment saga I kept saying I was done watching SEC and Big Ten and that I'd only watch ISU...then I just kept watching any intriguing games anyway. Nebraska would leave for the Big Ten, I'd say I'd never watch Big Ten, then I'd watch Michigan/Ohio State or some Iowa game anyway. It was just talk, I didn't lose a broad interest.

Something changed this year. I watched the ASU/Texas overtime game and then I COMPLETELY FORGOT about college football for the rest of the playoff. I didn't even know who was in the championship game until after they played it.

I got slightly more into the NFL and followed my soccer/NBA teams a little more closely and beginning of ISU basketball a little more. I didn't tune out sports at all, just completely tuned out the playoff once it was down to the conferences that have been trying to destroy the game. There are A LOT of other sports going on at the same time as the CFP, I'm still not sold that turning this into a 36 team thing is better than the 70 team structure they used to have that they are trying to kill.

I'm sure I'm in the minority but I was kind of surprised that it was instinctive and took no effort, it's not like I had to resist. I just had ZERO desire to watch. Like why would I watch a bunch of people hired to kill me is the feeling.

 

[ClubCy]

A lot rides on how a conference will determine which 4 teams get the spots. If it's only based on conference record, than I do think those games are meaningless and would probably lose their appeal over time.

In order to prevent that from happening, I bet they go based on the top 4 overall ranked teams as opposed to using only conference standings, so that the non-con at lease matters some.

What I'm curious of is if a B1G/SEC challenge and (presumably) a Big 12/ACC challenge will lead to the end of the CyHawk game?

Not sure if it’s been mentioned but there is speculation by the media that they could completely overhaul championship weekend to have sort of a mini play-in playoff for the last two AQ spots.