This is my plan for conference expansion. When it's all over, 16 teams will have changed conference. 7 teams will be promoted from non-BCS to BCS conferences. The Mountain West's 'Big 3', 3 CUSA East teams & Temple. The 6 12-team league BCS conference winners & 2 at-large teams will play in a 8 team playoff. The quarterfinals will be played at the Orange, Sugar, Fiesta & Rose bowls. Winners will advance to the semifinals & then the NCAA College Football Championship. Other teams will continue to play in the existing bowl games like the Cotton & Papajohns.com.
Current TV deals for each conference & payout:
* Big Ten: $242 million ($22 mil each)
* SEC: $205 million ($17.08 mill each)
* ACC: $155 million ($12.9 mil each) (new deal)
* Big 12: $78 million ($6.5 mil each)
* Pac-10: $58 million ($5.8 mil each)
* Big East: $2.8 million per football school
(the numbers after each school are its ranking 1-120 after last season)
Big Ten decides to add a 12th team to play a conference championship game. After being rejected by Notre Dame again, they add Missouri for the St. Louis & Kansas City TV markets. Conference is divided into East & West.
East | West |
Indiana 83 | Illinois 99 |
Michigan 80 | Iowa 8 |
Michigan State 62 | Minnesota 70 |
Ohio State 5 | Missouri 46 |
Penn State 9 | Northwestern 40 |
Purdue 72 | Wisconsin 14 |
Now the only major conference besides the Big East without a championship game, the Pac-10 decides to expand to 12. They add Colorado & Utah for the Denver & Salt Lake City TV markets. Division follows the ACC model instead of North & South - separating teams from their natural rival.
Pacific | Coastal |
Arizona 35 | Arizona State 77 |
California 41 | Oregon State 36 |
UCLA 58 | USC 21 |
Colorado 96 | Stanford 29 |
Oregon 12 | Utah 19 |
Washington 76 | Washington State 115 |
The Big 12 must replace the 2 North division teams it lost so it adds Texas Christian & Brigham Young. Oklahoma agrees to move to the North divisions for more balance in the conference.
North | South |
BYU 10 | Baylor 79 |
Iowa State 57 | Oklahoma State 33 |
Kansas 74 | Texas 4 |
Kansas State 63 | Texas A&M 64 |
Nebraska 16 | Texas Christian 6 |
Oklahoma 26 | Texas Tech 22 |
The SEC & ACC sit out this round of conference expansion but the Big East must add 4 teams to stay relevant. They promoted Cincinnati, Louisville & South Florida from Conference USA in 2005 and continue now by adding Central Florida, East Carolina & Memphis. The 12th team is Temple, a Big East football-only member from 1991-2004. The 6 former C-USA schools form the South division & the older Big East teams form the North.
North | South |
UConn 32 | UCF 61 |
Pitt 15 | Cincinnati 7 |
Rutgers 28 | East Carolina 38 |
Syracuse 91 | Memphis 112 |
Temple 60 | Louisville 90 |
West Virginia 27 | South Florida 44 |
The Big East spins off its' 8 non-football schools (including Notre Dame) into a different non-affiliated league.
The Mountain West was raid of its' 'Big 3' by the Big 12 & Pac-10, leaving the conference with 6 teams. There were plans to add Boise State as the 10th team & possible expansion to 12 for a championship game. MWC agrees to merge back with the Western Athletic Conference to form a 12 team league.
The WAC kicks out it's 3 newest teams from 2005 - Idaho, New Mexico State & Utah State. Louisiana Tech leaves to join a conference back East & is replaced by Texas El-Paso, a former member from 1967-2005. The reunited conference is split into the Mountain West teams' division & the newer WAC teams.
Mountain West | Western Athletic |
Air Force 45 | Boise State 2 |
Colorado State 104 | Fresno State 51 |
UNLV 86 | Hawaii 75 |
New Mexico 118 | Nevada 52 |
San Diego State 97 | San Jose State 111 |
Wyoming 59 | UTEP 102 |
There are 8 conference games, copying the ACC's model: 5 division games, 1 permanent out of division rival, & rotate the other 2 out of division games.
Air Force & Hawaii - Air Force has the jets to fly this far every other year
Colorado State & UTEP - both joined the WAC in 1967
UNLV & Nevada - The Battle for Nevada & the Fremont Cannon
New Mexico & San Jose State - Spanish sounding places
San Diego State & Fresno State - student bodies hate each other
Wyoming & Boise State - closet in geography
C-USA is left scrambling after losing another 3 teams so it welcomes Louisiana Tech from the WAC as its' 10th team. Then promotes Middle Tennessee State & North Texas from the Sunbelt.
East | West |
UAB 88 | Houston 39 |
Florida Atlantic 95 | North Texas 116 |
Louisiana Tech 98 | Rice 113 |
Marshall 65 | SMU 49 |
MTSU 37 | Tulane 109 |
Southern Miss 68 |
Tulsa 81 |
The Mid-Atlantic Conference is left unchanged except for getting rid of it's 13th team: football-only member Temple.
Notre Dame, Navy & Army remain Independent.
The Sun Belt adds the 3 WAC cast-offs so it has a large chunk of land to cover but its' 9 teams get to remain in 1-A football:
Arkansas State 103 |
FIU 108 |
Idaho 50 |
Lousiana-Lafayette 92 |
Lousiana-Monroe 94 |
New Mexico State 114 |
Troy 53 |
Utah State 101 |
Western Kentucky 120 |