Fixing the NCAA Football System

If I were asked to fix college football, here is how I would do it:
128 qualifying Division 1 FBC Schools divided into 4 Conferences by region of 32 schools each. Each conference has 2 Tiers. Tier #1 for each conference would be 16 top rated schools (Initially divided by recruiting power) with the remaining schools being relegated to Tier #2. Each Tier could be divided into 2 divisions of 8 for scheduling purposes, where you would play each of the 7 teams in your division and then 4 of the 8 schools from the other division in your tier (alternating each year). That puts you at 11 games, your 12th game could be against a team from another conference or tier of your choice for either rivalries or local appeal.

The winner of each of the 8 divisions would go to a tournament and play for the championship (conference finals) (semi finals) (national championship)

[Edit – 5/10/2015 – It was suggested that each tier be broken down into two 8 team divisions for scheduling, with the winner of each division getting a playoff spot for only Tier 1 teams. Tier 2 teams could play in a consolation championship as well, but their true reward would be promotion into the higher tier. A 7 game intra-divisional round robin schedule would allow for a cross-divsional rival game from within your conference, a cross-conference game with another opponent from your tier, and a cross tier game (like Ohio State vs Ohio U as a season opener squash style game… or Michigan can always choose to get upset by Appalachia State again…) That 10 game scheduling flexibility would still give a lot of intrigue to match ups, but would allow for grace, since you could see an early season matchup of two high power teams from out of conference and it wouldn’t crush their chance of making the playoffs. If Ohio State wanted to Open up against Alabama, the losing team could still sweep their divisional games and secure a spot in the playoffs.

The bottom 3 teams from Tier 1 for each conference would be relegated to Tier 2 while the top 3 teams from Tier 2 would be upgraded to Tier 1. This would give a ton of drama and excitement to the sport on a year by year. No longer would the first 4 weeks of the season be cupcakes getting smashed by over inflated juggernauts, but you would have the top teams competing against each other on national tv each week all year long. With a system like this, it gives you a clear champion and it forces programs to buck up and win or face the humiliation of being sent down. The small schools would have just as much of a reason to win and have just as much of a chance of winning a legitimate championship as the big boys. The Tier #2 playoffs would be just as exciting and give the winners of each #2 division a chance to showcase their best.

This almost makes too much sense, but i’m sure some people will see major problems with it, but hey, it’s the internet…

Thoughts?
#NCAA #Football #Conference #realignment #Maps#Playoffs

The Big 10, Pac 12, SEC, and ACC retained the most teams with the AAC and BIG 12 being divided up appropriately. The Big 10 was paired with the MAC, the SEC with the Sun Belt, the PAC12 with the Mountain West, the ACC with the AAC, and the Big 12 with CUSA.