College Football as a 64-Team League

[Buffnik]

I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'm convinced that we will see a Premiere League for College Football. One set of rules. One media contract. Optimized for maximum profit.

So they'll want to hit all major markets with members who bring cachet and/or have the will & resources to be big time along with wanting to hit the major markets.

I would divide it into conferences like the NFL does so that you have both conferences in every market and time zone. That way you have each conference going up for media rights in staggered years with huge value in securing rights to either conference.

I'm not going to split these up here, but just divide into 8 groups. Each of these groups would be 4 teams in each conference and play each other to maintain & foster rivalries through the regional groupings.

For scheduling, that means 7 games vs your group of 8. Then, if you play 1 game against each other group (ranked scheduling so you play the teams that finished around where you did in your group last year).

Group 1
Syracuse
Rutgers
Penn State
Pitt
WVU
Maryland
Virginia
Virginia Tech

Group 2
UNC
NC St
South Carolina
Clemson
Georgia
Florida
Miami
Florida State

Group 3
Alabama
Auburn
Ole Miss
MSU
LSU
Tennessee
Louisville
Kentucky

Group 4
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Cincinnati
Indiana
Notre Dame
Northwestern
Illinois

Group 5
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Iowa
Iowa State
Colorado
Nebraska
Kansas
Kansas State

Group 6
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Missouri
Arkansas
Texas
Baylor
TCU
Texas A&M

Group 7
Arizona
Arizona State
Fresno State
SDSU
Utah
BYU
USC
UCLA

Group 8
Cal
Stanford
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Boise State
UNLV

14 game season
16 team playoff (8 Group winners + 8 Wildcards)

Conferences as we know them go away for football other than what might happen with the non-Premiere D1s. The conferences as we know them re-align around MBB/WBB as the media revenue driver with other sports part of the media rights deal. Basically, conferences form with hoops programs as the centerpiece and other considerations which make them align (D1 football, history, geography, public/ private, academics, other sports aligning like hockey or lacrosse, etc.).

 

[Not Sure]

Dude.

 

[Bread]

I don’t know if having the potential champion playing as many games as an NFL champion is feasible for college kids

 

[Not Sure]

I don’t know if having the potential champion playing as many games as an NFL champion is feasible for college kids

Of course it is.

 

[MtnBuff]

You have a bunch of schools that are not going to be a part of the final elite group, mostly in the west.

Could see doing groups of 7 schools or having one less group.

In the end my guess is that the top classification or even completely separate organization is somewhere around 30-40 schools.

It doesn't work without significant revenue sharing and the top revenue producing schools are not going to share with the Fresno States and the UNLVs of the world.

 

[BlackNGold]

I find it concerning that we have not yet played a game in the Big 12 since rejoining the conference and Buffnik is posting conference realignment threads with details about something that is at least a decade into the future. Will this never end? What is the obsession?

Oh well. Another thread to be ignored.

 

[hawg1]

16 too many.

 

[Not Sure]

16 too many.

No it’s not. It’s 1 out of 4 teams. Not too many at all.

 

[hawg1]

No it’s not. It’s 1 out of 4 teams. Not too many at all.

Some of those teams will struggle with the 20M bar in the House settlement.

And some won’t meet a revenue threshold to be accretive to a TV deal. Why add them if they only decrease the per team payout?

 

[Agent Dave Kujan]

I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'm convinced that we will see a Premiere League for College Football. One set of rules. One media contract. Optimized for maximum profit.

So they'll want to hit all major markets with members who bring cachet and/or have the will & resources to be big time along with wanting to hit the major markets.

I would divide it into conferences like the NFL does so that you have both conferences in every market and time zone. That way you have each conference going up for media rights in staggered years with huge value in securing rights to either conference.

I'm not going to split these up here, but just divide into 8 groups. Each of these groups would be 4 teams in each conference and play each other to maintain & foster rivalries through the regional groupings.

For scheduling, that means 7 games vs your group of 8. Then, if you play 1 game against each other group (ranked scheduling so you play the teams that finished around where you did in your group last year).

Group 1
Syracuse
Rutgers
Penn State
Pitt
WVU
Maryland
Virginia
Virginia Tech

Group 2
UNC
NC St
South Carolina
Clemson
Georgia
Florida
Miami
Florida State

Group 3
Alabama
Auburn
Ole Miss
MSU
LSU
Tennessee
Louisville
Kentucky

Group 4
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Cincinnati
Indiana
Notre Dame
Northwestern
Illinois

Group 5
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Iowa
Iowa State
Colorado
Nebraska
Kansas
Kansas State

Group 6
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Missouri
Arkansas
Texas
Baylor
TCU
Texas A&M

Group 7
Arizona
Arizona State
Fresno State
SDSU
Utah
BYU
USC
UCLA

Group 8
Cal
Stanford
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Boise State
UNLV

14 game season
16 team playoff (8 Group winners + 8 Wildcards)

Conferences as we know them go away for football other than what might happen with the non-Premiere D1s. The conferences as we know them re-align around MBB/WBB as the media revenue driver with other sports part of the media rights deal. Basically, conferences form with hoops programs as the centerpiece and other considerations which make them align (D1 football, history, geography, public/ private, academics, other sports aligning like hockey or lacrosse, etc.).

You are by far the most interesting realignment poster.

would love to see this, but I doubt the big 10 and the SEC give up their pole position

 

[MiamiBuffs]

Dude.

I find it concerning that we have not yet played a game in the Big 12 since rejoining the conference and Buffnik is posting conference realignment threads with details about something that is at least a decade into the future. Will this never end? What is the obsession?

Oh well. Another thread to be ignored.

 

[Liver]

i like our group from a CU perspective. it would be tons of fun.

but, i also think that 64 teams won't make the cut. too many mouths to feed.

and i do not think there will be anything "Fair" about what goes down. basically i think the sec and big will position themselves as the 2 conferences so to speak. anyone who isn't already in one of those 2 conferences is going to be ****ed if they do not get an invitation. and, the clearly unworthy schools already in those 2 conferences will occupy spots that more deserving teams from outside the conferences "should" have.

but, hey, maybe everything will work out somehow.

 

[MiamiBuffs]

16 too many.

Agreed.

TV is not going to pay 64 teams to get the 20 to 30 teams that they want that generate big ratings. Theyve already shown a willingness to kill conferences to get the best properties.

 

[Jens1893]

You're missing the very key point if that's your understanding of how the "Premiere League" (?) works.

 

[Not Sure]

Some of those teams will struggle with the 20M bar in the House settlement.

And some won’t meet a revenue threshold to be accretive to a TV deal. Why add them if they only decrease the per team payout?

You’re missing the point entirely. This system that Nik “came up with” is the best possible solution. It’s a bajillion times better than what we have. It resores some regionality while increasing revenue across the board. There will be some losers, but far fewer than what we have now. It increases payouts, makes college football interesting again, helps keep the non revenue sports afloat, and places the leverage back with the schools instead of with the networks. I’m not concerned about “some of those teams”. I’m concerned with the long term viability of college sports.

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

You’re missing the point entirely. This system that Nik “came up with” is the best possible solution. It’s a bajillion times better than what we have. It resores some regionality while increasing revenue across the board. There will be some losers, but far fewer than what we have now. It increases payouts, makes college football interesting again, helps keep the non revenue sports afloat, and places the leverage back with the schools instead of with the networks. I’m not concerned about “some of those teams”. I’m concerned with the long term viability of college sports.

Hawg’s point is that there’s what many of us want and then there is reality, and I don’t think nik’s solution is realistic

 

[Not Sure]

Hash’s point is that there’s what many of us want and then there is reality, and I don’t think nik’s solution is realistic

I disagree. Both with the assertion that it’s not realistic and that it’s Niks solution.

The current situation is horrible and most everybody agrees.
You can’t have 20-24 super teams with no lower tier competition. That leads to mass mediocrity.
Having west coast teams in the Midwest and ACC conferences is just stupid.
we are headed to NFL lite anyway, and this looks a lot like the NFL with some college traits that keep college football separate and unique from the pro game.
of all the solutions, this is the only one, in my mind, that actually does something to preserve the traditions of college football while providing a mechanism for a majority of current of large schools to survive and flourish.

In the absence of going back 40 years to what we had, this is the next best thing.
it’s only unrealistic if you believe there’s no way for the college football programs to unite and work together. I agree that’s unlikely, but not out of the realm of possibility.

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

I disagree. Both with the assertion that it’s not realistic and that it’s Niks solution.

The current situation is horrible and most everybody agrees.
You can’t have 20-24 super teams with no lower tier competition. That leads to mass mediocrity.
Having west coast teams in the Midwest and ACC conferences is just stupid.
we are headed to NFL lite anyway, and this looks a lot like the NFL with some college traits that keep college football separate and unique from the pro game.
of all the solutions, this is the only one, in my mind, that actually does something to preserve the traditions of college football while providing a mechanism for a majority of current of large schools to survive and flourish.

In the absence of going back 40 years to what we had, this is the next best thing.
it’s only unrealistic if you believe there’s no way for the college football programs to unite and work together. I agree that’s unlikely, but not out of the realm of possibility.

What does the revenue for the programs look like? Do the big programs take a pay cut or are there different tiers?

The ACC/Stanford and Cal may care about their ridiculous setup, but do the SEC and B1G really care?

 

[Not Sure]

What does the revenue for the programs look like? Do the big programs take a pay cut or are there different tiers?

The ACC/Stanford and Cal may care about their ridiculous setup, but do the SEC and B1G really care?

Yeah. I think they do. I think they’re happy with the money they’re pulling in, but they see the writing in the wall. Networks arent interested in seeing Rutgers and Indiana or Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The conferences need those teams, though. The greatest college football coach of all time retired and the reason he gave was that he didn’t like the direction the game was going.

Revenue per program is not something that can be accurately predicted at this point, but the expanded schedule and national distribution should be very profitable for everybody - assuming people continue to care about the college game. That’s the risk right now. Changes need to be made or you risk losing a good chunk of the national fan base.

 

[Townie]

Love the idea, hate our group.

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

Yeah. I think they do. I think they’re happy with the money they’re pulling in, but they see the writing in the wall. Networks arent interested in seeing Rutgers and Indiana or Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The conferences need those teams, though. The greatest college football coach of all time retired and the reason he gave was that he didn’t like the direction the game was going.

Revenue per program is not something that can be accurately predicted at this point, but the expanded schedule and national distribution should be very profitable for everybody - assuming people continue to care about the college game. That’s the risk right now. Changes need to be made or you risk losing a good chunk of the national fan base.

I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, btw, but it’s pure speculation on your part and it’s really hard to get large institutions who aren’t bound together by anything to pull in the same direction for some murky sense of the greater good for the sport.

 

[Not Sure]

I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, btw, but it’s pure speculation on your part and it’s really hard to get large institutions who aren’t bound together by anything to pull in the same direction for some murky sense of the greater good for the sport.

I wouldnt call it speculation. More of a desire for how I’d like to see things. I agree there are a lot of moving parts and competing sets of priorities and values at play. Given our current set of circumstances, this is the best possible outcome, IMO.

 

[Not Sure]

Love the idea, hate our group.

Our group is ridiculously weak and would provide an easier path to the playoff than just about any of the other groups listed.

 

[Trogdor]

Cutting teams like SMU, BC, GT, and replacing them with SDSU, UNLV, Fresno, doesn't make any sense aside from having to come up with enough western teams to even fill a division. I think there's too much emphasis on regions here. It works in the NFL because it was built from the ground up, this is a tear down and really does nothing to address haves and have nots.

 

[MtnBuff]

i like our group from a CU perspective. it would be tons of fun.

but, i also think that 64 teams won't make the cut. too many mouths to feed.

and i do not think there will be anything "Fair" about what goes down. basically i think the sec and big will position themselves as the 2 conferences so to speak. anyone who isn't already in one of those 2 conferences is going to be ****ed if they do not get an invitation. and, the clearly unworthy schools already in those 2 conferences will occupy spots that more deserving teams from outside the conferences "should" have.

but, hey, maybe everything will work out somehow.

One of the things that this idea does is break up the existing conferences. While due to geography Nik has a group that is all currently SEC and a couple that are predominantly B1G the old conference ties are gone.

In the process of disolving the conferences you disolve any allegiences to the schools in those conferences that aren't up to standard in terms of media value and revenue generation.

Just like Oregon State and Washington State got left with a PAC12 that consisted of them it's easy to see a situation where Northwestern and some of the other hangers on find themselves on the outside looking in.

 

[Liver]

Love the idea, hate our group.

dang i think it would be a great group-- we've got the evil fuskers and all kinds of traditional college football places to visit. i think it would be fun as hell. and everything pretty much drivable from colorado. and some good rivalries in there--- ku v. kjuco state, iowa v. isu... this "feels" a lot more like how college ball was supposed to be... Wisconsin v. minny is fun too.

sadly, none of this is likely at all. we need to Coach Prime our way into the bigs.

 

[MiamiBuffs]

You're missing the very key point if that's your understanding of how the "Premiere League" (?) works.

It would be fantastic if we had a 14 team “Premier League” for CFB. No one is permanent. Giant pile of money for the conference where the team came from to encourage them to go along. Relegation for the worst (1-2-3?) teams.

The richest teams would magically be there for decades. It would also be a recruiting nightmare since those teams would win recruiting all the time. At the same time the teams could force under performers into the portal. Fun stuff.

 

[Buff_since76]

Current structure of the P4:

SEC - 16 teams
ACC - 18 teams (including ND)
B1G - 18 teams
XII - 16 teams
Total of 68

To complete the 64 you are relegating 4 schools, and then regionalizing the divisions. The ones that come to mind for relegation are:

Cinn - tOSU dominates the market
UCF - Already have UF, FSU, & Miami
Vany - The least of the SEC
Rutgers - The least of the B1G
There are several ACC schools that you could make a case for to drop

All other sports have the current conference structure.

 

[Bison]

Good to see Nik is warming up for those ****ty previews and it's understandable that the wait for College Football 25 is nearing its end...it's finally launching next week.

 

[BerkeleyBuff]

I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'm convinced that we will see a Premiere League for College Football. One set of rules. One media contract. Optimized for maximum profit.

So they'll want to hit all major markets with members who bring cachet and/or have the will & resources to be big time along with wanting to hit the major markets.

I would divide it into conferences like the NFL does so that you have both conferences in every market and time zone. That way you have each conference going up for media rights in staggered years with huge value in securing rights to either conference.

I'm not going to split these up here, but just divide into 8 groups. Each of these groups would be 4 teams in each conference and play each other to maintain & foster rivalries through the regional groupings.

For scheduling, that means 7 games vs your group of 8. Then, if you play 1 game against each other group (ranked scheduling so you play the teams that finished around where you did in your group last year).

Group 1
Syracuse
Rutgers
Penn State
Pitt
WVU
Maryland
Virginia
Virginia Tech

Group 2
UNC
NC St
South Carolina
Clemson
Georgia
Florida
Miami
Florida State

Group 3
Alabama
Auburn
Ole Miss
MSU
LSU
Tennessee
Louisville
Kentucky

Group 4
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Cincinnati
Indiana
Notre Dame
Northwestern
Illinois

Group 5
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Iowa
Iowa State
Colorado
Nebraska
Kansas
Kansas State

Group 6
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Missouri
Arkansas
Texas
Baylor
TCU
Texas A&M

Group 7
Arizona
Arizona State
Fresno State
SDSU
Utah
BYU
USC
UCLA

Group 8
Cal
Stanford
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Boise State
UNLV

14 game season
16 team playoff (8 Group winners + 8 Wildcards)

Conferences as we know them go away for football other than what might happen with the non-Premiere D1s. The conferences as we know them re-align around MBB/WBB as the media revenue driver with other sports part of the media rights deal. Basically, conferences form with hoops programs as the centerpiece and other considerations which make them align (D1 football, history, geography, public/ private, academics, other sports aligning like hockey or lacrosse, etc.).

There won't be 64 teams that make the cut.