I have said all along that I believe there will be a 6 (with two top teams that get an opening round bye) or 8 team playoff (never bigger than that) agreed to over the next decade. That playoff will be fed by 4 large (16 to 20 teams each) conferences (SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and Pac12). Here is how I see the conferences going:

1. SEC (16 teams)

SEC East
Florida
Georgia
South Carolina
Virginia Tech
NC State
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Kentucky

SEC West
Alabama
Auburn
LSU
Arkansas
Texas A&M
Missouri
Ole Miss
Miss State

2. Big 10 (20 Teams)

Big North
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Michigan
Michigan State
Northwestern
Penn State
Connecticut
Rutgers
Illinois
Iowa

Big South
Indiana
Ohio State
Maryland
Purdue
Nebraska
Georgia Tech
Notre Dame
Duke
North Carolina
Virginia

3. Pac 12 (14 teams)
USC
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Arizona
Arizona State
Stanford
UCLA
Colorado
Utah
California
BYU
Boise State

4. Big 12 (14 teams)

West
Texas
Texas Tech
TCU
Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Iowa State

East
Florida State
Miami
Kansas
Kansas State
West Virginia
Clemson
Louisville

Wake and BC will join the new Big East, the Mountain West will stay alive and the CUSA, MAC, and Sun Belt will stay together as well.

The champion of the 4 conferences above and two at large teams (from the 4 above or any other conference) will be put into a 6 team playoff. Byes given to whoever finishes #1 and #2 in the polls (polls remain relevant, which the media will love). Like this example:

1. Alabama -BYE (SEC Champion)

3. Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion)
6. Stanford (At Large selection)

4. Oregon (Pac 12 Champion)
5. Florida (at large selection)

2. Ohio State - BYE (Big 10 Champion)

Would be awesome.

But no one would want to see playoff games like Oklahoma vs Stanford, Oregon Vs Florida, Oregon vs Ohio State, Oklahoma vs Alabama and Alabama vs Oregon. would they? (sarcasm intended)

The only thought i will add, is that the Big 10 may not go all the way to 20. If not, Notre Dame may stay independent and NC and Duke could land in the SEC or elsewhere? Stay tuned.

and for my ACC friends on here….this is not a dig at the ACC…I think it is a solid conference with a bright future if it stays together. However, it just doesn’t look as if they will be able to keep it together with the money and TV contracts the other conferences are going to offer. Will be interesting to see what happens.

This would be horrible for Clemson and FSU.  I see the big 12 as the weakest link and much more likely to be picked apart.  Its already come close thanks to Texas and I doubt Texas has done anything to quell that discontent.  If the Pac 12 comes knocking and takes 2-4 teams from them they are gone and the ACC will be fine as is or maybe need one more team to add with Notre Dame.  I think Notre Dame abandoning the Big 10 was very telling.

tampabaytiger - 15 February 2013 12:43 PM

Big South
Indiana
Ohio State
Maryland
Purdue
Nebraska
Georgia Tech
Notre Dame
Duke
North Carolina
Virginia

Indiana, OSU, Purdue, Nebraska, Notre Dame in the “Big South”

no, no i dont think that works.

but lets ask the current members of the Big South what they think, they might take offense to another conference using their name as a division:
Campbell
Charleston southern
Coastal Carolina
High point
Liberty
Longwood
Presbyterian
Radford
UNC Asheville
VMI
Winthrop

Heres the thing, i dont think you can have these major overhauls and leave the SEC in tact as it is now. There are already 3 states in the SEC with 2 schools. I think the SEC drops Miss State, and Vandy if a major shift occurs, probably picks up an NC shool, VT and will then consider dropping auburn in favor of another state, probably oklahoma

GoTigers712 - 15 February 2013 02:35 PM

tampabaytiger - 15 February 2013 12:43 PM

Big South
Indiana
Ohio State
Maryland
Purdue
Nebraska
Georgia Tech
Notre Dame
Duke
North Carolina
Virginia

Indiana, OSU, Purdue, Nebraska, Notre Dame in the “Big South”

So the teams in the SEC West are supposed to be out in California? lol. I didnt mean that as the literal division name, just a geographical orientation. Call it whatever you want.

Heres the thing, i dont think you can have these major overhauls and leave the SEC in tact as it is now. There are already 3 states in the SEC with 2 schools. I think the SEC drops Miss State, and Vandy if a major shift occurs, probably picks up an NC shool, VT and will then consider dropping auburn in favor of another state, probably oklahoma

The SEC will not remove any of its current members under any new scenario. period. Contractual obligations of new TV contracts and league agreements would prohibit that. Not to mention, why would they??? If it aint broke, don’t fix it.

your telling me that the SEC wouldnt drop vandy for the sooners? dream on

Any scenerio entailing a football conference going to 20 teams is kinda rediculous…

The logistics just don’t work.

I think the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” logic would also point to the big 12 breaking up.  The ACC lost lowly Maryland and picked up teams that were better.  The big 12 lost Nebraska (now big 10 division winner) and TA&M (only team to beat Bama).  That’s kinda a big deal.  With the departure of Nebraska and TA&M the big 12 is left as the smallest of the power 5 conferences despite having two new members, with complete discontent among members thanks to the long horn network, AND its bordered by 3/4 other major conferences.  I find it funny that they came to the ACC (to be fair 2 other conferences too) looking for an alliance.  The ACC doesn’t need to poach them our current membership is sufficient and ND is looming.

Well, obviously a lot of thought was placed into this and I can appreciate that, but I reject the premise to start.

The ACC aint going anywhere and is about to have a contract that pays 14 more than the Big 12 can split 10 ways. It is already the third wealthiest per Forbes and until about 5 years ago was the wealthiest conference per school. I know that SeC fans love to take jabs at the ACC (for reasons I have never understood) but the idea that the Big 12 is going to somehow be one of the remaining 4 conferences is silly. The midwest and plains are gonna win out over the East Coast? No.

The whole realignment crap was floated by butthurt WVU people who got rejected, and then the Big 12 allowed the rumors to continue and FSU people fell for the whole thing. I hope the ACC steers clear of the Big 12. Let Texas and its little brothers enjoy themselves until the Pac 12 comes to devour it. I will enjoy seeing the people who sewed discord in the ACC, like Baylor and Kansas St enjoy the Mountain West conference!

Maryland was desperate and has now exhiled itself to the frozen midwest and cut off all ties to the sunbelt where all the recruits are, based on the promise of payments that may never come to fruition. To say that Maryland is proof of the instability of the conference is like saying your drug addicted loser of a cousin/uncle is proof of the kind of people in your family and not the outlier. Exceptions don’t prove the rule and the day North Carolina is in the Big 10 is the day hell freezes over. Of course it will save me a bunch of money on tickets I dont need to buy anymore and donations I wont need to make ever again so I am sure my wife would be happy!

Did anyone even bother to read the latest article on Swofford and the ACC from Southern Pigskin?:

http://www.southernpigskin.com/ACC/view/swofford-backs-call-for-rules-change

Swofford (and Clemson President Barker) are doing some major tap dancing to not only stabilize the ACC but to make it stronger.

I think we are at a point to where most of the “Big” moves are about done.  Piss-ants like UMD will continue to give up on being competitive to go to a place to make a few buck in exchange for being a jobber.  The only “Major” schools that I really think are left are Notre Dame and Maybe FSU.  Notre Dame (and The Big 12) need to have the ability to get access to 13th game at the end of the year like all of the other conferences that have a championship game with the playoffs coming.  FSU from what I have read can’t manage their money and may pull a Maryland and Jump to the Big 12 which would be as disastrous as WVU’s move.

With the ACC supporting the Big 12 petition to have a championship game with not divisions I think is brilliant.  If the ACC can snag Notre Dame at 15, eliminate divisions which should really make scheduling fantastic, the ACC brand can be solid.

_ClemScott_ - 17 February 2013 10:01 AM

Did anyone even bother to read the latest article on Swofford and the ACC from Southern Pigskin?:

http://www.southernpigskin.com/ACC/view/swofford-backs-call-for-rules-change

Swofford (and Clemson President Barker) are doing some major tap dancing to not only stabilize the ACC but to make it stronger.

I think we are at a point to where most of the “Big” moves are about done.  Piss-ants like UMD will continue to give up on being competitive to go to a place to make a few buck in exchange for being a jobber.  The only “Major” schools that I really think are left are Notre Dame and Maybe FSU.  Notre Dame (and The Big 12) need to have the ability to get access to 13th game at the end of the year like all of the other conferences that have a championship game with the playoffs coming.  FSU from what I have read can’t manage their money and may pull a Maryland and Jump to the Big 12 which would be as disastrous as WVU’s move.

With the ACC supporting the Big 12 petition to have a championship game with not divisions I think is brilliant.  If the ACC can snag Notre Dame at 15, eliminate divisions which should really make scheduling fantastic, the ACC brand can be solid.

GT has a foot out the door already to the BIG 10, the SEC is having convos with the UNC/Duke package and the VT/NCST package. FSU has been rumored to the BIG 12 for the last 2 offseasons, and Miami has been mentioned as well. Once the pieces start going, things start crumbling.

Oh is this what the policy makers on JOX radio are saying in Birmingham? Yep must be true then.

None of those schools are going anywhere. But I guess if the truth, not rumor was important then Dennis Dodd would have nothing to tweet and Paul Finebaum wouldn’t have a show.

SoPinesHeel - 18 February 2013 12:26 PM

Oh is this what the policy makers on JOX radio are saying in Birmingham? Yep must be true then.

None of those schools are going anywhere. But I guess if the truth, not rumor was important then Dennis Dodd would have nothing to tweet and Paul Finebaum wouldn’t have a show.

Finebaum doesn’t have a show.

I will say that the 8 team playoff does seem to make the most sense.  4 isn’t enough to keep fans happy of conferences stable.  If you moved it to 8 ND might manage staying independent and teams would feel less pressure to realign to maximize playoff chances.  4 is too few to give a true champion (but it’s closer), 6 gives 2 teams a rest advantage, 16 is too many extra games.

Ancient Orange - 18 February 2013 01:20 PM

I will say that the 8 team playoff does seem to make the most sense.  4 isn’t enough to keep fans happy of conferences stable.  If you moved it to 8 ND might manage staying independent and teams would feel less pressure to realign to maximize playoff chances.  4 is too few to give a true champion (but it’s closer), 6 gives 2 teams a rest advantage, 16 is too many extra games.

I’m partial to the 6 team with an incentive for season play. If you put an importance of winning all of your games, you can award those teams with a bye. If you simply make it an 8 team playoff, then you can theoretically lose a game or 2 and still be ok. I hate that about the NFL because a team loses and the post game mentality is “eh its just one game”.

Yea but 6 puts too much pressure on the conferences and will leave too many people out.  Like Lousiville for example.  They were ranked 21st I believe going into their game against #3 Florida who they completely destroyed.  Do you really think in a 4 or 6 game format under last years conference alignment Lousiville would have gotten in?  Hell no and florida would have EASILY gotten in probably even if it was a 4 team PO. 

If you move it to 8 its a nice comfortable fit for 4 or 5 (however many we end up with) conferences getting an automatic bid, which makes everyone comfortable, and we have room for an at large on occasion to spice up the Cinderella conversation.  This year proved that you can’t rely on the media hype thanks to ND, LSU, and Florida getting embarrassed and Lousiville/Clemson making big statements for “lesser” leagues.  There were far more than 6 teams that looked deserving to fight for the title.  Who would you have put in a 6 team playoff this year?