"Reimagined Fall"

DeepGreen · August 30, 2022

From the Austin Statesman. Read it and weep.

REIMAGINED FALL

Giving it the old college try by remodeling sport to an NFL-style 32-school league

Paul Myerberg

USA TODAY

At some point in the future, the best programs in college football may choose to merge into multiple super conferences and create a championship format separate from the rest of the current Football Bowl Subdivision.

Even before that might happen, the existing postseason system finds the same handful of teams at the top of the FBS in any given year – Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Clemson have combined for seven of the past eight national titles and 14 of the 16 total appearances in the College Football Playoff championship game.

Why not cut to the chase? Rather than pay lip service to the concepts of parity and unpredictability, this upper crust of college football could jettison some dead weight and forge a new enterprise consisting only of the most successful and marketable programs in the country.

We don’t have to search far to find an example of how that split would unfold: If or when the step is taken, this top tier of college football could model the NFL.

With only so many spots to go around for the current 131-team FBS, all that would be left to decide is the guest list and seating arrangements.

How would this work? Who would be included in a 32-team National College Football League? How would the regular season and playoffs be scheduled? Could you mirror the two-conference, eight-division layout of the NFL and still hold on to the rivalries that help define the sport?

Using the same factors at play in realignment – including historic success, financial and fan support, national reach, location and TV marketability – here are the programs that would make the cut for this hypothetical NCFL.

Divisional and conference setup

The NCFL conferences are named for two coaching innovators who played a vital role in college football’s creation and early evolution: Stagg, after Amos Alonzo Stagg, and Camp, for Walter Camp.

STAGG CONFERENCE

East Division

Central Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami Adding Central Florida to Miami gives the NCFL a foothold in two of Florida’s largest markets. Georgia is the top program in the conference. While the Bulldogs and LSU are not historic rivals, the two will carry the flag for the Southeastern Conference in the Stagg.

South Division

Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas A& M Cherished rivalries between the Sooners, Longhorns and Aggies are maintained or reestablished. TCU gets the nod to join these three heavyweights over several other regional options, including Baylor, Oklahoma State, SMU and Houston.

North Division

Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin Michigan and Notre Dame are two of the biggest brands in college sports. For the Wolverines, this division helps maintain the program’s three biggest rivalries: against the Spartans, the Irish and Ohio State. (More on permanent rivals in a moment.)

West Division

Arizona State, Brigham Young, Oregon, Utah Oregon is an easy pick to be one of a handful of NCFL programs located on the West Coast. Joining the Ducks are current Pac-12 cohorts ASU and the Utes, while BYU is one of the few programs out West with a national following.

CAMP CONFERENCE

East Division

Auburn, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech One of nine current or future SEC programs in the NCFL, Auburn could develop a nice rivalry with Clemson. The Tar Heels and Hokies give access to Mid-Atlantic markets such as Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina and Washington, D.C.

South Division

Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee Much like the Stagg South, this division captures multiple meaningful and long-standing rivalries while occupying a somewhat compact geographic area. This also might be the league’s most accomplished division: The four programs have accounted for 11 national championships since 1998, more than half via the Crimson Tide.

North Division

Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh The second Midwest-centered division gives Ohio State a foil in Penn State. There was a challenging debate between Nebraska and Iowa, but the Cornhuskers’ broader appeal to a national audience gave them the edge despite the Hawkeyes’ dominance and far more impressive recent track record.

West Division

Colorado, Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington USC and UCLA are no-brainers. (There’s a reason they’re both headed to the Big Ten.) Likewise with Washington, to a lesser degree. Colorado was one of the final teams to make the cut for the NCFL, doing so largely for the program’s ability to pick up the Denver market.

Yes, there are imperfections that are sure to upset those that face a different future and those who are snubbed entirely. That’s the harsh reality of no system being perfect. But this might be as close as you could get.

Georgia and Alabama would be in opposite conferences in USA TODAY Sports’ 32-team league. Georgia receiver Adonai Mitchell pulls down a catch against Alabama’s Khyree Jackson in the 2021 CFP title game. MARC LEBRYK/USA TODAY SPORTS

rws69 · August 30, 2022

The creation of the Power 5 was a step in the wrong direction and the NIL explosion not helping. This idea of a NCFL would be even worse.

GrandGreen · August 30, 2022

8 hours ago, DeepGreen said:

From the Austin Statesman. Read it and weep.

REIMAGINED FALL

Giving it the old college try by remodeling sport to an NFL-style 32-school league

Paul Myerberg

USA TODAY

At some point in the future, the best programs in college football may choose to merge into multiple super conferences and create a championship format separate from the rest of the current Football Bowl Subdivision.

Even before that might happen, the existing postseason system finds the same handful of teams at the top of the FBS in any given year – Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Clemson have combined for seven of the past eight national titles and 14 of the 16 total appearances in the College Football Playoff championship game.

Why not cut to the chase? Rather than pay lip service to the concepts of parity and unpredictability, this upper crust of college football could jettison some dead weight and forge a new enterprise consisting only of the most successful and marketable programs in the country.

We don’t have to search far to find an example of how that split would unfold: If or when the step is taken, this top tier of college football could model the NFL.

With only so many spots to go around for the current 131-team FBS, all that would be left to decide is the guest list and seating arrangements.

How would this work? Who would be included in a 32-team National College Football League? How would the regular season and playoffs be scheduled? Could you mirror the two-conference, eight-division layout of the NFL and still hold on to the rivalries that help define the sport?

Using the same factors at play in realignment – including historic success, financial and fan support, national reach, location and TV marketability – here are the programs that would make the cut for this hypothetical NCFL.

Divisional and conference setup

The NCFL conferences are named for two coaching innovators who played a vital role in college football’s creation and early evolution: Stagg, after Amos Alonzo Stagg, and Camp, for Walter Camp.

STAGG CONFERENCE

East Division

Central Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami Adding Central Florida to Miami gives the NCFL a foothold in two of Florida’s largest markets. Georgia is the top program in the conference. While the Bulldogs and LSU are not historic rivals, the two will carry the flag for the Southeastern Conference in the Stagg.

South Division

Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas A& M Cherished rivalries between the Sooners, Longhorns and Aggies are maintained or reestablished. TCU gets the nod to join these three heavyweights over several other regional options, including Baylor, Oklahoma State, SMU and Houston.

North Division

Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin Michigan and Notre Dame are two of the biggest brands in college sports. For the Wolverines, this division helps maintain the program’s three biggest rivalries: against the Spartans, the Irish and Ohio State. (More on permanent rivals in a moment.)

West Division

Arizona State, Brigham Young, Oregon, Utah Oregon is an easy pick to be one of a handful of NCFL programs located on the West Coast. Joining the Ducks are current Pac-12 cohorts ASU and the Utes, while BYU is one of the few programs out West with a national following.

CAMP CONFERENCE

East Division

Auburn, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech One of nine current or future SEC programs in the NCFL, Auburn could develop a nice rivalry with Clemson. The Tar Heels and Hokies give access to Mid-Atlantic markets such as Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina and Washington, D.C.

South Division

Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee Much like the Stagg South, this division captures multiple meaningful and long-standing rivalries while occupying a somewhat compact geographic area. This also might be the league’s most accomplished division: The four programs have accounted for 11 national championships since 1998, more than half via the Crimson Tide.

North Division

Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh The second Midwest-centered division gives Ohio State a foil in Penn State. There was a challenging debate between Nebraska and Iowa, but the Cornhuskers’ broader appeal to a national audience gave them the edge despite the Hawkeyes’ dominance and far more impressive recent track record.

West Division

Colorado, Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington USC and UCLA are no-brainers. (There’s a reason they’re both headed to the Big Ten.) Likewise with Washington, to a lesser degree. Colorado was one of the final teams to make the cut for the NCFL, doing so largely for the program’s ability to pick up the Denver market.

Yes, there are imperfections that are sure to upset those that face a different future and those who are snubbed entirely. That’s the harsh reality of no system being perfect. But this might be as close as you could get.

Georgia and Alabama would be in opposite conferences in USA TODAY Sports’ 32-team league. Georgia receiver Adonai Mitchell pulls down a catch against Alabama’s Khyree Jackson in the 2021 CFP title game. MARC LEBRYK/USA TODAY SPORTS

What a crock.

Does this expert not know the NFL takes a lot of steps that the NCAA doesn't to create parity?

Is he proposing that this new entity have drafts, salary caps (NIL), and share conference generated funds?

Also not sure how he thinks this entity is going to get by the court systems when this new league is sued. The current NCAA ia afraid of lawsuits from individual players resulting in NIL. Wait till an hundred or so colleges want to sue for illegal labor practices, monopolies, etc.

PlummMeanGreen · August 31, 2022

When does the NCAA put some rules or stipulations that will keep schools from recruiting others best plays or—said college coaches from paying HS coaches to go to another campus to convince their former HS star to leave for another school? When, NCAA?

GMG!

Edited August 31, 2022 by PlummMeanGreen