How difficult/doable would this be?

ScreamingEaglesFan · July 10

So there are currently 67 teams in the P4 conferences and 43 bowl games (not including the national championship)

At this point the G5 conferences do have some leverage since the p4's need the G5's schools to fill out the college bowls.

I know this is really a pipe dream but how incredible would it be if the G5 teams banded together and created a football relegation type structure where the top 4 teams in the G5 would get promoted into a P4 and the lowest team in the P4's would get dropped to the G5 level.

I know in our highly litigious environment that it would make it even more unlikely but how fun would it be to have a chance to get into the majors.

Matt from A700 · July 11

As great of an opportunity as that would be for G5 schools, it would never happen. And I'm an optimist.

Green Otaku · July 11

This has been brought up several times and I always ask the same thing. Why would any P4 team agree to this? What team would voluntarily sign up to lose millions of dollars, fans, donors, prestige, recruits, etc.? Schools fight to be in these conferences, but would be willing to just hand it over?

Anyone who thinks this could work is only thinking from the G5 benefit side, and not the massive downside to any P4. The G5s have no leverage, that's why they are getting bent over at every turn, and saying thank you.

ScreamingEaglesFan · July 11

I would say you offer a pay out so massive to the P4's they'd go for it. Because even in the power conferences they have their whipping boys. All it would take is a majority and with as ton of cash which you'd have I think you could make it happen. Sprinkle in a NIL pot tie in and I think that could make the allure too much to deny. Even now you have the figure growing in the P4 with the collectives, and with this if they pot was so massive enough it would be to much to pass up.

I know it's a pipe dream but we can all dream.

Cue up John Lennon's Imagine ..

Edited July 11 by ScreamingEaglesFan

Green Otaku · July 11

1 hour ago, ScreamingEaglesFan said:

I would say you offer a pay out so massive to the P4's they'd go for it. Because even in the power conferences they have their whipping boys. All it would take is a majority and with as ton of cash which you'd have I think you could make it happen. Sprinkle in a NIL pot tie in and I think that could make the allure too much to deny. Even now you have the figure growing in the P4 with the collectives, and with this if they pot was so massive enough it would be to much to pass up.

I know it's a pipe dream but we can all dream.

Cue up John Lennon's Imagine ..

It just doesn't make any kind of rational sense. Just think about it, the P4 already have a massive pay out, they are extracting the maximum amount of money they can. Where would this money come from? If it existed wouldn't you think it would already be proposed?

The average G5 makes $1-2m a year, the B1G distributes $60m, the SEC $51m, the Big12 and ACC $44m. These teams don't need the G5, they can split off any time they want and take the vast majority of money with them. The G5 have 0 power in getting any ideas or proposals passed, it's why these conferences created autonomy for themselves. It's also why they get 90% of the CFP money, that's right, 90%. The G5 that's nearly half of FBS gets 9% of the payout. UNT will get $2m a year while B1G and SEC get $21m a year per team.

I'm trying to say this in the nicest way possible, if you think about this in any critical thinking type of way it's clear that it would not make sense for any P4 team. No team is going to agree to lose that kind of money.

Udomann · July 11

2 hours ago, Green Otaku said:

This has been brought up several times and I always ask the same thing. Why would any P4 team agree to this? What team would voluntarily sign up to lose millions of dollars, fans, donors, prestige, recruits, etc.? Schools fight to be in these conferences, but would be willing to just hand it over?

Hopefully once the revenue starts to dry up because far fewer people want to pay premiums to see this years rent-a-team from Northwestern vs Indiana's rent-a-team and TV ratings take a nose-dive the common sense will prevail that entertaining football pays more than...whatever this is...? I know the pockets are deep but it's wild west now and more and more money is just being thrown around. That's not a sustainable product.

Green Otaku · July 11

19 minutes ago, Udomann said:

Hopefully once the revenue starts to dry up because far fewer people want to pay premiums to see this years rent-a-team from Northwestern vs Indiana's rent-a-team and TV ratings take a nose-dive the common sense will prevail that entertaining football pays more than...whatever this is...? I know the pockets are deep but it's wild west now and more and more money is just being thrown around. That's not a sustainable product.

Perhaps, but people forget if things start to get dicey these conferences have the power to dial it back. They will adjust the rules and payouts to keep things going. If revenue does start to lower they will adjust and keep the golden goose going, at least they will if they are smart.

NM Green · July 11

It’s an interesting time. I still go back to the weird thinking that you grow a sport by shrinking its passionate fanbase. There is a lot of collective passion in the G5. Schools were already seeing a decline in attendance. Big and small schools. As a fan I now seriously consider how much I want to invest to travel to Tulsa or New Orleans or Memphis or West Point. I don’t see this heading the right direction for the health of the sport.

But a saving grace would be to go here:

4 playoff spots for the SEC

4 playoff spots for the Big

2 playoff spots for the 12

2 playoff spots for the ACC

2 playoff spots for the G5

Wouldn’t that keep all levels still interested?

GMG

DentonLurker · July 11

The problem is, and has always been, that the highest levels don’t care about the lowest levels. They just want “theirs.” The big dogs in these conferences don’t even care about the fringe institutions in their own conferences. Why would they care about the American or any other conference schools?

GMG_Dallas · July 11

Can't do a relegation system until media money is tied to all of FBS and not broken down by conference. Then you do like European soccer leagues do where you incentive teams based on ranking. In the British Premier League for example, teams get a base media payout, then a payout for each time they're nationally televised, and payouts based on national and international rankings. It works for them. Why can't it work here?

Cooley · July 11

23 hours ago, ScreamingEaglesFan said:

So there are currently 67 teams in the P4 conferences and 43 bowl games (not including the national championship)

At this point the G5 conferences do have some leverage since the p4's need the G5's schools to fill out the college bowls.

I know this is really a pipe dream but how incredible would it be if the G5 teams banded together and created a football relegation type structure where the top 4 teams in the G5 would get promoted into a P4 and the lowest team in the P4's would get dropped to the G5 level.

I know in our highly litigious environment that it would make it even more unlikely but how fun would it be to have a chance to get into the majors.

Folks on the hilltop would never agree to this. The top G5 would be top 5 because of their G5 schedule and bottom P4 due to their P4 schedule. Many G5s already play in these bowl games; if I understand your proposal.