HK3: Conference Realignment Structure (1/3)
As a college football traditionalist, there is perhaps nothing more loathsome than conference realignment.
It is disruptive, (almost always) entirely unnecessary, and sneering of the traditions and rivalries which embody the sport.
However, the reality is that the proposed restructuring of college football’s postseason does unequivocally present an opportune time to pursue finality to the ongoing fluidity of conference realignment, which while largely dormant throughout the playoff era, remains a lingering threat to upend the status quo.
The pivotal word is finality. As a self-identified traditionalist who reveres the history of the sport, conference realignment would seemingly be a contradictory undertaking; however, the realignment structure contained herein is restorative in nature, and seeks to actualize the inevitable shuffling in the most palatable structure possible, one which can be left thereafter unchanged.
As part of the realignment structure, Notre Dame joins a football conference (ACC), for which it is given special scheduling privileges in the scheduling protocol.
The first of three sequential components of the comprehensive HK3 Proposal for college football, its adoption would enable the more efficient and symmetrical regular season protocol (2/3), which would in turn better populate the revised postseason format (3/3).
Update: Texas & Oklahoma Conference Realignment
Update 2.0: ACC/Big Ten/Pac-12 Alliance
Conference Realignment
As the existing Power 5 conferences comprise a differing number of teams, ranging from 10 to 14, it stands to reason that more movement in this protracted game of musical chairs is imminent, most likely catalyzed by the impending postseason changes. For example, the calculus of joining the SEC alters in a 12-team postseason regime as compared to four.
There too exists unnatural positions within the current composition from both traditional and geographical standpoints, byproducts of piecemeal conference realignment as opposed to a comprehensive top-down approach.
For example, Maryland (College Park, MD) and Rutgers (New Brunswick, NJ) in the Big Ten, a Midwest conference, make little sense. Their inclusions are ahistorical and geographically incongruous.
Or, West Virginia in the Big 12 (see map).
The methodology employed in HK3 contemplates deference to historical conference affiliations, geographic reasonableness, overall balance of power, and traditional rivalries.
Nothing is perfect; not every team can be placated. Few might perceive its proposed position as inferior to its existing; however, I believe this proposed structure is the closest to an ideal realignment framework.
The end-product is 12 Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences, each with 12 teams, each without divisional bifurcations. The total number of 144 teams represents an addition of 14 to the FBS rank, while the expansion from 10 to 12 conferences enables the resurrections of the Big East and Southwest Conferences. A full breakdown of the conferences is below:
The Power 6 (P6):
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) would reflect conference membership for the 20-year period 1991–2011. Ten of the conference’s 13 founding institutions remain unchanged since its 1932 inception (with the exceptions of Sewanee, Georgia Tech and Tulane — each of which were out by 1966).
1991 witnessed the additions of Arkansas and South Carolina. This is the point at which the proposed SEC is paused, meaning the 2011 additions of Missouri and Texas A&M are returned to the Big 12.
The Big Ten Conference (B1G) was established in 1896 with seven founding institutions, six of which remain active members. One of those founding members, Michigan, re-entered the conference in 1916 after a nine-year absence as the-then 10th member, birthing the Big Ten.
Since then, Michigan State and Penn State fittingly joined the league in 1950 and 1990 respectively, while co-founder University of Chicago dropped out in 1946. Similarly to the SEC, it is this 1991 point at which the conference construct is paused and observed. Thusly, the 2011/14 additions of Nebraska (ex-B12), Rutgers (ex-Big East) and Maryland (ex-ACC) are reversed.
However, this would constitute 11 members, necessitating an additional member to meet the desired 12-team league uniformity. While Notre Dame was considered, in reality, it is contractually required to join the ACC (where it is a member for all non-football sports) if it were to join a conference. Iowa State (closer to B1G territory than Nebraska) becomes the 12th member of the Big Ten, alongside its in-state Cy-Hawk rival.
Since the 1915 establishment of the Pac-12 Conference (P12), 14 full-member institutions have joined. Of the 14, 12 remain members of the conference, as just Idaho and Montana departed in 1959 and 1950 respectively.
All but one of these 12 members are included in the reimagined P12. Colorado, a relatively nascent member (2011) is returned to the Big 12, where it, as a founding member, enjoyed far greater success (particularly when factoring in the precursor Big Eight) than its decade in the P12.
To replace Colorado, and to round out the P12, the (newly independent) BYU Cougars is added over the alternative considerations of Boise State and Hawaii. This enables all 12 members to have strong in-state rivalries, whereas Boise State and Hawaii’s greatest rivals reside in the unchanged Mountain West Conference.
Through 2004, 12 member institutions had joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), ten of which remain today, with the exceptions of South Carolina (SEC) and Maryland (B1G), which departed in 1953 and 2014 respectively. Maryland is retuned to the ACC, leaving a one-spot vacancy.
Post-2004, five additional members joined: Boston College, Notre Dame (while retaining football independence), Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Louisville. Notre Dame relinquishes football independence (for which, it is given special scheduling privileges), while the other four additions are returned to the regenerated Big East.
In 1996, the Big 12 Conference (B12) was formed from the eight remaining members of the dissolved Big Eight Conference, as well as from four members of the concurrently dissolved Southwest Conference. Of the 12 founding members, eight remain (following the unfortunate departures of Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas A&M) while two (TCU and West Virginia) have since joined.
The reimagined Big 12 would see all former conference members returned, TCU retained, and West Virginia returned to the Big East.
Finally, per the aforementioned B1G addition, Iowa State is shifted out of the conference, alongside its strongest rival, Iowa.
It is perhaps the most uneasy move within the entire conference realignment structure — shifting Iowa State instead of Nebraska, despite its decade as a member of the Big Ten; however, Nebraska was deemed paramount in the rebuilding of the fractured Big 12. Consequentially, the resulting Big 12 and Big Ten perfectly dovetail geographically.
To offset the Cyclones, Iowa State departs with recurring matchups with Big 12 rivals Kansas State and Missouri as part of the HK3 scheduling protocol.
The proposed Big East Conference (BEAST) represents part restoration, part reimagination. The conference would comprise nine (at some point) former Big East members in Boston College, Cincinnati, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, Temple and West Virginia.
Furthermore, it would absorb Navy and Central Florida from the American Athletic Conference, the Big East’s football successor conference, as well as Army from the independent ranks.
Dissimilar to the prior five conferences, the football BEAST would diverge from the Big East for other sports, particularly basketball.
These six conferences, once considered the six power conferences of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era, would re-represent the restored P6 of the FBS and newly introduced BCS-CFP era, populating the Tier 1 bowl games as part of the revised postseason format.
The largest reshuffling of the P6 was the reconstruction of the Big East, achieved by drawing from the American Athletic Conference, B1G, ACC, B12, and Army from FBS Independents.
Currently there are 64 teams in the Power 5 conferences. By contracting the number of teams in three conferences, and by drawing five G5 schools (Central Florida, Cincinnati, Navy, South Florida, Temple) as well as three FBS Independents (Army, BYU, Notre Dame), the resulting Power 6 would comprise 72 teams.
Just subordinate to the P6 is the Group of 6 (G6) of the FBS. Each P6 conference would be directly affiliated with a G6 conference as part of the scheduling protocol.
The largest reshuffling of the G6 is the consolidation of the Sun Belt, Conference USA and American Athletic Conferences into two conferences, enabling the re-emergence of the Southwest Conference. Two conferences are unchanged, while I propose the elevation of a new conference, drawn equally from the FCS Big Sky and Missouri Valley Conferences. Full G6 breakdown below:
The G6:
The Sun Belt Conference (SBT) currently comprises 10 football members, seven of which would remain in-place: Arkansas State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama and Troy. Appalachian State (C-USA), Coastal Carolina (C-USA) and Texas State (SWC) are realigned elsewhere.
As part of the broader G6 reshuffle, added to the SBT are Alabama-Birmingham, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, Southern Mississippi and Western Kentucky (each ex-C-USA).
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is entirely unchanged.
So too is the Mountain West Conference (MWC).
Conference USA (C-USA) has been marred by conference realignment since its 1995 establishment; just two of its 11 founding members remain in the league. Much of its founding stock was ravaged by the 2013 creation of the American Athletic Conference (AAC), which would, in turn, be ravaged by the BEAST per this proposed realignment structure.
As a result, I propose the absorption of C-USA by the AAC to form a revamped American Athletic Conference (AAC), merely for reasons of perceived better branding (a reverse absorption, or new conference name altogether, is equally acceptable; however, germane to note that the G6 AAC would annually pair against the P6 ACC), representing a de facto merging.
The AAC draws five members from the former Conference USA (Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall and Old Dominion), three from FBS Independents (Connecticut, Liberty and Massachusetts), two from the former Sun Belt (Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina), one from the former American Athletic (East Carolina) and promotes Western Carolina from the FCS Southern Conference.
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was established in 1914 as a football-rich, Texas-centric conference. However, the conference entered decline in the 1980s, due predominantly to recruiting scandals, culminating in the infamous Southern Methodist Death Penalty. The conference dissolved in tandem with the Big Eight in 1996.
Now, 25 years later, it’s time for the SWC to return as a powerhouse conference, with a Lone Star lean.
The SWC draws five members from the former American Athletic (Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane and Tulsa), four from the former Conference USA (North Texas, Rice, Texas-El Paso and Texas-San Antonio), one from the former Sun Belt (Texas State), one from FBS Independents (New Mexico State), and promotes Missouri State from the FCS Missouri Valley Conference).
Finally, I propose the elevation of 12 FCS teams into a revamped Big Sky Conference (SKY), which would feature strong rivalries, including The Dakota Four.
The SKY draws six teams evenly from the existing FCS Big Sky Conference (Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State and Portland State) and FCS Missouri Valley Conference (Northern Iowa, North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Southern Illinois).
Currently there are 59 teams in the Group of 5 Conferences. By creating an entirely new FBS conference, via the promotion of 12 teams from FCS, this number expands to 71 teams. The G5 also loses five teams to the P5 (Central Florida, Cincinnati, Navy, South Florida and Temple), which is offset by six additions: four formerly independent (Connecticut, Liberty, Massachusetts and New Mexico State) and two FCS teams (Missouri State and Western Carolina).
Summary of net FBS change (+14):
P6 (+8):
Adds: Army, BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Navy, Notre Dame, South Florida, Temple
Losses: -
G6 (+13):
Adds: Connecticut, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Liberty, Massachusetts, Missouri State, Montana, Montana State, New Mexico State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Portland State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Western Carolina
Losses: Central Florida, Cincinnati, Navy, South Florida, Temple
FBS Independents (-7):
Adds:-
Losses: Army, BYU, Connecticut, Liberty, Massachusetts, New Mexico State, Notre Dame
Exhibits:
P6 map of the SEC, Pac-12, Big Ten and Big 12, featuring no overlap between the four:
