How many teams will College Football conferences end up with after expansion?

Imagine you are living on the Eastern Hemisphere in 1884. Otto Van Bismarck has ordered a meeting to stake claim to numerous African countries.

The “Scramble for Africa” is rumored to destroy the governments of many countries and send Africa into a deep downfall.

As it turned out, Europeans forced slave labor and gave Africans un-equal rights for many centuries.

This was because the Europeans wanted money and power —and only power and money. Africans are still feeling the affects of Imperialism in today’s world.

This is along with many other problems. Hunger, bad health, and poor education are just some of the many.

Now, think like an American College Football addict in the present, which is 2010.

Will Big 10 Imperialism cause the Big East and the Big 12 to crumble as well?

The Big 10’s “Chancellor,” Jim Delaney, will not give away his secrets and will continue to plan his imperialistic plans in the months ahead. In the Big Ten’s spring meetings, no secrets were revealed but plenty of coaches gave insight.

If the Big 10 expands to past 13, then the landscape of college athletics could make a domino effect. The conference desires markets that will bring lots of TV hits to the Big 10 Network, which is owned by FOX. 

The PAC 10 is also exploring the idea of expanding, but not as imperialistic as the Big 10 has been thinking.

In expansion, I see the Big 10 as Europe in imperialism. The PAC 10 is America.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive is compared to U.S General George S. Patton, and Jim Delaney to Otto Van Bismarck.

General Slive and his troops will wait on the shots and then fire at the Big Imperialistic 10.

The Big 10 will roar in the tanks, destroy towns, and fire machine guns. The SEC is about to drop the nuke, but the PAC-10 yells, “Wait! Wait!” The two militaries stop firing.

“Lets do this the American way!” If each one of us has 12 provinces, (teams) then we all host a moneymaking conference championship and also do not flatten the face of the fallen foes!” (Mid-major conferences)

Are you thinking like the PAC-10? I am. And if the PAC-10 and the SEC convince the Big 10 to end the “War” and add 12 teams, then it will benefit all.

Think about it. Almost every last one of the NCAA conferences could host a championship. Besides, 12 x 10 is 120, which is the amount of current competitors in the NCAA Bowl Subdivision.

Let's look at my model: 

Big 10

West Division

Wisconsin Badgers

Iowa Hawkeyes

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Indiana Hoosiers

Purdue Boilermakers

Missouri Tigers $

East Division

Ohio State Buckeyes

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan State Spartans

Northwestern Wildcats

Illinois Illini

Missouri is added into the Big 10 Conference. The Tigers fit well academically and provide a regional rivalry with Illinois. Kansas City and St. Louis provide the Big Ten with good TV markets.

After this, the Big 10 splits into two divisions, the East and the West. The champions of each division will meet in the Big 10 Championship Game in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The winner of the championship will go to the Rose Bowl or the BCS National Championship Game.

Symbols

$-New Team

 

PAC 12- Mountain North

 

Oregon Ducks

Oregon State Beavers

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona State Sun Devils

Washington Huskies

Washington State Cougars

 

PAC 12- Wild West

 

Southern Cal Trojans

Stanford Cardinal

Cal Bears

UCLA Bruins

Colorado Buffaloes $

Utah Utes $ &

 

Colorado and Utah are added to the Pacific 10 and form the Pacific 12.

 

Both Colorado and Utah make sense and are the most logical choices of all canadites. Colorado provides a TV market in Denver, while Utah provides a market in Salt Lake City.

 

Colorado would jump on a chance to join the PAC-10, because the Buffaloes are the odd one out in the Big 12, in geography and athletics. They could jump on a new start in the PAC-10.

 

Utah would accept the bid to insure a BCS bowl bid if they win the Pacific 12. They could also continue the “Holy War” with BYU in non-conference competition.

 

The PAC-12 divisions will split into the Mountain North and the Wild West.

 

The championship game will be played at Glendale, Los Angeles, Seattle, or at a home site, like the Conference USA does it. I would say Glendale.

 

Symbols

 

& Rival is in another conference, teams will continue to play (Utah and BYU)

     

Big 12- North

 

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas State Wildcats

TCU Frogs $

SMU Mustangs $

Iowa State Cyclones

 

Big 12- South

 

Texas Longhorns

Texas A&M Aggies

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Baylor Bears

 

After Missouri and Colorado leave the Big XXI, TCU and SMU immediately replace the two schools. As far as TV markets go, the TCU-SMU combo attracts Dallas-Fort Worth TV viewers. Geographically, the schools fit well.

 

The Big XII affiliation ensures a true shot at the BCS for mid-major power TCU. The conference championship host is just a short drive away to the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

 

As always, the champion of the Big 12 goes to the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and if not the BCS Championship. 

Mountain West

Pacific

 

Boise State Broncos $

San Jose State Spartans $

Fresno State Bulldogs $

San Diego State Aztecs

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels

Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack $

 

 

Rocky

 

BYU Cougars &

Houston Cougars $

Air Force Falcons

Colorado State Rams

Wyoming Cowboys

New Mexico Lobos

 

TCU’s gone from the Big 12. Utah’s gone from the PAC 12. So what to do? Simple. Add Boise State and Houston, the biggest bones in the dog pound besides, well, Utah and Texas Christian.

 

Also, if Boise State goes, most of the WAC will too.

 

The Mountain West expands its borders to Nevada and California by adding San Jose, Fresno, and Nevada. These are most likely the only teams that are somewhat competitive besides Boise State in WAC football.

 

The divisions split and are named the Pacific and the Rocky. The conference championship can be played in, err…the Houston Texans’ Reliant Stadium, or at the home of the regular season champion.

 

The conference championship game and amount of teams could strike the Mountain West a deal with ESPN- and a ticket to the BCS. (Maybe)  

 

 

Big East

 

UCONN Huskies

Cincinnati Bearcats

Syracuse Orange

Pitt Panthers

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

USF Bulls

West Virginia Mountaineers

Louisville Cardinals

UCF Knights $

East Carolina Pirates $

 

The Mountain West and the Big 12 took three teams from the Conference USA. And in conference expansion, the motto is “if it’s broken, then break it even more!”

 

Plus, the Big East took a setback in the MWC adding 12 schools. To retain BCS membership, the Big East adds UCF and East Carolina, two respectable mid-majors.

 

 

C-USA

 

East

 

Southern Miss Eagles

Marshall Thundering Herd

Memphis Tigers

UAB Blazers

MTSU Blue Raiders  $

Troy Trojans $

 

 

West

 

Hawaii Warriors $

Rice Owls

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs $

UTEP Miners

Tulane Green Wave

 

After being beaten and battered by BCS foes, the Conference USA reaches out to the Sun Belt and WAC to convince others to join the conference.

 

The C-USA takes Middle Tennessee, and Troy from the Sun Belt, and Hawaii and LT from the WAC. Because of this, the WAC will be not more.

 

 

Sun Belt

 

West

 

Utah State Aggies

New Mexico State Aggies

Idaho Vandals

North Texas Mean Green

Arkansas State Red wolves

San Antonio Roadrunners^2

 

South

 

Florida Atlantic

Florida International Panthers

USA Jaguars^1

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin’ Cajuns

Louisiana-Monroe War Eagles

 

Symbols

^1- Football program expected to begin Division-1 play in 2013.

^2- Football program expected to begin in 2011, future division status uncertain

 

After the Sun Belt and WAC conferences were torn up by larger foes, they merged and formed one conference along with two Bowl Subdivision newcomers.

The Rest and the domino’s effects

The SEC, ACC, and the Independents are untouched. In the realignment, 14 schools moved positions. I would say the conference realignment is a moneymaker, and only negatively affects the Conference USA and WAC.

 

I would enjoy an NCAA that took on this model, the American Way.

Although I think this is a good plan, I’m sure many people will complain about Nebraska being left out of Big 10 Expansion. This is because in my opinion they do not fit as well regionally as Missouri and fit better with teams such as Texas and Oklahoma.

 

This is what all of the BCS conferences would look in my plan, also including the Mountain West.

 

Big 10                                                                                                     

West Division

 

Wisconsin Badgers

Iowa Hawkeyes

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Indiana Hoosiers

Purdue Boilermakers

Missouri Tigers

 

East Division

 

Ohio State Buckeyes

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan State Spartans

Northwestern Wildcats

Illinois Illini

 

Championship Game

Indianapolis, Indiana

 

 

PAC 12

Mountain North

Oregon Ducks

Oregon State Beavers

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona State Sun Devils

Washington Huskies

Washington State Cougars

 

Wild West

Southern Cal Trojans

Stanford Cardinal

Cal Bears

UCLA Bruins

Colorado Buffaloes

Utah Utes

 

Championship Game: Glendale, Arizona

 

Big 12

North

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas State Wildcats

TCU Frogs $

SMU Mustangs $

Iowa State Cyclones

 

South

Texas Longhorns

Texas A&M Aggies

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Baylor Bears

 

Championship Game: Dallas, Texas

 

SEC

East

Florida Gators

South Carolina Gamecocks

Georgia Bulldogs

UK Wildcats

UT Vols

VU Commodores

 

West

Alabama Crimson Tide

Auburn Tigers

Arkansas Razorbacks

LSU Tigers

Ole Miss Rebels

Miss State Bulldogs

Championship Game: Atlanta, Georgia

 

ACC

Atlantic

Florida State Seminoles

Boston College Eagles

Clemson Tigers

N.C State Wolfpack

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Maryland Terrapins

 

Costal

Virginia Tech Hokies

Miami Hurricanes

North Carolina Tar Heels

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Duke Blue Devils

Virginia Cavilers

 

Championship Game: Charlotte, North Carolina

 

Mountain West

Pacific

Boise State Broncos $

San Jose State Spartans $

Fresno State Bulldogs $

San Diego State Aztecs

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels

Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack $

 

 

Rocky

BYU Cougars &

Houston Cougars $

Air Force Falcons

Colorado State Rams

Wyoming Cowboys

New Mexico Lobos

 

Championship Game: Denver, Colorado

Big East

UCONN Huskies

Cincinnati Bearcats

Syracuse Orange

Pitt Panthers

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

USF Bulls

West Virginia Mountaineers

Louisville Cardinals

UCF Knights

East Carolina Pirates

 

As you can see, these conference championships leading into the BCS Bowl games can help some sort of a playoff; a plus-one system.

After the BCS Bowls, teams can be re-ranked and a championship came be played.

BCS teams that did not win a conference championship would not be allowed to be played in the plus-one championship, and the championship host would not be allowed to host conference champions in the bowl round.

For example, if the Rose Bowl hosted the plus-one championship, then it would first have to pit two teams that would not qualify for the championship in the bowl. Like Florida versus Iowa in 2010. Neither won the conference. Then, of course, it would have Alabama and Texas, or Boise State in the National Championship.

Just an idea, anyway.