UCLA's Chip Kelly: Conference Realignment 'Blows My Mind,' CFB Should Be 'Separate'

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly reiterated his belief that college football should be isolated from other college sports, especially after the newest round of conference realignment.

Kelly said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show "the realignment thing blows my mind" because of the logistical challenges for non-revenue sports. He posited that college football should be "separate" from the traditional model with its own structure:

Kelly initially outlined the idea during a media conference last week. He called for Power Five and Group of Five conferences that each have 64 teams where schools maintain some of their historic rivalries while cycling through opponents on the other side of the country.

Once the dust settled on the last realignment cycle, the more romantic of college football fans pointed to the continued shift away from the regional nature of the sport. The quirky traditions and geographic allegiances are what have set it apart through generations.

Even those with less of an emotional attachment almost immediately questioned the sustainability of college sports writ large when conferences now stretch from coast to coast.

The issue is less acute with football since there's enough revenue to offer players appropriate travel accommodations. Only playing one game a week eases the burden on athletes as well.

Those luxuries aren't afforded to every sport, though.

During both his press conference and on The Pat McAfee Show, Kelly referenced the UCLA softball team. The Bruins have road series against Washington, Oregon State, Stanford and Arizona State in Pac-12 play for the upcoming season. Those will be substituted out for Big Ten opponents either in the Midwest or on the East Coast.

Or consider the UCLA women's volleyball team, which played on the road for weekends at a time. Going from Arizona to Arizona State or from California to Stanford at least mitigated the travel hassle somewhat. That's not going to be the case in a conference as spread out as the Big Ten.

Assuming college football eventually embarks on some sort of super-conference era with the SEC and Big Ten (or comparable entities) reigning supreme, breaking it off from other college sports will be the most sensible path forward.