Conference-Be-Gone: The Ultimate Fix to Conference Expansion and The BCS

The hot talk of the off-season for college football so far has been conference expansion, more specifically to the Big Ten and the Pac-10. I've read articles listing the possible routes for fringe teams like Missouri and Colorado breaking from the Big 12. I've read articles about how all of the conferences merge into 4 super-conferences. I feel like I've read almost all of the possibilities.

I was left so disappointed by the lack of creativity by authors that I took this issue into my own hands - and worked on it during one of my graduate program classes. Don't worry: I do have my priorities in order.

Before I destroy the order of college football as we know it, let's first create a fictional world where certain truths no longer apply, and new truths suddenly emerge:

1. Schools want to be in a conference/grouping that cuts down on travel costs, and are willing to be in a conference that perhaps isn't as prestigious as their original conference.

2. Conferences aren't built for money making. 

3. Michigan football isn't cut as a program from U of M, and we have a stable, 120 teams to form 10 separate, 12 team conferences based on region. (Kidding, of course, on the first part.)

That being said, let me introduce to you the new NCAA Football Division 1. (This is actually somewhat based off of the NFL's conferences and divisions. Kinda. Note, I ran out of creativity for the conference and league names. I'll leave that up to you.)

1. "League 1"

A. Florida, Miami, Georgia, LSU, Florida Int'l, Florida Atlantic, Auburn, Miss. St., La. Tech, Tulane, UAB, South Carolina

B. Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Marshall, Boston College, UConn, Army, Temple, Penn State, West Virginia

C. Western Kentucky, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Toledo, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ball State, Northern Illinois, Illinois

D. Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, North Texas, UTEP, Baylor, Colorado, Air Force

E. Hawaii, San Diego St. UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon St., Utah St. New Mexico St., Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington

2. "League 2"

A. Florida State, South Florida, Central Florida, Troy, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Mississippi, Clemson, Southern Miss, La-Monroe, LA-Lafayette, Tennessee

B. Wake Forest, NC State, East Carolina, Memphis, Middle Tenn., Kentucky, Louisville, Syracuse, Buffalo, Navy, Rutgers, Maryland

C. Pitt, Ohio State, Miami (OH), Bowling Green, Kent St., Michigan, Central Michigan, Akron, Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan State, Ohio

D. Iowa, Iowa State, Arkansas, Arkansas St., Oklahoma, Texas Christian, Southern Methodist, Texas A&M, Rice, Houston, Tulsa, Colorado State

E. Nevada, Fresno St., San Jose St., USC, UNLV, Oregon, Washington State, Boise State, Brigham Young, Utah, Arizona State, New Mexico

A few other notes on this new organization:

• Each conference will be split into two divisions. A team will play each team in their division, plus 3 games against teams in the opposite division. (Not a new idea.)
  
• Four games to be played as "Out of Conference" games. Scheduled at the freedom of the institution, makes it possible to uphold rivalries.
• Conference championship game at the end of the year.
  
• 16-seed tournament will decide the National Champion.
  
• The 10 conference champions, plus 6 at-large seeds given to teams with the best record, quality wins, or some other deterministic factor make up the 16-seed tournament.
  
• Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and two more traditional bowl games serve as sites for the "Elite Eight" and "Final Four" games. First round games played at higher seed's home field.
  
• Keep bowl system for teams that don't make the tournament, which gives more teams to participate in post-season play.
  

I know what you're thinking. There are a million flaws in my new system. Some teams certainly would be upset with their conference placement. Some teams end up having to travel further in some cases than they used to. Certain teams would dominate their conference, and other teams would traditionally under perform.

We could lose hours an hours of sleep arguing conference alignments, technicalities, and post-season play - not like that's any different than football today. I simply wanted to look at another angle. I know that this would never happen. What are your thoughts? How would you change the current system, if at all?