Conference Realignment: Will It Destroy College Football?

It's the talk of the college football world these days and it seems it's the only rumor that has been flying around since the 2009 season came to a close. Next to the coaching carousel that went on after the season, everyone now wants to talk about what conference will re-align first and who is going to go where.

But the question that isn't asked is, is this really what's best for college football as a whole and will it destroy college football as we know it? Some think that going to an NFL format, mainly a playoff system, isn't the best way to go about things. But aren't these players wanting to play at the next level, in a playoff format? Is this really that big of a deal?

For the BCS you better believe it is. They have a lot of money invested in a computer system that puts certain conferences into big money bowl games. Let's not fool ourselves, most of that money is going to conferences like the SEC, Big Ten, and Big XII with the ACC and Pac-10 following a short distance behind. But how often do we see an ACC or Pac-10 team in a BCS Championship game, outside of an occasional USC appearance?

What if the Big Ten re-aligns and brings in an independent like Notre Dame, as well as a few possible schools from the Big XII like Missouri and Kansas? Follow that with a re-alignment from the Big XII and then the Pac-10 picking up schools from here and there, making their conferences that much stronger?

Before you know it, the WAC and Mountain West won't be far behind. There have been rumors for months flying around about Boise State, Fresno State, and possibly Nevada or Hawaii joining the Mountain West, and then the conference breaking into two divisions, adding a conference championship game, and possibly picking up an automatic BCS qualifying spot.

Don't look now, but that money just went from the hands of three conferences to possibly five or six. Whatever will the BCS do now? If these conferences all go into re-alignment, I don't see how the BCS will be able to be what we know it as today. Though they don't want to see a playoff system, I think most would agree that it wouldd be better than adding on another several bowl games to an already overcrowded list of games.

Back to the question at hand, which is will this destroy college football? No, I don't think it will destroy college football, I think it will do quite the opposite. I think it will gain it even more fans and more notoriety. The fans that would pick the NFL over college football will begin to turn their attention more to the college game, putting more revenue into the game's, and the university's, pockets.

Recruiting will become even more heated than it is now. Schools that would normally land five-star players will have to compete with other schools that, today, wouldn't even be in the conversation.

The schools that schedule lower level teams like Troy, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Charleston Southern among other "easy wins," may have no choice but to put together tougher non-conference schedules in fear of being left in the cold. It won't make conferences weaker, it'll make them stronger and more competitive.

There's a reason March Madness has so many fans. Yes, there are those that are left off the bracket on 'Selection Sunday' but let's be honest, the majority of those teams wouldn't have gotten even close to the national championship game. The difference between college basketball and college football is, there's never an argument of who the "real" national champion should be after the college basketball championship game is over.

While I know there are many people who will disagree with me, I know most of the ones who do agree with me won't be from the SEC, Big Ten, or Big XII.

College football re-alignment will be a good thing for the sport and, in the long run, will make the sport stronger than it's ever been. So let the rumors continue to fly, it's what makes this debate so heated with every fan of every team there is.