A Texas-USC nightcap could become commonplace with a proposed "Super-conference" taking shape
Written By: David Washington
Expansion of the Big Ten and Pac 10 conferences, at the cost of the dissolution of the Big 12 Conference, can solve some of the greatest problems in college football. “What?!?! How dare David make such a bold and outlandish statement!” Yes, I do dare, and if you will hear me out for a moment, I believe that you too will be convinced that expansion will help, not harm, the state of college football.
Money, Money, Money
It’s the real reason why expansion is so often spurred on. Dreams of opening new football markets and making millions more in profits, while also letting more teams in to share the wealth are often the top priorities of many school Athletic Directors. With the possibility of expansion, these dreams can become reality. By expanding the Big Ten Conference and adding at least Missouri and Nebraska (as well as possibly Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers), traditional Big Ten powerhouses such as Ohio State and Michigan can simply watch as their coffers fill with money. The Big Ten network would also cater to people in the states of Missouri and Nebraska while also leading to the very likely probability of two more bowl berths every year (more bowl berths mean more money for every team in the conference).
If the Big Ten were able to snag the Fighting Irish as well, then the wallets of the teams will overflow with money (Notre Dame is probably the biggest cash cow in all of college football). Though Notre Dame would miss not receiving all of its money from its bowl berths, as it is shared amongst the teams in the league, the guarantee of some money every year will no doubt be adequate compensation. The Pac 10 (or should I say Pac 16 if it is able to add Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Colorado, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) would be in for a similar scenario as far as money goes. Why not help everyone get richer? With the only true casualties of this growth being the less profitable Big 12 Teams (Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Kansas) then why shouldn’t the true money makers of the Big 12 look out for number one? Chances are, the four remaining teams in the Big 12 will be split between the Mountain West and the Big East conferences, both of which could use some former top conference teams to legitimize their existence.
The Playoff Problem
It seems like every year in college football a situation arises that makes people yell and scream for a playoff system. Multiple teams going unbeaten often cause this and when BCS time comes a knocking, one or more of those teams has to sit out and watch as the rest of them duke it out for National Championship supremacy. By expanding the conferences, it will greatly increase the degree of difficulty for the schedules of all the top teams and make it so that the few (if any) that do go unbeaten will truly deserve their spot in a BCS bowl game. This will weed out the weak from the strong and make it clear that some teams never even deserved to be in the discussion for a possible playoff and some are the real deal. Imagine it now, an unbeaten USC team and an unbeaten Texas team going at it in the Pac 16 Championship for a spot in the national title game. Also, the presence of Nebraska and Mizzou in the Big Ten will help to validate an unbeaten Big Ten team’s record. Unbeaten teams that deserve to be unbeaten? Two teams that have truly faced a perilous gauntlet and come out unscathed to face each other in the national title game? Sound too good to be true? It COULD be a reality very soon.
Quality of Recruiting
For the smaller teams in the big conferences (I’m looking at you Washington St., U of Arizona, Indiana, and Minnesota) as well as new additions (Colorado, Syracuse, Notre Dame), this expansion is truly a blessing. Being in a big name conference makes it possible to pick up a number of top tier recruits as the best recruits often want to play on the big stage against the best teams. The better the conference, the more likely recruits are willing to go to the second and third tier schools in the conference just to play against teams like Michigan and UCLA. Though teams like Notre Dame have never had any problem picking up recruits, every year there’s a few that are swayed away to an Ohio State or USC with the promise of being in a premiere football conference with a championship to win.
Helping Out The Little Guy
Though it seems like Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State are getting the raw end of the deal, this expansion could very well help them out as well. By letting them go from a Big 12 where they have little to no chance to compete in (I really like Baylor’s improvements the past few years, but seriously? They aren’t gonna challenge Texas any time soon) to a conference that they can actually make some noise in. The Big East or Mountain West would love to greet Baylor and Kansas into the fold to strengthen the schedules of all of their teams, while Baylor and Kansas would (in the long run) appreciate being with teams more suited towards their level of play. The addition of a former Big 12 team to the Mountain West or Big East conference will also ensure that, should a Boise State or West Virginia go undefeated, the school will truly deserve a spot in a BCS game. And who knows? Maybe by being put into a division that they have a chance in, Baylor can get back to a bowl game (where they haven’t been since 1994). Getting back to a bowl game means getting back to bowl money, something that I’m sure Baylor has been needing to do for over a decade.
College football traditionalists may still scream “Blasphemy!” when the topic of conference expansion is brought up. But if college football wants to solve some of the biggest problems that it currently has, all thing must be considered. Even teams like Baylor and Kansas, which will be left out of the two newly expanded conferences, will stand to gain from it. So, though the transition from our present day conferences to “Super-conferences” may not exactly be clean, it will be necessary to bring forth a new age in college football. An age where bigger is better and the best truly play the best…So, without any further ado, let the era of Super-conferences begin!
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