Ok, this is definitely not my preferred route. I prefer begging and groveling to join the B10. But I don’t see that as a likely outcome. Barring that, I’d like to see P12 expand by adding 6 teams:
BYU and Boise St…this creates a 4 team rivalry among Mountain teams.
San Diego St and Fresno St…losing Southern California market is tough and these schools don’t fill the shoes. But the conference can’t be without representation in the area and both are legit football programs. Plus, creates a 4 team California rivalry.
Need to hold on to Oregon and UW…you have a 4-team Pacific Northwest rivalry in place.
Houston and SMU or TCU…TCU is probably a notch better but SMU has more Dallas clout. That area is booming! Same with Houston. Those two with Arizona and ASU gives you a somewhat natural 4-team cluster.
In short, you save some eyeballs in So Cal…you add interest from the two largest cities in Texas, you get two consistent winning programs in BYU and Boise St, each with a unique following.
The point of the clustering is not to create 2 or 4 divisions (just 1)…but for scheduling, the teams play their “cluster” every year. You play the other 12 teams once every other year for a total of 9 conference games. Top 2 play in a championship game.
BYU and Boise St…this creates a 4 team rivalry among Mountain teams.
San Diego St and Fresno St…losing Southern California market is tough and these schools don’t fill the shoes. But the conference can’t be without representation in the area and both are legit football programs. Plus, creates a 4 team California rivalry.
Need to hold on to Oregon and UW…you have a 4-team Pacific Northwest rivalry in place.
Houston and SMU or TCU…TCU is probably a notch better but SMU has more Dallas clout. That area is booming! Same with Houston. Those two with Arizona and ASU gives you a somewhat natural 4-team cluster.
In short, you save some eyeballs in So Cal…you add interest from the two largest cities in Texas, you get two consistent winning programs in BYU and Boise St, each with a unique following.
The point of the clustering is not to create 2 or 4 divisions (just 1)…but for scheduling, the teams play their “cluster” every year. You play the other 12 teams once every other year for a total of 9 conference games. Top 2 play in a championship game.
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