By: Ben Burke

Although the Big 12 didn’t expand earlier this week, the possibility of expansion is still alive for the future. Given the fact that the Big 12 was looking at teams like USF, UCONN, and BYU, and considering the “out of place” programs that already exist (West Virginia in the Big 12, Rutgers in the Big Ten and, yes, Missouri in the SEC), it begs the question “Does location even matter?”

Let’s pretend for a second that it doesn’t. Let’s say that for one year, each of the “Power Five” conferences is allowed to restructure their divisions with the only goal being to create the best division for its college football programs as it can. Since location doesn’t matter, we will call the new divisions “A” and “B”. Notice I said the conferences are restructuring what they already have. So for this year, there are no expansions, no teams moving from conference to conference, each conference will work with what it currently has.

Here is how I think the “Power Five” conferences should look:

(Note: In this hypothetical scenario, the Big 12 has two divisions and a championship game because why don’t they have a championship game yet?)

 

ACC

How it looks now:

Atlantic             Coastal

Clemson           North Carolina

Louisville          Pittsburgh

Florida State     Virginia Tech

Wake Forest      Virginia

NC State             Miami

Syracuse             Georgia Tech

Boston College   Duke

What’s wrong with this:

As is the case with most of the conferences I’ll be talking about, one division clearly dominates the other when it comes to top teams. The Atlantic Division has three teams in the top 15, while the only ranked team the Coastal Division is No. 22 North Carolina. Also why are Florida State and Miami in different divisions? Why are the four Tobacco Road schools split up?

How the ACC should look:

Division A             Division B

Florida State           Clemson

Louisville               North Carolina

Syracuse                 Duke

Virginia Tech          Georgia Tech

Virginia                  Wake Forest

Miami                      NC State

Pittsburgh               Boston College

What I like about this structure:

The clear best four teams in the conference are split in each division, limiting the chance for a blowout in the conference championship game. You have some nice rivalries in each division with Florida State/Miami, Virginia/Virginia Tech, and Syracuse/Pittsburgh in Division A, and the Tobacco Road schools all together in Division B.

 

BIG 12

How it looks now: No divisions

What’s wrong with this:

NO CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! Just ask Baylor or TCU how that affects a Big 12 team’s chances of getting into the College Football Playoff. If the CFP is going to stay at four teams, the Big 12 will need a championship game. I know it will come with expansion, but what’s the fun in waiting for that?

How the Big 12 should look:

Division A             Division B

 

Oklahoma               Baylor

Texas                       TCU

Oklahoma State     West Virginia

Texas Tech              Kansas State

Iowa State               Kansas

 

What I like about this structure:

Oklahoma’s rivalries with Texas and Oklahoma State are preserved without Division A looking overly powerful compared to Division B. Each division has something you’d like. If you’re a fan of traditional powerhouses, you’ll love Division A. If you’ve fallen in love with the Baylor’s and TCU’s of the country, Division B is for you.

 

BIG TEN

How it looks now:

East                    West

Michigan            Nebraska

Ohio State          Iowa

Penn State           Northwestern

Maryland           Minnesota

Indiana               Wisconsin

Michigan State   Purdue

Rutgers               Illinois

What’s wrong with this:

Like the ACC, one division is a lot stronger than the other. It’s very difficult to consider the Big Ten a balanced conference when arguably the three most prestigious programs in the conference are all in the same division.

How the Big Ten should look:

Division A                    Division B

 

Michigan                       Ohio State

Wisconsin                     Michigan State

Minnesota                     Illinois

Iowa                               Rutgers

Nebraska                       Purdue

Maryland                       Indiana

Northwestern               Penn State

What I like about this structure:

For the first couple of conferences, I tried to place rivals in the same division, so that those teams would have an extra spot in their schedule to rotate between schools from the other division. But I’m going to have to make an exception for this one because HOW AMAZING WOULD A MICHIGAN/OHIO STATE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BE? Each team will be the focus point of each division, with Wisconsin and Michigan State split up to challenge each team in their respective positions.

 

PAC 12

How it looks now:

North                     South

Washington             Utah

Washington State   Colorado

Stanford                   USC

Cal                           Arizona State

Oregon State           UCLA

Oregon                    Arizona

 

What’s wrong with this:

Honestly, the PAC 12 is really solid as is. The one thing I would do is find a way to get Cal to the other division so they can be with USC and UCLA.

How the PAC 12 should look:

Division A               Division B

Washington             Utah

Washington State     Cal

Stanford                   USC

Colorado                   Arizona State

Oregon State             UCLA

Oregon                      Arizona

What I like about this structure:

Colorado doesn’t really have any strong conference rivalries, so moving them for Cal would be just fine in getting Cal, UCLA, and USC in the same division.

 

SEC

How it looks now:

East                 West

Florida               Alabama

Tennessee          Texas A&M

Kentucky            Auburn

Georgia               LSU

Vanderbilt          Arkansas

South Carolina  Ole Miss

Missouri             Mississippi State

What’s wrong with this:

The SEC is perhaps the most popular case of unequal division strength. The SEC West is considered by many to be the best single division in college football. The SEC East… is not. Some years, the East is lucky enough to have one team be good enough to give whoever makes it out of the West a game in the SEC Championship. Other times, you have a situation like the 2014 SEC Championship Game… or the 2011 SEC Championship Game… or the 2010 SEC Championship Game (Note: Over the course of the SEC West’s 7-game SEC Championship Game winning streak, only one of those games have been decided by less than two touchdowns). Suffice to say, some restructuring could do the SEC good.

How the SEC should look:

Division A                 Division B

Alabama                   Florida

Auburn                     Tennessee

LSU                           Ole Miss

Vanderbilt                Mississippi State

South Carolina        Georgia

Texas A&M              Arkansas

Kentucky                  Missouri

Why I like this structure:

There’s only so much you can do to change up this conference while keeping Alabama, Auburn, and LSU in the same division (and there’s no way I’m splitting them up). This structure relies on Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia to return to their former traditional glory to keep up with those three schools. The rest of the changes are just concerned with evening up the depth of each division. Also, the Battle for the Golden Egg would be a nice rivalry to separate from the Auburn/Alabama/LSU rivalries.