CBS Sports: Big 12's split into divisions on hold as NCAA proposal aims to remove conference title game restrictions

[TopFrog]

Big 12's split into divisions on hold as NCAA proposal aims to remove conference title game restrictions​

By Dennis Dodd

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – As the Big 12 was considering a temporary split into divisions for football, sources tell CBS Sports an NCAA proposal to relax conference championship game rules has complicated matters. That proposal that would no longer require FBS conferences to have divisions in order to hold league title games, effectively giving such conferences better access the College Football Playoff by allowing them to match their two best teams.

A special Big 12 subcommittee formed to determine how to best incorporate up to 14 teams in conference realignment from 2023-24 had been expected to finalize league composition and schedules this week. However, the Big 12 is awaiting resolution on a proposal from the NCAA Football Oversight Committee that would allow all leagues to play without divisions but still hold conference championship games without a waiver from the association.

Read more at https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...to-remove-conference-title-game-restrictions/

 

[Nick Danger]

That benefit of a more compelling #1 vs #2 Championship game only holds true under the current four team playoff format. Once the playoffs expand to a field of 12, and they include Automatic Qualifier (AQ) bids for the Power 5 conference champions (regardless of where they're actually ranked), playing under a "No Divisions" format loses that sole benefit. With the AQ bids in their back pocket, the conference champions will no longer need the boost of a "big win" in a Championship game. They're already in!

Now the emphasis would shift to getting your second best, and perhaps even your third best teams, into the expanded playoff field, and utilizing a Divisional format would give you the best chance of doing that, as opposed to using a non-Divisional, round-robin format!

Having the Big-12 utilize a non-Divisional, round-robin schedule makes sense as long as the playoffs remain, as is, but once the playoff field expands to 12 and they add the AQ bids, the Big-12 would be better off switching back to a twelve team (without UT and OU) Divisional format.

That also brings up the question of how are the top two teams in a round-robin #1 vs #2 format determined. Do you go by the two best conference records, or do you go by the top two ranked CFP teams? Going by the top two conference records raises "strength of schedule" concerns, since you would have a "luck-of-the-draw" situation occurring since everybody doesn't play everyone else in conference. And what if the CFP voters think your second best team is different than the team that has the second best conference record, due to a weaker conference schedule?

 

[Dman890]

Need to do this to also max tv revenue

 

[Nick Danger]

Need to do this to also max tv revenue

I think you may be hyper-inflating the benefit you'd get from some incremental increase in TV viewership of a Conference Championship Game, under an expanded playoff format. The bulk of the additional revenue from an expanded playoff would come from the additional televised playoff games, and, just like in the basketball playoffs, how many of those games your conference played in.

Relying on a format (non-Divisions) that focuses on maximizing the revenue of a single championship game, but puts at risk your conference's chances of having multiple teams advancing through those additional playoff games seems short-sighted! But there may be more to this than I realize and I could be wrong!

It just seems like a future Big-12 that can get, say even one additional team into the playoffs and play just two televised playoff games (out of the eleven total playoff games) before bowing out, would generate significantly more revenue than you'd get from an additional 200,000 sets of eyes watching your conference championship game!

 

[BrewingFrog]

A Divisional structure allows for the scheduling of more patsies, and thus makes your Conference look better. The SEC has had this philosophy for decades and it has paid off handsomely for them.

 

[Wexahu]

A Divisional structure allows for the scheduling of more patsies, and thus makes your Conference look better. The SEC has had this philosophy for decades and it has paid off handsomely for them.

What's paid off handsomely for the SEC is the fact that it is a league full of very large flagship state schools with huge, rabid fanbases situated smack dab in the middle of the most fertile recruiting area and most college football crazy part of the country.

We can kid ourselves and say it's their wise scheduling as to why they seem to appear better but that's ignoring the obvious.

Yeah, let's schedule more patsies, that'll be great for all involved. A few more boring, uncompetitive games.....yay, sounds awesome.

 

[Gary's Shirtless Revenge]

The Big 12 (14?) title game will be worth $8-12 million annually in the new TV deal, fyi.

 

[BrewingFrog]

What's paid off handsomely for the SEC is the fact that it is a league full of very large flagship state schools with huge, rabid fanbases situated smack dab in the middle of the most fertile recruiting area and most college football crazy part of the country.

We can kid ourselves and say it's their wise scheduling as to why they seem to appear better but that's ignoring the obvious.

Yeah, let's schedule more patsies, that'll be great for all involved. A few more boring, uncompetitive games.....yay, sounds awesome.

People will pay to see a winning team. People are not willing to pay to see a losing team.

Take your pick.

 

[Opintel]

Well, I guess it's time to start all the "what if" stuff again. How time flies.

Need to add an Arizona institution. Who else?

(stir the pot...stir the pot)

 

[Endless Purple]

Well, I guess it's time to start all the "what if" stuff again. How time flies.

Need to add an Arizona institution. Who else?

(stir the pot...stir the pot)

Maybe change strategies. Go for Az St, the next school on the list of hottest student bodies. Games can have a ton of crowd shots of the students and a few of the game. I think UCF ranked high at one time.

 

[HG73]

What's paid off handsomely for the SEC is the fact that it is a league full of very large flagship state schools with huge, rabid fanbases situated smack dab in the middle of the most fertile recruiting area and most college football crazy part of the country.

We can kid ourselves and say it's their wise scheduling as to why they seem to appear better but that's ignoring the obvious.

Yeah, let's schedule more patsies, that'll be great for all involved. A few more boring, uncompetitive games.....yay, sounds awesome.

Absolutely correct but the SEC still has an advantage by only playing 8 conference games. It's just math. The Big12 would be wise to copy.

 

[Wexahu]

Absolutely correct but the SEC still has an advantage by only playing 8 conference games. It's just math. The Big12 would be wise to copy.

What kind of advantage?

The SEC is completely idiotic for not playing a 9-game conference schedule. The only advantage it gives them is that a couple extra teams make bowl games that nobody cares about. And people say, well, they always have more ranked teams because they have better records. Again, who really cares? (and besides, I would say they always have more ranked teams because they always have more good teams than any other league, because they do, unquestionably). And people also say, well, they often get multiple teams in the playoffs because of their scheduling. LOL. It's happened 25% of the time, and does anyone want to really argue that the two times it did happen those teams weren't 2 of the top 4 teams in the country in those years?

All playing one less conference game does for SEC schools is cheat their fan bases by charging them full price for a game that very most likely won't be the least bit entertaining.

 

[TopFrog]

What kind of advantage?

The SEC is completely idiotic for not playing a 9-game conference schedule. The only advantage it gives them is that a couple extra teams make bowl games that nobody cares about. And people say, well, they always have more ranked teams because they have better records. Again, who really cares? (and besides, I would say they always have more ranked teams because they always have more good teams than any other league, because they do, unquestionably). And people also say, well, they often get multiple teams in the playoffs because of their scheduling. LOL. It's happened 25% of the time, and does anyone want to really argue that the two times it did happen those teams weren't 2 of the top 4 teams in the country in those years?

All playing one less conference game does for SEC schools is cheat their fan bases by charging them full price for a game that very most likely won't be the least bit entertaining.

It's all about perception. The $EC is a top-heavy league with mostly average teams but that is not the perception because of how they do it, IMO.

 

[HG73]

What kind of advantage?

The SEC is completely idiotic for not playing a 9-game conference schedule. The only advantage it gives them is that a couple extra teams make bowl games that nobody cares about. And people say, well, they always have more ranked teams because they have better records. Again, who really cares? (and besides, I would say they always have more ranked teams because they always have more good teams than any other league, because they do, unquestionably). And people also say, well, they often get multiple teams in the playoffs because of their scheduling. LOL. It's happened 25% of the time, and does anyone want to really argue that the two times it did happen those teams weren't 2 of the top 4 teams in the country in those years?

All playing one less conference game does for SEC schools is cheat their fan bases by charging them full price for a game that very most likely won't be the least bit entertaining.

The SEC plays 8 conference games and a week 11 body bag game. That's not as tough as 9 conference games.

 

[Wexahu]

It's all about perception. The $EC is a top-heavy league with mostly average teams but that is not the perception because of how they do it, IMO.

If the SEC is top heavy with mostly average teams than the other 4 P5 leagues are not top-heavy with mostly below-average teams.

Boggles my mind how anyone can not think the SEC is far and away the best league. "Top heavy"......well, take the top 2-3 teams out of any league and what you are left with is a bunch of crap. The SEC is better at the top, better in the middle, and better at the bottom than any other league, and it's not really all that close.

 

[Wexahu]

The SEC plays 8 conference games and a week 11 body bag game. That's not as tough as 9 conference games.

And? Who cares?

They aren't the best league in the country because of their scheduling methodology. That has nothing to do with it.

Besides, all things being equal you are right, but you're never going to convince me Arkansas' 12-game schedule is easier than any Big 12 schedule, or Big 10 schedule, or PAC or ACC schedule.

 

[BrewingFrog]

Perception, and the constant tongue-bath of ESPN/Disney says that SEC is the Best Conference EVAH.

So there.

Nobody cares what you, or I for that matter, think about it. We are just people who might tune in to see a College Football game, and they would like us to watch. So they hype the games, and they carefully sift through matchups that they feel gives them the best ratings/clicks/attention potential. It is as predictable as clockwork, and as annoying as a dripping faucet.

 

[Long Time Lurker]

The Big 12 (14?) title game will be worth $8-12 million annually in the new TV deal, fyi.

What’s it worth now?

 

[Gary's Shirtless Revenge]

What’s it worth now?

Roughly that, depends how you do the math. You could argue it’s worth less.

 

[BrewingFrog]

Roughly that, depends how you do the math. You could argue it’s worth less.

I remember a line from a book that is a good 45 years old now: "Dime for your thoughts? Used to be a penny, but inflation strikes everything sooner or later..."