How about this for a wild Conference Realignment
How about the SEC and the ACC merge and create two conferences - say to begin you take the top 10 SEC teams and the top 6 ACC teams and make a conference (SEC Heavy) and the rest of the teams are the other conference (SEC Lite). But the rub is these aren't mutually exclusive conferences. At the end of the season, the three worst teams in the SEC Heavy get relegated to the SEC Lite and the three top teams in the Lite move up (similar to the Premier League). And you do that process every year.
You could keep both SEC and ACC yearly payouts, but the SEC Heavy teams could get SEC type money and the Lite teams would get ACC type money. I know it would never fly because American sports teams don't have the balls for relegation, and the weaker SEC teams wouldn't give up their slice of the pie (though unearned as it is) but it seemed like an interesting concept that came to me one night.
6 Replies
Relegation and promotion? We are both voices in the wilderness on this.
I've been saying it for several years. It is the answer to almost all the disputes (and annoyances) in college football. From amount of payout, to inclusion in the CFP, to amount of media attention.
I would love a national system in particular, but would love to at least see a group of teams form into tiers so that we can at least have a pilot program. I think fans would love it.
** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 3/6/2023, 3:44:24 PM
(In response to this post by ArmelHokie)
3y
The players are not paid employees or signing multi year contracts. So a school that gets relegated would likely lose their top players to the portal and be hard pressed to recover. Especially if relegation means less money paid to the school.
It would create an even bigger gap between the top teams and everyone else. Because the top teams would always get the top amount of money. At least right now there is parity with the conference payouts.
(In response to this post by Maroon Baboon)
We are headed to the worst of both worlds. A tier system, but with NO
chance for promotion. I call that a cartel. The P2 is the top tier and it is already doubling the money of the P3. And the P3 is already doubling the money of the G5. The problem is, there is no chance to move up. And, you have undeserving dead weight (Rutgers for instance) getting paid top tier money for just sucking.
You asked about transfers. Well, we already have a transfer problem. But certainly there would be specific transfer rules just like pro soccer leagues. I also think that players, one way or another, are going to be paid (officially) in the future.
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
3y
When NIL and paid scholarship athletes are the norm, their access to the transfer portal will be restricted by contracts. (just my guess)
(In response to this post by Maroon Baboon)
3y
relegated last year (and they have a top five public school endowment and NIL money galore). And Alabama can't take every player, so you massage the ridiculous transfer rules they have today and does it really change anything? If VT can never get out of the SEC Lite conference what has changed? We are still getting ACC level money - which is something that might be more stable in this set up because as it is the next ACC contract is probably going to screw the schools that are left behind?
I just saying if there was a real desire to make this work it could be done and you that you may not lose your best players if you get relegated and you won't get the best players if you are promoted. But American sports is built on it is okay to sit at the table every year if you suck and not that you earn your spot at the table. That is a bigger reason why it would probably never work.
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
American professional sports breeds tanking, not excellence.
In Europe, if you finish at the bottom, you get relegated and have no one to blame but yourself. In the NFL or NBA, if you finish at the bottom, you get rewarded with lottery picks.
And with respect to good programs getting relegated, that would actually be good for the sport. Because in any given year, it would give cachet to the lower tier to have some big name teams in it. Also, let's say deep-pockets A&M gets relegated. Well, they could still dig deep to pay their players and keep them from transferring to top tier program. So fanbases have to put their money where their mouth is too.
(In response to this post by ArmelHokie)