What is happening to College Football?
Someone please explain why we have schools in California joining the Atlantic Coastal Conference. Last time we checked, California was not near the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the PAC-12 is not the PAC-2, and James Maddison is ranked. That last part isn’t relevant, but it’s still crazy to think about. Conference realignment has been the new hot drama to keep up with for sports fans, many changes have already occurred, with more to come in 2024.
Here are ten (actually eleven but don’t worry about it) schools that need to change conferences and where they should go.
Washington State and Oregon State, Mountain West.
Washington State and Oregon State have both been hung out to dry for the 2024 season, despite both teams being ranked in the top 25 during the 2023 season. There were talks about both schools joining the Big 10 conference for 2024, but that is unlikely considering the history of mediocrity from both programs. The Mountain West Conference seems like the most likely destination for both schools, and as of November eighth a scheduling alliance was announced between the MWC and both State Schools. The limited travel would be beneficial for student athletes, plus OSU and WSU might actually win a conference title.
SMU, Big 12
Southern Methodist is set to join the ACC in 2024. This will require athletes to travel to a different time zone in order to compete. Out of the twelve FBS teams in the state of Texas, six have spent time in the Big 12 conference; SMU has the chance to be the seventh. Baylor, Houston, TCU, and Texas Tech are all Big 12 teams, and adding these schools to a conference schedule would significantly cut back on travel costs for the SMU program. Besides, SMU has been on the rise since 2019, and it is time that the school hops into a more prestigious conference.
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Iowa State, Big 10
Iowa State is currently the Northern most school in the Big 10 (excluding Oregon and Washington who are yet to play a Big 10 conference game). This puts the Cyclones in Big 10 territory; so, based off of geography alone, Iowa State should join the Big 10. However, as we have seen, conferences are not just based on geography. Regardless, Iowa State has held their own against Big 10 opponents and have won just under half of their football games against Big 10 schools over the last 20 years. Honestly, that is on par with some of the schools actually in the Big 10 conference.
Louisville, SEC
The Louisville Cardinals have been Bowl eligible eight of the ten years that they have been in the ACC. The team has had a good balance of offense and defense over the past decade, but rarely play against SEC opponents. Since in-state rivals Kentucky are already in the SEC, a transition for Louisville would just makes sense. The school may initially struggle against SEC opponents, but ultimately the move to the SEC will bring in more revenue for all athletics programs.
Idaho, Sun Belt.
Wait, hear this idea out. The Idaho Vandals used to be an FBS team. Despite never being in a power five conference, Idaho still found ways to perform against FBS teams. The University initially moved down to FCS to save money, but since the move, Idaho’s financial situation has improved. The Vandals have found themselves in close games against power five opponents over the past two years, so what is stopping them from reclaiming their spot in the Sun Belt? A few buy out games later, and the Vandals are right back to where they were before the move.
Liberty, ACC
The Liberty University Flames joined the FBS in 2018 and have more than double the number of wins as they do losses. In 2020, Liberty took down power five teams, with their only loss of the year coming to North Carolina State. Liberty also beat then, No. 9 ranked Coastal Carolina in the Cure Bowl. That put Liberty on the map, and the team has been bowl eligible ever since. They have steamrolled through Conference USA and have taken down ACC opponents already, why not do it on an annual basis?
Air Force, Big 12
The United States Air Force Academy is located in Colorado, the same state as the University of Colorado (who would have guessed?). Colorado is going to the Big 12 in 2024, and with a better record than UC, Air Force should consider the move as well. This would make Air Force the only service academy in a power five conference. With the exception of the Covid year in 2020, the Falcons have finished the season with ten or more wins three years in a row. Air Force took down Baylor, and Colorado last year, proving that the team deserves a shot to play in a power five.
Notre Dame, ACC
Notre Dame, ACWith the exception of football, Notre Dame is already a full member of the ACC. In addition, there is an annual agreement for Notre Dame to schedule at least five games against ACC opponents. It’s time for Notre Dame football to stop trying to be quirky and unique and just join the ACC once and for all.
Vanderbilt, Conference USA
Look, in terms of football, Vanderbilt hasn’t had a winning season since 2013, and the last time they were bowl eligible was in 2018. Joining conference USA would be good for the program because quite frankly, the SEC is too rough on the Commadores. The football team’s last win over a ranked opponent was in 2019 against number 22 Missouri. Missouri went on to finish 6-6 that season. All in all, if relegation were a thing in college football, Vanderbilt would have made this change long ago.
Harvard, Independent
Sure, the chances of an Ivy League school joining the FBS are near impossible, but it is still fun to think about. Plus, since the school would be independent for football, they could (probably) still maintain their status as an Ivy league school in order to preserve their academics. Regardless, Harvard has been one of the most dominant programs in the FCS for years, plus they blessed us with the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick, so they probably know what they are doing over there in Cambridge. Now, there are bylaws that have prevented Ivy League programs from participating in the FCS playoffs, but that’s all jargony paperwork for lawyers. Just think about a Harvard vs. Georgia National Championship.
