but we get to keep "our refs" right????
all of our games at home."
It is a far better system than divisions, and then you get to take the top two teams regardless of pod. The other benefit is it will allow them to play home/away at schools more frequently. E.g. The B1G schools would be on the other teams' campus once every 4 years instead of possibly once out of every 7.
Once you get to 16 teams, with a two division format you essentially have two separate conferences under the same roof.
Independent again. Schedule good games and you’ll get TV coverage.
I think the Power 5 have too much power. Then again, if jt is right and we wind up with a single 40 (or more) team megaconference, the nature of the beast will be that all its members become de facto independents, at least when it comes to scheduling.
If pods are imbalanced and out-of-pod schedules are imbalanced, I don't it will be any better at picking out two teams for conference championship games.
playoff ranking as the tie breaker rather than head-to-head. The only problem with this approach is playoff rankings are released until Tuesday night. I suspect, however, that in most cases you'd have a pretty good sense as to what the rankings will be.
If each team has three protected rivals, you end up with little mini-divisions.
Wake-Duke-NC-NCST
Clemson-Miami-FSU-GaTech
VA-VaTech-Louisville-x
BC-Pitt-Syracuse-x
Watch ND end up in that shitty fourth bucket.
Compelling if FSU and scUM get their act together.
I think ND will continue to be an OOC opponent for ACC teams.
My take on three protected opponents, by school:
BC: Pitt, Syracuse, Va Tech
Clemson: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami
Duke: North Carolina, NC State, Wake
Florida State: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami
Georgia Tech: Clemson, Florida State, Miami
Louisville: Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia
Miami: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
North Carolina: Duke, NC State, Virginia
NC State: Duke, North Carolina, Wake
Pitt: BC, Louisville, Syracuse
Syracuse: BC, Louisville, Pitt
Virginia: Louisville, North Carolina, Va Tech
Va Tech: BC, Virginia, Wake
Wake: Duke, NC State, Va Tech
Sorting out the 5 and 5 for each school is admittedly a bit tougher.
counting ND games as conference games?
I agree, there may be a movement to lump ND in that last group as part of ND's scheduling arrangement. ND should obviously insist on being with the strongest teams if they need ND's buy-in. But Jack will bend over and do whatever they want to preserve good graces that the other ADs will not reciprocate. And there's a major competitive balance issue in determining champions if Clemson-Miami-FSU are regularly together. Unless they go to a four-team conference championship of pod winners.
Ga. Tech can go anywhere, though. They have as much in common with Va. and Va. Tech as anyone else. I'd guess they go there. Louisville can also go anywhere, including with the former Big East teams.
Only the North Carolina schools would really be a pod. Everyone else would have some mixing and matching.
You would have to go with pods or each school would have more than 3 annual opponents, right?
If you go with pods with 14 members, some schools would have more than three annual opponents, or alternatively, some schools would have less than three annual opponents.