Conference realignment has been a hot topic in college football for years, but over the past two seasons it has reached a new level.
In 2024, we will witness an upheaval of unprecedented proportions. Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC are headed to the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are headed to the Big 12. Oklahoma and Texas are headed to the SEC. Stanford, Cal and SMU are ACC bound.
Geography has taken a backseat to cash flow at this point, and unfortunately, that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Things would certainly be different in a perfect world, and there are many different opinions on the subject. One of the most popular opinions is that of Josh Pate, host of the Late Kick podcast, the best show in college football.
On Thursday, Pate created the “Perfect College Football Conferences” in case he ever becomes CFB commissioner.
Look at:
The Big 12 has been reduced to the “Big 8” (a blast from the past), but its composition is a little different than it was in the 1980s.
Josh Pate’s Big 8
(12 major teams in BOLD)
- Kansas
- Kansas State
- Iowa State
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma State
- Missouri
- Colorado
- Utah
What do you think of this conference? This has an interesting feel, as all of these programs seem to fit into a similar mold. There are many tough and uncompromising programs, led by K-State, Utah and Oklahoma State.
Meanwhile, the rest of the current Big 12 is split between the other conferences, with the majority of them fitting into the Southwest Conference.
Josh Pate’s Southwest Conference
(12 major teams in BOLD)
- Texas
- Texas Technology
- EMS
- Baylor
- Texas A&M
- TCU
- Rice
- Houston
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
West Virginia, Cincinnati and UCF find themselves in the Big East, while BYU becomes independent again.
How would you feel if you woke up tomorrow and it was lectures? Let us know in the members forum!
