Reviving College Football: Time to Embrace Regional Divisions in a Super League

Let's start a conversation that is overdue.

College football in the United States is a beloved tradition, deeply rooted in the history and culture of many universities and their fans. However, as time has passed, the structure of college football conferences has become increasingly antiquated, leading to imbalanced competition and lost rivalries. This post explores the need for a paradigm shift in college football, proposing a move toward regional divisions within a super league. This change aims to rekindle the spirit of proximity rivalries and traditions while harnessing the potential of television revenue.

?

The Current Landscape

As it stands, college football is divided into numerous conferences, each with its own set of teams spanning vast geographical areas. Teams from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic seaboard find themselves grouped together, often with little historical or geographical relevance. This setup has led to several problems:

• Loss of Tradition: One of the most significant losses in the current system is the erosion of age-old rivalries. Traditional matchups like Michigan vs. Ohio State, Alabama vs. Auburn, SMU vs TCU, or Oregon vs Oregon State, which were once played annually, are now subjected to realignment and reshuffling, causing fans to miss out on these cherished traditions.
• Imbalanced Competition: The current conference structure often results in uneven competition. Teams from different regions with varying levels of talent and resources compete in the same conferences, leading to blowout games and a sense of disillusionment among fans.
• Economic Disparities: While college football generates billions in revenue, not all programs benefit equally. Smaller schools in less lucrative conferences struggle to keep up with the financial demands of maintaining competitive programs, perpetuating economic disparities.
• Travel Fatigue: Extensive cross-country travel for games places a heavy burden on student-athletes, contributing to exhaustion and limiting their time for academics and personal growth. It also increases costs for universities and places strain on fans who wish to attend away games.
• Neglected Regional Ties: The current system neglects the strong regional ties that many college football programs have with their communities. Regional divisions can rekindle these connections and foster a sense of belonging among fans.

Regional Divisions: A Solution

To address these issues and reinvigorate college football, it's time to consider the implementation of regional divisions within a super league. This proposed system would involve the following key elements:

Regional Alignment: Teams would be grouped into divisions based on geographical proximity. This would not only revive classic rivalries but also reduce travel expenses and fatigue for both players and fans.

Super League Structure: Within each regional division, the top-performing teams would advance to a super league. This structure would ensure that only the most competitive programs get to play on the national stage, maintaining the quality of college football.

Television Revenue: The super league would negotiate television contracts, guaranteeing substantial revenue for participating teams. By consolidating television rights, smaller programs would benefit from the financial windfall, creating a more equitable distribution of resources.

Benefits of Regional Divisions

Rivalries and Traditions: Regional divisions would reignite historic rivalries, creating an atmosphere of excitement and nostalgia for fans. Games like Texas vs. Texas A&M or USC vs. UCLA would return as regular fixtures, rekindling the passion of college football.

Balanced Competition: Geographically aligned divisions would promote more balanced competition. Teams with similar resources and talent levels would face off, reducing the number of lopsided games and improving the overall quality of play.

Economic Equality: The super league's television revenue-sharing model would address economic disparities, allowing smaller programs to invest in their football programs and remain competitive.

Increased Interest: The prospect of seeing classic matchups and more competitive games would attract a broader fan base, leading to higher attendance at stadiums and increased television ratings.

Promotion and Relegation:?Structuring a league will create HAVEs and HAVE NOTs. While this is natural, providing a path to the super league should be part of the solution. Borrowing from English Premiership, teams that are not competitive should be relegated to lower non-super league conferences. Those who win their conferences should be promoted. This will allow growing and successful programs the chance to exceed at the top levels.

The current college football conference system is showing its age, and it's time for a change. College football has become big business, but the NCAA infrastructure is not equipped and structured to accommodate the realities that are being imposed by the pursuit of football dollars. By moving to regional divisions within a super league, college football can recapture the essence of tradition and proximity rivalries while benefiting from the financial advantages of television revenue. This proposed shift would not only breathe new but nostalgically relevant life into the sport but also create a more equitable and exciting future for college football in the United States.