Future Conference Scheduling Alliances

[DFW HOYA]

"No more FCS cupcakes. No more Group of Five opponents. It’s one Power Five against another: 30 head-to-head matchups, season after season."

This is being discussed between voices in the Big 12 and Pac-12. Not many teams in this subdivision play these schools, but it could spread to other I-A conferences. The Big Ten already doesn't regularly schedule I-AA teams, would others follow?

Secondly, would any conferences in this subdivision pursue its own scheduling alliances? The Patriot-Ivy alliance has frittered away and comparably sized conferences (SoCon v. OVC) haven't pursued it.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/02/...ture-together/

[walliver]

The two conferences owning most of the recent championships are happy to schedule a FCS game and Sun Belt game every year. Most SEC and the top half of the ACC routinely play 7 home games and 5 away. They don't want to give up that revenue. TV revenue won't go up because the major broadcasters only need 5 or 6 big time matchups each week, and they're not going to get big ratings for Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt anyway.

At the FCS level, P5 vs P5 matchups would just mean that fewer top teams make the playoffs.

[RootinFerDukes]

At the FCS level, P5 vs P5 matchups would just mean that fewer top teams make the playoffs.

Well other than the $$ that the athletic departments would be missing out on, which is the real reason they're scheduled to begin with. Lets be honest.

You're right though. If fewer FCS play P5 or FBS, their losses won't be "excused" like they currently are, and will actually impact their playoff resume.

[aceinthehole]

It looks like the NEC is building an 'unofficial' FBS scheduling alliance with the Mid American Conference (MAC).
NEC vs. FBS Opponents (2017-2023)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Bryant				Central Michigan
CCSU	Syracuse	Ball State	Eastern Michigan	Toledo
Duquesne		UMass & Hawaii			Charlotte	Hawaii	West Virginia
LIU					Miami (OH)
Robert Morris			Buffalo	Bowling Green
Saint Francis				Buffalo	Eastern Michigan	Akron
Wagner	Western Michigan	Syracuse	UConn & FAU		Buffalo

I would also note that the NEC's first ever FBS game was CCSU at Western Michigan (2009); and Duquesne played at Buffalo (2014) for their first FBS opponent.

[FUBeAR]

The Big Ten already doesn't regularly schedule I-AA teams

Not exactly...

Big Ten TRIED not scheduling/playing FCS, beginning in 2015 - https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...2016/30938987/

7/31/15 - “Big Ten teams have committed to...no longer schedule Football Championship Subdivision opponents beginning in 2016, Commissioner Jim Delany said Friday.”

...but...

...Reversed that decision just 2 years later - https://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...all-scheduling

7/24/17 - “Big Ten teams are allowed to schedule FCS opponents again”


All this TALK about competition & ‘value for fans’ is BS. As my friend, Walliver, alluded, each party to these transactions, FBS Conferences, FBS Schools, & FCS Schools is going to pursue the path that makes FINANCIAL sense for them. The rest of the ‘noise’ is just posturing as the Big 10 was doing in 2015...and, let’s see, since that ‘ban’ went into effect (2016), the Big 10 has won 0 CFP (FBS) Championships, and has had 1 Team make 1 ‘playoff’ appearance, losing 31-0 to a Team that, in that same season, beat an FCS Team with a losing record by a similar score.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the ‘positive competitive aspects’ derived from eschewing the scheduling of FCS Teams, is it?

[centraljerseycat]

7/24/17 - “Big Ten teams are allowed to schedule FCS opponents again”


Hey Rutgers has to beat somebody...

[OhioHen]

"No more FCS cupcakes."

Big 12

So the Big 12 no longer wants to schedule that cupcake from Fargo. Makes sense to me.

[walliver]

So the Big 12 no longer wants to schedule that cupcake from Fargo. Makes sense to me.

The Big 12 schedules their cupcake games during conference play. They should just rename the conference "the Big II and Some Other Guys".

[OhioHen]

The Big 12 schedules their cupcake games during conference play. They should just rename the conference "the Big II and Some Other Guys".

Like the old days when we had the "Big 2 and Little 8" - the Michigan-Ohio State game was nearly always a de facto conference championship game between unbeaten-in-the-league teams.

[WestCoastAggie]

"No more FCS cupcakes. No more Group of Five opponents. It’s one Power Five against another: 30 head-to-head matchups, season after season."

This is being discussed between voices in the Big 12 and Pac-12. Not many teams in this subdivision play these schools, but it could spread to other I-A conferences. The Big Ten already doesn't regularly schedule I-AA teams, would others follow?

Secondly, would any conferences in this subdivision pursue its own scheduling alliances? The Patriot-Ivy alliance has frittered away and comparably sized conferences (SoCon v. OVC) haven't pursued it.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/02/...ture-together/

MEAC vs. SWAC could make sense.