Scenario 1: The Big Ten adds 1 team, making 12. The four possible teams being talked about are Notre Dame, Missouri, Nebraska, or Rutgers. I pitched the idea several years ago that the Big Ten needed to push for another team (Notre Dame) and split into the Hayes and Schembechler Divisions.
Scenario 2: The Big Ten adds three teams, creating two 7-team divisions. Take three of the four teams listed above to create this scenario.
Scenario 3: This scenario would unleash nuclear war on the college football landscape. The Big Ten would add five teams, creating a 16-team superconference. You would see Missouri, Nebraska, Rutgers, Syracuse, and then a mystery team (rumors state Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Pitt, West Virginia, etc.)
Should scenario three come to pass, then watch for the response of the PAC-10 and the SEC. In conversation with several friends and co-workers, it is an understood fact that if the Big Ten goes to 16 teams, then the SEC will respond, and respond BIG. Should the SEC require four more teams, then it become interesting.
The SEC could look west, trying to lure Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and OK State into the fold. They could play for Texas, Texas A&M, and then go east and north, claiming Virginia Tech and possibly Florida State, Miami, or South Florida.
Personally, I think VaTech's defense style is better suited to the SEC than to the ACC.
The PAC-10 is already talking to Colorado, if reports are to be believed. I can see CU going to the PAC-10. I can also see the conference that is home to USC calling up Boise State. That would give them 12 teams, enough for a conference title game.
So, if Scenario 3 happens, this is how we here at the Right Wing think college football will look.
Big Ten (Becomes Big 16) (adds 5 teams)
Hayes Division
Ohio State
Missouri
Nebraska
Michigan State
Minnesota
Iowa
Indiana
Northwestern
Schembechler Division
Michigan
Penn State
Notre Dame
Rutgers
Syracuse
Wisconsin
Purdue
Illinois
The Big Ten starts this apocalyptic domino effect by gutting the Big East, adding Syracuse and Rutgers. The Big XII loses Nebraska and Missouri. Independent Notre Dame realizes that their reasons for staying independent are, at this point in time, archaic at best.
PAC-10 (Becomes PAC-16) (Adds 6 teams)
North Division
Washington
Washington State
Oregon
Oregon State
Boise State
Colorado
Utah
South Division
USC
Cal
Stanford
UCLA
Arizona
Arizona State
Texas Christian
BYU
Our vision of the future for the PAC-10 see TCU, Utah, and BYU joining from the Mountain West, and Boise State joining from the WAC.
Southeastern Conference (Adds 4 teams)
East Division
Georgia
Florida
South Carolina
Tennessee
Kentucky
Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech
Auburn (moves to East)
West Division
Alabama
LSU
Arkansas
Mississippi State
Ole Miss
Texas
Texas A&M
Oklahoma
As you can see, we take three of the four Big XII teams and add them to the SEC West, moving Auburn to the East Division, which adds Virginia Tech.
So we've seen the Big XII and the Big East effectively gutted. The ACC loses a powerhouse in VaTech. So what do these conferences do?
Atlantic Coast Conference (adds five teams, loses VT)
Atlantic Division
Clemson
Boston College
Maryland
Florida State
Wake Forest
NC State
UConn
West Virginia
Coastal Division
Georgia Tech
Miami
North Carolina
Duke
Virginia
Louisville
Cincinnati
South Florida
Note that we foresee the ACC completing the destruction of the Big East. The ACC will strive to not be left out of the superconference discussion.
Big XII (loses 6 teams) (adds 6 teams)
South Division
Oklahoma State
Baylor
Texas Tech
UNLV
Fresno State
Houston
North Division
Kansas
Kansas State
Iowa State
Air Force
Wyoming
Colorado State
The remnants of the Big XII reconstitue the conference by raiding the Mountain West, taking Air Force, Wyoming, UNLV, and Colorado State. They also tackle the WAC, gaining Fresno State. The final spot falls to Houston of Conference USA.
Should this nuclear scenario happen, the conference rankings, as we see them, look like this:
1. SEC
2. Big Ten (Big 16)
3. PAC-16
4. ACC
5. Big XII
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