CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Four => Big Ten => Topic started by: OrangeAfroMan on November 16, 2025, 10:55:39 PM
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What year was perfect in terms of conferences/independents/affliation???
Regardless of how your team did, if the structure of college football had to be frozen and remain the same forever, what season would you picK?
Mine is in the early 90s, but it's tough, because my idea structure never actually existed.
Ideally, I'd prefer the old SWC, old 10-team SEC, but with FSU in the ACC and ND and Penn State as the major independents. Miami in the Big East (they didn't play a full conf schedule until 1993, I believe).
All that being said, I guess I'd pick 1992. SWC still exists, FSU in the ACC, Penn St still independent...but with the expanded SEC.
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that's pretty much my preferred window.
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1993. I like having Penn State, and this is mega awesome.
(https://i.imgur.com/s0Kccqb.png)
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1993. I like having Penn State, and this is mega awesome.
(https://i.imgur.com/s0Kccqb.png)
I liked adding Nebraska too. that was it for me as far as conference expansion. an even 12 with another helmet that fit the regional landscape of the conference. it all went to shit when they did a tv cash grab to add Buttgers and Maryland. it's been all down hill since then.
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92 or 93
put the hogs back in the SWC
as for the bowls/MNC
98 and the bowl alliance - no hiding in the Rose - #1 vs #2 for the MNC
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I liked adding Nebraska too. that was it for me as far as conference expansion. an even 12 with another helmet that fit the regional landscape of the conference. it all went to shit when they did a tv cash grab to add Buttgers and Maryland. it's been all down hill since then.
yup, 12-team conferences with divisions wasn't bad
at least played 5 regional teams each season
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11 schools with 10 conference games would be the way to go.
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I liked adding Nebraska too. that was it for me as far as conference expansion. an even 12 with another helmet that fit the regional landscape of the conference. it all went to shit when they did a tv cash grab to add Buttgers and Maryland. it's been all down hill since then.
Even growing up I wondered why ND/PSU weren't in the BIG.Turns out the Irish did want to join at one time but the conference voted them down. Ever since ND has ignored any offers from the BIG.But NJ and Maryland are recruiting hotbeds so they have that going for them
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or 10 schools with 9 conference games
whatever, just play everyone in your conference every season
7 conferences with 11 = 77 or 8 conferences with 10 = 80
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Even growing up I wondered why ND/PSU weren't in the BIG.Turns out the Irish did want to join at one time but the conference voted them down. Ever since ND has ignored any offers from the BIG.But NJ and Maryland are recruiting hotbeds so they have that going for them
Michigan blocked them.
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11 schools with 10 conference games would be the way to go.
10 schools with 9 conference games and 3 OOC games, even better! :)
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10 conference games. 3 OOC games (CCG not needed so all teams play 13).
Perfection.
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yup, I'd prefer that
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10 schools with 9 conference games and 3 OOC games, even better! :)
Imagine a Big 12, without Baylor.
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Mine is in the early 90s, but it's tough, because my idea structure never actually existed.
Ideally, I'd prefer the old SWC, old 10-team SEC, but with FSU in the ACC and ND and Penn State as the major independents. Miami in the Big East (they didn't play a full conf schedule until 1993, I believe).
Nailed it, except for that I'd add some set scheduling procedures for the SEC, instead of teams scheduling whoever they feel like from wherever they feel like, while acting like being in a conference meant something.
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10 conference games. 3 OOC games (CCG not needed so all teams play 13).
Perfection.
9 conference games, 3 ooc games. No CCG.
Perfection.
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Imagine a Big 12, without Baylor.
For this exercise, I don't want the B12, I actually want the SWC from the 80s.
Without Baylor would be nice.
Then it's an 8- team league, just like the Big 8 was at the time. Worked out just fine.
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It would be interesting to collect opinions from CFB fans back in 1992 to see what they thought they wanted.
I'm pretty sure a playoff would have been on that card.
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9 conference games, 3 ooc games. No CCG.
Perfection.
13 is better than 12.
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13 is better than 12.
you are wrong
ole~
big hands
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Now you're just arguing to argue.
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I personally am fine with "mayhem", unstructured, weird, lack of definition, conferences with 7 teams or 13, whatever, have at it, polls to determine the MNC.
I wasn't in the past, I'm sure I would have favored an NFL like structure.
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It would be interesting to collect opinions from CFB fans back in 1992 to see what they thought they wanted.
I'm pretty sure a playoff would have been on that card.
never been a lack of fools
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What year was perfect in terms of conferences/independents/affliation???
Regardless of how your team did, if the structure of college football had to be frozen and remain the same forever, what season would you picK?
Mine is in the early 90s, but it's tough, because my idea structure never actually existed.
Ideally, I'd prefer the old SWC, old 10-team SEC, but with FSU in the ACC and ND and Penn State as the major independents. Miami in the Big East (they didn't play a full conf schedule until 1993, I believe).
All that being said, I guess I'd pick 1992. SWC still exists, FSU in the ACC, Penn St still independent...but with the expanded SEC.
Far be it for me to agree with OAM, but yeah. This.
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Oh wait, just saw OAM was opting for expanded SEC.
I'd prefer the year prior with Arkansas still in the SWC, that was a better alignment IMO.
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that's what I said
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I liked the Big Ten prior to adding PSU. That said, I think they were a strong add. And once they were added and the conference became odd-numbered and imbalanced, I felt like Nebraska was a good fit athletically and culturally [if not academically], and also balanced the East with the West. And 12 made room for a CCG, which I don't need, but I don't absolutely hate.
So I'd be fine with the 10 schools prior to adding, or the 12 schools post. Anything beyond 12 it ceases to feel like a unified conference, and the post-12 additions don't "fit" very well with the Big Ten's historic identity.
However, the bigger structure is that I want the postseason to go back to pre-BCS. Ideally even before the Bowl Alliance or Bowl Coalition.
So either 10 or 12 teams in the conference is fine, paired with 1997 (or 1991) bowl alignment.
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1993. I like having Penn State, and this is mega awesome.
(https://i.imgur.com/s0Kccqb.png)
It was funny that the new logo teased a 16 team conference, only for us to go straight from 14 to 18
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I would prefer an alternative version of history where:
Nebraska joins the Big Ten the same year as Penn St did, 1993. Big12 forms 3 years early and adds BYU as Nebraska's replacement.
Then change the CCG game rules in 1993 so that you don't need divisions to have a CCG,. You only need at least 12 teams total. So the BigTen, Big12, SEC,ACC and Pac all eventually have 12 teams and CCGs with no divisions.
Then move up the start of the BCS to 1993 so that the 2 best teams are always playing for the national championship.
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9 conference games, 3 ooc games. No CCG.
Perfection.
This.
The other part of this post gets in the way, because, I, too, like the 11-team Big Ten of the mid-90s. I liked the Big 12, too--with Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and aTm all in the same place.
But if I were starting from scratch, I would go with 10-team conferences (and promotion/relegation to allow the non-power conference teams a chance to get into a power conference to compete for the major championship).
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Oh geez here come the soccer dorks with their promotion/relegation ideas. :57:
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Damn right.
You think Luke Fickell would get another year if Wisconsin was staring at joining the MAC, while Ohio was set to take the Badgers' place in the Big Ten? This ain't AFC Richmond and he ain't Ted Lasso
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This.
The other part of this post gets in the way, because, I, too, like the 11-team Big Ten of the mid-90s. I liked the Big 12, too--with Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and aTm all in the same place.
But if I were starting from scratch, I would go with 10-team conferences (and promotion/relegation to allow the non-power conference teams a chance to get into a power conference to compete for the major championship).
You had me until "relegation."