The Big Ten Breakdown, Vol. II: My dream conference realignment

“The Big Ten Breakdown, Vol. II” is a column by Terence Holton about the new look of college football.

Let’s play out a scenario. The NCAA has decided to eliminate the Pac-12 entirely and all of college football will be reformed. However, they need a transition Tsar. After a long grueling search, they chose one man to help smooth the merging of teams to new conferences. Some say his knowledge in college sports surpasses all else and he can name all 363 Division 1 mascots. Who is that man?

Me.

I will be reshaping the landscape of college football as fans know it, with realigning more than just the Pac-12.

The New Look Big Ten

I’ll give the Big Ten some credit, they already have brought in the big dogs of the Pac-12 in USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon. However, I don’t believe they should stop there with the West Coast. Ideally, Oregon State and Washington State will join their in-state brothers, so that the Big Ten has now captured what I believe to be the three best rivalries from the former Pac-12.

Both Washington State and Oregon State have been very solid programs over the past two seasons. With new coaches who are clearly very talented, you cannot tell me that they can’t at least compete with the likes of Illinois, Northwestern or Minnesota. These two up-and-coming programs deserve to be reunited with their rivals.

The only issue with Washington State and Oregon State joining is the size of the conference. What was once the Big Ten would become the Big 20. Not to fret, I have some solutions that will right the ship.

The Big Big 12

As Tsar of Pac-12 realignment, I will force Stanford and Cal not to join the ACC, but the Big 12. It is completely ridiculous that Cal and Stanford of all teams want to entwine with the ACC. What does ACC stand for now, “All Coast Conference?”

Second, Nebraska and Iowa are joining the Big 12. Nebraska was formerly in the Big 12, and Iowa’s biggest rival, Iowa State, is in the Big 12 — another reunion of rivals.

I will allow Texas and Oklahoma to leave the Big 12, as I believe it will make this conference more competitive. With the additions of Iowa and Nebraska, many old rivalries will be restored and make for some great football.

With the additions of the other annexed Pac-12 teams in Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado, along with Nebraska and Iowa, the Big 12 is now the Big 20; but I am the man who wields the Infinity Gauntlet.

Personally, I don’t like BYU, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston joining a Power Five conference — just doesn’t feel right to me.

So what I’m going to do is combine these four with the Mountain West and make a new Power Five conference with formerly Group of Five teams.

The Super Mountain West

This new super conference will include the entire Mountain West Conference (San Diego State, San Jose State, Fresno St, etc.), a conference which has proven it can hang with teams from the current Power Five, and combine them with the likes of BYU, UCF, Houston and Cincinnati, as well as Memphis and Tulane.

I realize this is contradictory to what I said about Stanford and Cal joining the ACC, but I like the idea of the best Group of Five teams forming their own super conference of sorts. This will also allow at least one bid to the College Football Playoff with the 12-team format. The Super Mountain West will accelerate recruiting and give these smaller teams a bigger market.

The Atlantic Coast Conference (No, really Atlantic)

I am making the ACC truly the Atlantic Coast Conference. Sorry, SMU, you aren’t being promoted to a power conference. Teams like Syracuse and Pitt are on thin ice, but as former members of the Big East, they do not have a true football conference to go to, and I will cut them some slack.

First off, Maryland and Rutgers are joining the ACC — it makes the most sense, as their states are on the Atlantic Coast.

Like with Iowa and Nebraska, Louisville and Georgia Tech are being sent to the SEC to join their rivals Kentucky and Georgia.

That just leaves one issue: Boston College.

I realize Boston College is on the Atlantic Coast, but it is so painfully terrible at football that it is being kicked out of the ACC and relegated to becoming an Independent. This leaves an opening which Notre Dame will fill. Even though South Bend, Indiana, is nowhere near the Atlantic Coast, I am tired of the whole “We play who we want.”

Still the best conference in football

The SEC will go relatively untouched in my new-look conferences, as it is pretty perfect. As I said earlier, I will allow Texas and Oklahoma to join. Louisville and Georgia Tech will also be joining their southern siblings.

Football will still run through the South no matter what changes I make, however I think these shifts are the most agreeable and would make college football even more exciting.

If only the NCAA had handed over the reins to a 19-year-old with no experience in sports management. What a shame.

“The Big Ten Breakdown, Vol. II” runs every other Tuesday.