Cross-Division Opponents thru 2024 (a.k.a. so much for divisional realignment)

[Chip]

When conferences go to 16 teams you will see 4 4team pods.
Example
Pod A
Syracuse
Boston College
Pittsburgh
Notre Dame
Pod B
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Louisville
Cincinnati
Pod C
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Duke
Wake Forest
Pod D
Florida State
Clemson
Miami
Georgia Tech
You play 9 conference games, your pod, 1 other pod, and the team that finished in the same spot as you the previous year in the other 2 pods.
Year 1 Pod A vs. Pod B, and Pod C vs. Pod D
Year 2 Pod A vs. Pod C and Pod B vs. Pod D
Year 3 Pod A vs. Pod D and Pod B vs Pod D
Year 4 same as Year 1 only reverse homefields for the games
Year 5 same as Year 2 only reverse homefields for the games
Year 6 same as Year 3 only reverse homefields for the games

That solves everything and it doesn't take 16 years.

Until the NCAA tells them that they don't approve the pod system for conference championship games. 2 divisions or nothing!

It might be a worse rule than the All Star game winner getting home field in the World Series.

 

[Alsacs]

Until the NCAA tells them that they don't approve the pod system for conference championship games. 2 divisions or nothing!

It might be a worse rule than the All Star game winner getting home field in the World Series.

The NCAA doesn't need to approve the pod system conferences can re-arrange their divisions annually if they so choose. The conferences would just need to make pod A/pod B one division and pod C/pod D one division then following year pod A/pod C and pod B/ pod D and so on.

 

[Stern]

i hate this set up. But I figure within a couple years every conference will be at 16 schools and this whole ACC scheduling thing will be blown up and a new "scheduling system" will be put in place.

 

[Chris02M]

gonna be hard for teams to get to 16 with GOR in place in acc and big 12 and bigten and sec doesn't need one

 

[Btstimpy]

These are crossover games that need to be protected
Georgia Tech-Clemson
North Carolina-NC State
Miami-Florida State
Duke-Wake Forest

Syracuse, Boston College, Louisville should rotate among Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech rather than keep it at SU-Pitt, BC-VPI, UL-UVA.

I think you're on to something here. How about Syracuse, BC, Louisville, Pitt, UVA, and VT not having a designated annual crossover game and rotating 2 games through the opposite division each year. That way we play everyone more often.

 

[Chris02M]

this is the closest north south arrangement I could come up with without pods that I feel works and is pretty well balanced:

North-----------------------------------------------------South
Miami----------------------------------------------------Florida State
Virginia--------------------------------------------------Clemson
Virginia Tech--------------------------------------------Georgia Tech
North Carolina-------------------------------------------NC State
Duke-----------------------------------------------------Wake Forest
Syracuse-------------------------------------------------Boston College
Pittsburgh -----------------------------------------------Louisville

 

[Eric15]

How many SU fans make the trip to Pittsburgh when SU is at Pitt?

I've been to three SU football games at Heinz Field and 1 at the old Pitt Stadium, and our fan showing was relatively underwhelming in my opinion.

 

[Chip]

The acc will go to 9 conf games because the ncaa, in its infinite wisdom, will allow conferences to go to 13 game seasons, plus a championship game.

Well, I do agree that we're headed there. But I don't know if I'd blame the NCAA for it. 3 of the 5 major conferences already play, or are already set to start playing, 9 game conference seasons. Once the SEC comes around (and they will, more SECN inventory), the ACC will likely follow suit. Then once all leagues are at 9 games, I can see the powers that be in these leagues working in the 13 game season so they can have the non conference flexibility.

 

[Scooch]

Until the NCAA tells them that they don't approve the pod system for conference championship games. 2 divisions or nothing!

It might be a worse rule than the All Star game winner getting home field in the World Series.

I think the worst rule was mandating that a conference needed 12 teams to have a conference championship game. The mandated two division format just doubled-down on the stupid.

 

[Chip]

I've been to three SU football games at Heinz Field and 1 at the old Pitt Stadium, and our fan showing was relatively underwhelming in my opinion.

As is Pitt fan showing at the Dome. It has to be one of the least attractive long term series in college football. Both teams just never seem to be good at the same time, which probably speaks to the recruiting territory and its lack of depth (note to any of you that think UConn being in a major conference is a good idea. Bad enough that Rutgers landed on its feet).

 

[KaiserUEO]

I've been to three SU football games at Heinz Field and 1 at the old Pitt Stadium, and our fan showing was relatively underwhelming in my opinion.

getting pitt in as the guaranteed crossover from the ACC, is like going to your parents house for Christmas and your mom puts a zuccini, squash & carrot mush mix in front of you and says...look your favorite!!

ahh yeah, when i was 1. if you wont give me ham this year, im good with everything else at the adult table, thank you.

Oh Lord

 

[JimBoston]

It seems ACC can't go to a 9 game schedule due to the ND partial affiliation. Why? With the ND games, teams like Clemson, FSU, and GT would play 9 ACC games, plus ND, plus their in-state SEC opponent all in the same year, every three years. That is 11 contracted games. This could mean only 6 or 7 home games in a given season which is a non-starter for them due to lost revenue. The only way I see a 9 game ACC schedule is if ND becomes a full football member.

 

[Chip]

It seems ACC can't go to a 9 game schedule due to the ND partial affiliation. Why? With the ND games, teams like Clemson, FSU, and GT would play 9 ACC games, plus ND, plus their in-state SEC opponent all in the same year, every three years. That is 11 contracted games. This could mean only 6 or 7 home games in a given season which is a non-starter for them due to lost revenue. The only way I see a 9 game ACC schedule is if ND becomes a full football member.

Really comes down to FSU. FSU wants to play Florida. FSU wants to play Miami. I'm sure FSU will want to play ND whenever it's their turn. ACC may need to say guess what FSU, if you want all of this, then you need to give up your scheduling flexibility on non conference games.

I know that FSU is the golden child the ACC needs to protect. But with the GoR, and the fact that every other league already plays a 9 game schedule, there's some leverage. Where are they going to go?

Can't they put it to a vote?

 

[Moontan]

Can't they put it to a vote?

They did... twice.

First they voted to go to 9 games, then when ND was brought into play they voted to go to 8.

One way they'd vote to go to 9 is if ND was all-in. Since ND would never agree to 9, that point in moot.

They could also go to 9 if the off-week was ditched and they went with a 13-game season. 13 + championship game + playoff = 16 games for the finalists (17 if the playoff is expanded). Is that too much?

 

[riskylogic]

I think only divisional games should really matter. That way divisional champions are determined by a balanced schedule. Use cross-divisional games for the occasional tie-breaker, but that's it. Then the league could be flexible on the number of conference games; some could play 8 and some 9. Maybe ND could only play 7.

 

[Scooch]

They did... twice.

First they voted to go to 9 games, then when ND was brought into play they voted to go to 8.

One way they'd vote to go to 9 is if ND was all-in. Since ND would never agree to 9, that point in moot.

They could also go to 9 if the off-week was ditched and they went with a 13-game season. 13 + championship game + playoff = 16 games for the finalists (17 if the playoff is expanded). Is that too much?

It was barely 20 years ago when the majority of D-1A teams played 11 games, and almost no one played more than 12.

Today the majority plays 13 and nearly twenty play 14.

I think a 13th regular season game is inevitable. It's just when, not if. My hunch is in the next 10 years.

 

[Cajovalley]

I've been to three SU football games at Heinz Field and 1 at the old Pitt Stadium, and our fan showing was relatively underwhelming in my opinion.

me too, and the home team support wasn't much better..

 

[Alsacs]

JimBoston is correct about the 9 game schedule, and from everything I have heard and read its basically FSU and Dabo Swinney against the 9 game schedule. Because of 9 ACC/ 1 SEC game and then every six years playing Notre Dame home and away would cause Clemson and Florida State to only have 6 home games. I don't think Georgia Tech is against 9 games as much as those 2 schools.

The ACC should subsidize Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech every 6 years they get stuck with only 6 home games the additional million or two million dollars to get the conference schedules up to 9 games each year. If the 11 schools including Louisville would take 540k less dollars each six years basically 90k less a season in annual TV money from the ACC the conference could give FSU/Clemson/Georgia Tech an 2 extra million dollars each six years to get them to overcome their lost 7th home game by only having 6 home games the seasons they play at Notre Dame.

Hell the money could come out of the Maryland settlement if the conference doesn't use that purchase tier 3 rights from Raycom/Fox.

 

[All4SU]

It was barely 20 years ago when the majority of D-1A teams played 11 games, and almost no one played more than 12.

Today the majority plays 13 and nearly twenty play 14.

I think a 13th regular season game is inevitable. It's just when, not if. My hunch is in the next 10 years.

I agree. I think it's coming...and I think it's too much.

 

[gilardino]

http://theacc.co/FB1424release

The kids who will be playing for SU when we get Miami at home are now 7 years old.

its crazy to see it this way, however it beats playing what uconn is

 

[orange79]

When conferences go to 16 teams you will see 4 4team pods.
Example
Pod A
Syracuse
Boston College
Pittsburgh
Notre Dame
Pod B
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Louisville
Cincinnati
Pod C
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Duke
Wake Forest
Pod D
Florida State
Clemson
Miami
Georgia Tech
You play 9 conference games, your pod, 1 other pod, and the team that finished in the same spot as you the previous year in the other 2 pods.
Year 1 Pod A vs. Pod B, and Pod C vs. Pod D
Year 2 Pod A vs. Pod C and Pod B vs. Pod D
Year 3 Pod A vs. Pod D and Pod B vs Pod C
Year 4 same as Year 1 only reverse homefields for the games
Year 5 same as Year 2 only reverse homefields for the games
Year 6 same as Year 3 only reverse homefields for the games

That solves everything and it doesn't take 16 years.

Fixed year 3. At least I think I did

I thought I read somewhere that the NCAA didn't allow pods. Anyone know if that is true?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Fixed year 3. At least I think I did

I thought I read somewhere that the NCAA didn't allow pods. Anyone know if that is true?

No "pods" allowed. You have to have 2 divisions.

Now there's nothing in the books preventing a conference from re-assigning teams into different divisions after each and every season. Just as long as you can get 16 different fanbases to buy into it.

One year we'll be in the ACC North with VaTech, UVa, Louisville, and Cinci.

Next year we'll be in the ACC South with Miami, FSU, Clemson, and Ga Tech.

The year after that we're in the NL Central with the Cubs, Cardinals, Reds, and Brew Crew.

IMO, this is a horrible idea. But what do I know.