How Will Conference Scheduling Work With 16 Teams?

[cj13]

Will we play 7 in our division and 2 in the other division? Or will there be 4 pods of 4 teams? I would prefer pods as we play the same 3 every year (ASU, BYU, Arizona), and then play every other team twice in 4 years (6 for two years and the other 6 next). Best 2 conference records go to the championship game just like how the Pac 12 did last year. What do you guys think?

[CityCreekUte]

It won’t. This is a holding place until 2 24 team conferences emerge each having 2 12 team divisions.

[Milton Vanderslice]

4 Pods with the highest two best records in the championship game and using the CFP poll as the tiebreaker.

[Extra Medium]

I want SEC style 8 conference games with a cupcake week before rivalry week. Play in division and 1 other team from the other division.

[Ute2]

I like the 4 pods with the last week of the season being a semi final for the winners of each pod. Then each team that didn’t make the conference playoff plays a team from a different pod. That finished similarly on their own pod.

I know it’s a bit of an exhibition game that last week but it defecto is anyways for most of the conference with standard scheduling.

So:

4 non conference games.
3 games against your own pod.
4 games against a pod your pod is matched up against.
Then the last week where each team in the pod is matched against a team from another pod that is ranked identical to you. (Pod champions are in the defacto tourney)

That tourney would draw some eyeballs!!!

[Ed]

First, welcome to the conference from a K-State alum and fan. You will be highly valued! As far as I am concerned, this is more of a merger than an acquisition.

Second, I am sorry that the PAC collapsed. I was satisfied with BYU, Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston stabilizing the XII. With Oklahoma and Texas leaving, all I can say is. . . I am sorry to see Oklahoma go. I truly feel for OSU and WSU (KSU’s doppelgangers).

My thoughts on scheduling were similar to yours with 4 Pods.

Given a schedule for a “notional” Pod 1:
4 non-conference games
3 games within Pod 1
2 games (home and away) against Pod 2
2 games (home and away) against Pod 4

1 game TBD (the 8th game) against Pod 3 where Pod 1 is designated the Home teams for that year and Pod 3 is the Away teams (similar with Pods 2 and 4).
1v1s
2v2s
3v3s
4v4s

Rotate the Pods by one for the next year where Pod 1’s 8th game would be TBD/Away against Pod 4.

Then do the Top 2 teams play a CCG? Does the conference risk CFP positioning with our top 2 teams playing each other. Personally, I WOULD play the CCG at a neutral site. I think the 8th game with the 1v1s and some 2v2s along the CCG will generate ratings and media buzz.

Do we play the CCG in Dallas or do we rotate regionally at an NFL venue (Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston, Kansas City, D.C., Tampa. etc).

Well, that was a fun thought process. Now that I got that off my chest, it won’t be implemented LOL.

Again, welcome to the conference!

[cj13]

This idea is fire. I would love for something like this to be implemented.

[cj13]

One response to that is we want to make up ground with the SEC and B1G when it comes to tv ratings and quality of product. It’s probably best to play 9 conference games instead of adding a cupcake. Better football and better competition

[Roy Rangum]

If we want to close the gap between us and the SEC, we should do what the SEC does and play just 8 games. 9 games ensures more teams within our conference lose another game, setting up the perception we are a weak conference.

[Extra Medium]

CFP doesn’t care about better football and competition. One of the reasons the PAC-12 was shut out of the playoff was because of the parity and 9 game schedule. If I’ve learned anything it’s that extra effort isn’t always rewarded. Do the bare minimum like the SEC and secure at least 2-3 spots in the playoff every year!

[2008 National Champ]

4 pods. 3 games within your pod, two each against the other 3 pods. 9 game season where you are guaranteed to play everyone in conference home/away every 4 years.

Top two records play in conference championship for CFP autobid, even if they come from the same pod. Tie-breakers will be similar to what we saw in the Pac in 2022.

SEC model doesn’t work in a conference that is adding 8 schools over two seasons. Who would agree to play cross-division opponents once every 5-7 years?

[Central Coast Ute]

Are there going to be 9 league games? I hope not. I hope they learned from the PAC’s mistakes and go with 8

[EagleMountainUte]

8 conference games hopefully. I also hope they schedule wisely to avoid long travels. The far west teams need to avoid traveling far east more than twice a season.
SEC has the best model.