Musical Conferences

The Pac-10 became the Pac-12, TCU decided to move to a BCS conference in the Big East, Nebraska shifted to the Big 10, Texas A&M is leaving for the SEC, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are swapping to the ACC.

These are all the official shifts that have occurred in the past year alone. Not to startle you but this could be the calm before the storm.

Now there is talk of a Pac-16, a merger between the Big East and Big 12 and the biggest shocker, Notre Dame finally breaking down and entering a conference. Although the Pac-12 voted against expanding any further they can just as easily vote to expand.

There are two scenarios that can play out from these potential “mega” conferences. The first is the BCS bowl system will be solidified and the second is that a playoff is inevitable.

The argument can arise that since there might end up being roughly four mega conferences that a playoff will not be needed because the top teams will already be at the top of their conferences and will be selected to play for the BCS championship.

The stronger of the two arguments is the second. If it were worked down to only four conferences and each already had their own conference championship games then from there you can put together a four team playoff.

For those of you sentimentalists do not worry. They can still easily keep the bowls in place. The four big bowls can be considered the conference championship games. For example the Pac-16 championship will always be the Rose Bowl while the SEC can have their championship game be the Sugar Bowl, the ACC can have the Orange Bowl, and whichever fourth and possibly fifth conference can use the Cotton and Tostitos Bowls.

Overall the changing of the conferences means little to me unless it provokes a change in postseason play, however, however it would be nice if everyone could settle down pick a conference so we can focus on the field and not conference politics.