What if 12 team rule for conf champ dropped to 10?

[Buzzbee]

With the recent addition of Va Tech and Miami to the ACC, there has been speculation that their will be increased pressure on the NCAA to reduce the number of teams needed for a conference championship game from 12 to 10. If that happens, what impact, if any, will that have on the existing conference structure?

Will you see the SEC boot Vandy and Ole Miss? Vandy certainly is an oddball SEC school. They don't bring a lot of revenue to the conference. Booting them would reduce the number of teams that would get a piece of the Conf Champ and BCS pies.

Could it happen? Would it happen? Would you see the Big 12 drop teams? (I'm not that familiar with the Big 12, so don't know who, if any, would be likely candidates.) Would the ACC backtrack and instead of adding a 12th team, would they trim Va Tech or some other school and drop back to 10?

Would we see large conferences like the WAC split and add a few teams to become two 10 conferences? Would it result in a reversal of the recent trend to get bigger and bigger? Would it undermine Anrhydeddu's prediction that we will end up with 5 or so superconferences?

Just wanted to get some opinions on the possible ramifications.

[SackAttack]

In the Big 12, I could see Baylor getting dumped, and I guess Missouri and the Big Ten +1 have been in talks for a while, so there's the possibility of Mizzou switching conferences, if the Big 12 really wants to get down to 10. I dunno.

I'm also a skeptical, though, of Mizzou going to the Big Ten and leaving their biggest rival behind. I just can't see that happening.

[GoldenEagle]

Why would the SEC boot Ole Miss? Why would they want to drop to 10 teams? I could see them booting Vandy, but marky my words: it will never happen.

[Buzzbee]

It may never happen, but if the NCAA reduces the number of teams needed for a conference championship, there MIGHT be incentive to weed out the week programs/schools so that there is a bigger share for those remaining. Vandy was an obvious choice as to a team that might get the boot.

My question is, could this happen, or would it be too difficult to reduce the size of the conference? The Big East is booting Temple to add UConn. Could other conferences boot weak teams/schools?

[John Galt]

Originally posted by SackAttack
In the Big 12, I could see Baylor getting dumped, and I guess Missouri and the Big Ten +1 have been in talks for a while, so there's the possibility of Mizzou switching conferences, if the Big 12 really wants to get down to 10. I dunno.

I'm also a skeptical, though, of Mizzou going to the Big Ten and leaving their biggest rival behind. I just can't see that happening.

And so the Big 10 would have 12 teams and the Big 12 would have 10 teams. Or would the Big 12 become the Big 8 again and still have 10 teams? :)

[tucker342]

The SEC would never boot vandy because they add so much academic prestige to the conference

[tucker342]

but that is an interesting thought... it would really change the whole landscape of college football...

[nilodor]

Also I think they would want to keep vandy considering how poor they have been at football. More wins for the conference means better bowl games which means more money even if you have to split it 12 ways instead of 11.

[Airhog]

I dunno about baylor getting the boot. If your talking football only revenues, then yes, they should be gone. But they do have some fine atheletic programs, such as basketball, baseball, etc.

[Marmel]

I don't know the individual conference rules, but normally it is not that east to just boot a team. Temple is getting booted from the Big East because they are failing to achieve necessary attendance figures. I think unless the team takes a buyout, there has to be a reason to actually boot a team.

Anybody know for sure?

[Buzzbee]

I really don't know. You are correct in that Temple is getting booted because of attendance figures. At least that's the "official" reason. I'm guessing there is more to it than just that.

I would think that if it is easy for a team to leave a conference, it wouldn't be much more difficult to boot a team. Perhaps a 66% vote or a 75% vote. In terms of Vandy, doesn't SEEM like that would be too hard.:D