HOW OFTEN YOU CHANGE CUSTOM CONFERENCES?

[Tuscaloosa]

I'm trying something new for the first time in my current dynasty. I make changes every year if it calls for it. If a team in the power 5 goes winless in conference, I replace them with a team that is just absolutely wrecking teams in their smaller conference, as long as their geographical location is reasonable for the new conference.

Recent changes:

Air Force replaced Washington St.
UMass replaced Syracuse.
Miami OH replaced Rutgers.

[thesportsguru11]

Quote: Originally Posted by SilverBullet19

Everyone has different ideas. Personally, its about realism for me. I don't make a lot of changes, as teams aren't constantly moving each year. Maybe a couple every 3-4 years on average. When I do, I consider: prestige, competitive nature, geography, and...most importantly, media market. Conferences always want new media markets.

Very good points, SB. I agree with and utilize a lot of your observations here as well.

My dynasty's progress and its story dictated some of my moves, but I always take geography, fit and recent success into account when moving teams up and around. If a team has had several good years in a row and the time feels right, they'll move up. I think teams have only moved conferences a couple times in the eight seasons I've been playing with UConn.

Here's a full breakdown of moves I've made - I started with the 2014 conference setup. Not much for eight seasons.

2014 offseason - Navy to American (real-life move)
UMass to Independent (real-life move)

2017 offseason - UConn/Houston to Big 12 (to give that conference 12)
Marshall/Army to American (to put the AAC back at 12)
UAB to Independent (giving the C-USA 11)
Texas State to C-USA (to put them back at 12)

2020 offseason - UConn/Notre Dame to ACC (to make 16)
Arkansas State to Big 12 (to make 12)
UAB to Sun Belt (to make 8)


As you see, I infrequently change conference structures as well. Only as I see fit or as I want to. And most of these make sense geographically and competitively - Arkansas State, Houston, Texas State and Marshall earned their chance to move up by playing well for multiple seasons at a time and I like my decisions in the end... heck Houston won the Big 12 in their first year while Arkansas State almost did the same!

What makes all of those moves feel good to me is that they are realistic geographically and challenge each team competitively, which is all I'm looking to do!

[RockyMountainHigh]

So Often.

An idea will hit me, and then I get bored with the one I'm running right now.

[AGgie12]

I do regulation style like a lot of people do, I move teams up and down based on performance. They have to have two seasons of being really bad or good before I move them. This past season UCF moved up to the SEC. Where they go is based on geography, American, CUSA, Mac and Sunbelt are my feeder leagues.

I also realigned my teams to where they fit more geographically. I'm playing a UAB dynasty who is in the Sun Belt which is basically all the G5 non Texas teams from the south. . So far it hasn't produced that many interesting results but I'm only 2 seasons. Alabama and OU have won the past two national champions. I'm considering a scenario where a massive realignment happens and someone gets kicked out for a scandal or big 12 is tired of the Texas longhorn network crap.

One thing I did do is make the MW be like a P6 by adding some P5 team members such as Wazzu, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah etc.

I left bowl bids the same for now, because I basically I didn't pay much attention to how things shook out the first two seasons.

[RockyMountainHigh]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tuscaloosa

I'm trying something new for the first time in my current dynasty. I make changes every year if it calls for it. If a team in the power 5 goes winless in conference, I replace them with a team that is just absolutely wrecking teams in their smaller conference, as long as their geographical location is reasonable for the new conference. Recent changes: Air Force replaced Washington St. UMass replaced Syracuse. Miami OH replaced Rutgers.

So, promotion/relegation? Not really new.

Anyways, what's the appeal of that? Kinda gets rid of rivalry games and history between teams.

[Tuscaloosa]

Quote: Originally Posted by RockyMountainHigh

So, promotion/relegation? Not really new. Anyways, what's the appeal of that? Kinda gets rid of rivalry games and history between teams.

As far as I know, "promotion/relegation" has never been based on a single season of going winless in conference in real life. I have never seen that in real life; so I have never done it in game before. So, yes, new. New to me anyway.

As for the appeal - I don't know, man. After going the traditional route for several years, some of us like to RP a future world where new rivalries are built and things change. The fact that it could possibly change every year appeals to me. One year Miami OH is undefeated in the MAC and barely Top 15, the next year, if they can win again, they get a real shot at the national title in the BIG 10 because Rutgers sucked and lost their chance.

[martywebb]

Quote: Originally Posted by RockyMountainHigh

So, promotion/relegation? Not really new. Anyways, what's the appeal of that? Kinda gets rid of rivalry games and history between teams.

If those rivalry games are meaningful to you. It's entirely objective.

I love doing Promotion/Relegation because something like Georgia sliding down three tiers is possible. Then to see them be in a fifth tier and not able to win the Conference due to the likes of a Wake Forest, and Middle Tennessee the next year, and Arkansas State the next.

As far as world building goes, promotion/relegation allows for a lot of intrigue and games that otherwise you wouldn't normally see year-in and year-out.

[DatGuy12x2]

I tried doing promotion/regulation, but it didn't work for me. I usually change conferences around if weaker teams in the mid-major conferences suddenly become strong year in and year out. I moved them based on sustained success, prestige, location and strength of the conferences I plan on moving them too. I always want to keep the major conferences as competitive as possible, keeping parity throughout the nation. Plus, I don't have to do it too often with success being a factor.

A team may run their conference, but if they don't have the prestige, they will have trouble recruiting and won't have the sustained success. After my initial rearrange to start the dynasty, to make sure the power 5 all have conference championships and teams, I follow this criteria. In one of my dynasty's, I think I moved two teams in 10 years, Houston to the Big 12 and Miami University (OH) to the B1G.