Stewart Mandel on what College Football will look like in 10 years . . .

[WizardofhOgZ]

. . . interesting consolidation ahead, according to Mandel.  Lots of controversy about who will be included and who will be left out.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/college-football-expanded-playoffs-10-years-alabama-ohio-state-notre-dame-051616

[Inhogswetrust]

As far as that one large super conference it will never happen. College administrators which answer to politicians indirectly and sometimes directly as well as those politicians would not let it happen. An eight team playoff might happen at some point. Does he honestly think that politicians in Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and other states would let schools in their state get left out.   

[Hugo Bezdek]

Where are Tulane and New Mexico?

[Hogarusa]

Very creative, real surprised he included Arkansas in the big group based off the reasoning

[mhsbc59]

Very creative, real surprised he included Arkansas in the big group based off the reasoning

Week we did make a BCS bowl and do very well in attendance

[Hawghiggs]

Where are Tulane and New Mexico?

Waiting for the Big 12 to dissolve.

[Inhogswetrust]

Waiting for the Big 12 to dissolve.

Tulane might dissolve their football team before that happens............................

[sickboy]

I guessed something similar to this a few years back -- nearly verbatim. You can see things changing if you pay attention to the TV rights and cable conversations. I don't know if this is going to happen -- but things are going to change in the next ten years for college football.

[PorkRinds]

To me, the thing that will cause this to happen is when the NCAA finally goes away. They are crumbling under their own weight at this point.  When the inevitable NCAA crash and burn happens, they'll be forced to do something about having a governing body, and this scenario is as likely as any I would think. 

[Karma]

Pleasantly surprised to see Arkansas.

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

To me, the thing that will cause this to happen is when the NCAA finally goes away. They are crumbling under their own weight at this point.  When the inevitable NCAA crash and burn happens, they'll be forced to do something about having a governing body, and this scenario is as likely as any I would think. 

I think this is a good possibility.

I think a more likely possibility will occur when a large program rebels vs some irrational charges.
I'm thinking something like when Utah, under Majerus, when he bought lunch for one of his players to discuss a  death in his immediate family, and the NCAA stepped in due to this being a violation.
If a program had a few of these and got a punishment of loss of a scholarship for two years or some such, maybe they say to h*** with this.  Start calling other universities, and the seeds of rebellion are planted.

[hobhog]

Paint me as a naysayer. No way can college football afford to jettison all but 24 schools and maintain the interest nationwide as today. And what happens if a school falls on hard times and loses attendance and national interests? They just kick em out and find someone else? Or a school like a TCU or Pitt gets on a 10 year roll? If Hogs didnt make cut I'd hate the top 24 and be bitter and find something else to do onsaturdays other than Hog games(I'd have to keep following them but would boycott top 24).

Hope it never happens, but know TV and money will screw it up somehow....

[GoshenHog]

I think a more likely possibility will occur when a large program rebels vs some irrational charges.
I'm thinking something like when Utah, under Majerus, when he bought lunch for one of his players to discuss a  death in his immediate family, and the NCAA stepped in due to this being a violation.
If a program had a few of these and got a punishment of loss of a scholarship for two years or some such, maybe they say to h*** with this.  Start calling other universities, and the seeds of rebellion are planted.

A similar version of this might be:
NCAA lets Ole Miss off then turns around and hammers another program for a lesser offense.  Several schools then fed up with a governing body that takes several years to invoke seemingly arbitrary penalties.

[Hawghiggs]

 I don't think Mandels version will happen. But I wouldn't mind seeing the conferences contract. These notions that conferences should have 16 or 20 schools in them is foolish. We need to get back to having 8-10 team conferences and playing everyone each year.

[Hawghiggs]

Tulane might dissolve their football team before that happens……………………….

I doubt that. Now the Public universities might.

[bphi11ips]

Very creative, real surprised he included Arkansas in the big group based off the reasoning

You've been reading Hogville too long, where Arkansas is a stepping stone.  Veteran media pros like Mandel know better.

[Torqued pork]

Twenty-four teams in a college football superconference would be eight fewer teams than the NFL. That's hard to imagine. I already hate what the pursuit of money is doing to college football.

[Pork Twain]

Far too much money would be lost by universities and the NCAA in this deal and that is why it will never happen.

[Doug]

Tulane might dissolve their football team before that happens......

What's your rationale for this statement?

[Dumb ole famrboy]

24 school split will never happen. The appeal nationwide is not broad enough. The number of schools will be around 64. Need 64 so that the schools can glean all the basketball TV money also.

[Inhogswetrust]

What's your rationale for this statement?

It was kind of in jest with only a serious vein to it. It was in response to my thinking Stewarts idea was ridiculous and thus post something else ridiculous. However I did remember the things that have happened there before. In modern times since the 1950's they have never put emphasis on athletics. They have had numerous problems. Primarily with bad hires and athletic governance. Ironically they had some good ones as well like Mack Brown. They had a basketball point shaving scandal. They even tried to get several small private schools to form a new private school conference one time. They came close to doing so before. I knew they had even considered it years ago as it made national news when it happened. This was on their own athletic department website that was in an article that they where given permission to use about the issues there:

"A 14-member blue ribbon committee studied Tulane football for the next few months and voted the night before the 1985 Green Wave-Southern Miss game whether to drop the sport. The vote was a tie.

A week later, before the season-ending game with LSU, another vote was taken, and Tulane football survived by one vote."

I know things have changed since the 80's when that happened but except for one shining year under Tommy Bowden they are still a train wreck of an athletic program. In my opinion they are lucky to even be in the AAC. That being said it is a fantastic school located in a great city with a good faculty with many things to offer. Do I think they should drop athletics? No. I think they should be a FCS member. Then again I think there are several schools that should.

[razorbacker3]

That is 3 minutes I'll never get back. Stupid fantasy that has no basis. Never happen. Who would even want that?

[Hogarusa]

You've been reading Hogville too long, where Arkansas is a stepping stone.  Veteran media pros like Mandel know better.

Maybe, or i looked at his 4 bullet points. -Hogs appeared in 1 BCS game since '98- lost.  -Not in the top 24 largest fan bases (26th).  -Are in top 24 of attendance (21st). -Not anywhere close to being a large TV market.

Gotta think the Hogs were the 24th team in his make believe 24 team league.

[TUSKtimes]

Hey, here's even a more interesting idea. Why don't we include only power 5 teams on a 12 game schedule and call it big boy football?

Why don't we go to a 9 game conference schedule, just like the Pac 12, Big 12, and Big Ten and quit trying to look like the ACC?

The Big Ten quit playing FCS schools in 2016. That would also stop watering down the SOS in the SEC.

Lots of practical things to do that are already being accomplished on many levels before we joined this dude on his science fiction journey through never-never land. 

[Pigsknuckles]

Wow!!! We're second on the list. 

[bphi11ips]

24 school split will never happen. The appeal nationwide is not broad enough. The number of schools will be around 64. Need 64 so that the schools can glean all the basketball TV money also.

This, for the first reason you state.

FBS divides into two 64 team tiers for football. Big 12 dissolves.  Most Big 12 schools are absorbed into top tier.  Battles develop on the fringes as schools like Vanderbilt and Iowa State struggle for position with schools like Boise State and Houston.  Notre Dame has no choice but to fall in line.  Four major football conferences emerge with different names (North, South, East, and West?) to soothe the hurt feelings of Big 12 fans, mostly out of concern for Texas and OU. Conference affiliations realign to re-establish geographic equilibrium and build natural rivalries.

Each conference has two divisions.  Schedule is round robin plus two conference division opponents, one marquee neutral site game, and two lower-tier FBS opponents, with an occasional FCS team sprinkled in when required to round out 12 game regular season scheduling.

"Conference championships" become de jure first round playoff games.  Lower-tier of FBS works same way for football only. "FBS" joins "Division I" as former designation of highest level NCAA football category. "Bowls" in major markets survive as part of playoff system.  Small market bowls dwindle and finally die.

Mandel is off by about 5 years.  Contracts are made to be renegotiated or broken.  Litigation occurs here and there, but most issues are resolved for business reasons.

I miss college football.

[Adam Stokes]

The comments talk about how you could have it relegated, so that you could kick the lower teams down and bring new ones in. Penalties would also have more weight if you could knock a team down a level for recruiting infractions.  Still don't see it happening, but it would be fun...

[bphi11ips]

Maybe, or i looked at his 4 bullet points. -Hogs appeared in 1 BCS game since '98- lost.  -Not in the top 24 largest fan bases (26th).  -Are in top 24 of attendance (21st). -Not anywhere close to being a large TV market.

Gotta think the Hogs were the 24th team in his make believe 24 team league.

Good research.  You may be right about order, but Mandel also knows Arkansas ranks 18 based upon AP finishes since 1936.

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

Hey, here's even a more interesting idea. Why don't we include only power 5 teams on a 12 game schedule and call it big boy football?

Why don't we go to a 9 game conference schedule, just like the Pac 12, Big 12, and Big Ten and quit trying to look like the ACC?

The Big Ten quit playing FCS schools in 2016. That would also stop watering down the SOS in the SEC.

Lots of practical things to do that are already being accomplished on many levels before we joined this dude on his science fiction journey through never-never land. 

This makes sense......If it were to ever happen.

[DeltaBoy]

It is defiantly possible cause Money via TV Rigths is what running this thing right now.   

[wildturkey8]

Interesting that poor lil ol Arkysaw made the cut. I am tired of everyone on Hogville belittling our program. 

[PorkRinds]

Interesting that poor lil ol Arkysaw made the cut. I am tired of everyone on Hogville belittling our program.

You could leave.