Just an idea...

[walksalone]

All the problems with the AQ and Non-AQ conferences, either not being represented, or having horrible teams, seems to be an ongoing theme this year.

I have an idea, that could work, but it'd probably cause more problems than it'd solve, but here we go anyways.

What if you were to have 8 AQ conference bids. Essentially at the end of each year, each conference is measured against each other (wins/loses, points for/against, SoS, etc, and NO computers) and the top 8 conferences are granted AQ bids for the following year. Kind of like the do with soccer in europe, the top 2 teams in the lower division advance and the lowest 2 teams in the division have to step down.

That may give more incentive to schools and conferences.

I probably could have presented that better, but it is 20 to 2 on a friday morning.

 

[JTrain]

Well, you can't calculate any conference comparisons worth a damn without computers.

But either way, this idea isn't going to accomplish what you want it to. By most comprehensive accounts, the Big East is still stronger than the WAC this year (overall), so in your system Pitt still goes over Boise.

Really the closest thing to a realstic fix is to make the AQ champs also be ranked in the BCS top 20 in order to be guaranteed a spot. 95% of the time they are, but it would have potentially left out four teams historically:

- '99 Stanford #22 (would've been selected as an at-large anyway)

- '04 Pitt #21

- '05 Florida State #22 (could've been taken at-large to keep Bowden/Paterno showdown)

- '10 Big East champ (has no chance to get to the top 20)

If this rule was in place this year, Pitt would not be in automatically, and none of the BCS bowls would touch them. It would clear up a spot for Boise, Stanford, LSU or a second Big 10 team.

 

[huskerinacaveman]

ESPN did something on this with the top fifty teams being split into five conferences.

At the end of the year the top two teams would advance to a playoff if I remember right.

The two bottom teams would have a winner adv/remains to the conference with the two top teams of the next lower division.

I like this idea because it gives a yearly key match ups of relevant non-con games when you know your playing a top 50 team. You don't worry about the non aq thing anymore because teams like Boise, TCU, Utah, and the others are obviously top fifty teams. As long as they cut the mustard when they consistently play quality teams. They no long have that "they don't play no one" tag. Obviously you lose some traditional rivalries, but as long as you remain competitive then your probably don't care so much. But the conferences would be formed geographically so most would probably remain.

It wouldn't work because all of the conferences would have to cease to exists and there isn't any way that the conferences would ever allow that to happen.

 

[krill]

The AQ's are not entirely based on competitive value. Bowls are all about $ and promotion. So if you take away the Big East from a BCS bid for instance, there goes a huge TV market. I started reading up on it after seeing that the Big East will champion will likely be headed to the Fiesta bowl and that's really the only reason they still have an AQ.

 

[Blackshirt316]

You're talking about a tired system in which the best team from the lower teir moves up and the worst team from the upper tier moves down for the next season...

unfortunately that kind of system simply wouldn't work for a non professional league like the NCAA. Those systems are great when there is a somewhat equal revenue system between the tiers with a salary structure and a player turnover level that isn't replacing every player every 4 years.

When the top tier makes so much greater dollars than the 2nd tier and the top players can't be paid to help prop up a lesser team from a lower divison, you simply can't enact a tiered system that all parties are going to agree to.

What team in their right mind would allow themselves to be dropped to the Non-AQ FBS level from the BCS money market?

The best option IMO is simply to create a new Division by splitting the BCS teams from the non-AQ FBS schools and giving the non-AQ FBS schools their own championship tournament structure that is separate than the BCS structure and more financially lucrative than the FCS structure.