My Prediction for the future of the BCS Conferences

As some of you might know the Big Ten is looking to expand to 12 teams. The Big 10 wants to do this so they can have a Conference Championship Game. By doing this they will make more money, and it will allow the Big 10 Champion not to have as long of a layoff to the BCS Bowl Game they would be in compared to the other teams in the BCS Conferences.

Some would say the nominees for the 12th Big Ten team would include Notre Dame, Rutgers, and Syracuse. I don't see any of these teams being that 12th team. Notre Dame will always be an indepenedent, especially if all their home games continue to be on NBC and they get that BCS deal where if they win 10 games they can get an automatic spot in the BCS. Rutgers is not attractive at all. NYC does not care about Rutgers. And Syracuse would be crazy to leave the Big East for the Big 10. They would be even worse and football and they would lose all the great rivalries they have now in basketball.

So who would be that 12th team? I think Missouri is the best bet. They really have no natural rivalries in the Big XII right now. But if they join the Big 10 they have a natural conference rivalry with Illinois and geographically it makes sense.

If Missouri leaves the Big XII then that conference would need to add a new team. Many would say TCU. I understand the argument, because TCU is so good right now. But the fact is even as a Top 5 team they have a small stadium and hardly ever sell out. They are not a money maker. I think the Big XII would ask Arkansas. And Arkansas would leave in a second. Arkansas has no natural rivalry in the SEC, maybe LSU to a certain extent. But in the Big XII they could resume the old Southwest Conference rivalry they had with Texas. It would make a lot of sense for Arkansas to leave the SEC for the Big XII.

So now the SEC would need to add a team. Obviously it would have to be a southern team. My best bet is they would either take Clemson or Florida State. Clemson is as passionate about football as any program in the south. Good fan base, good tradition, and a natural rivalry with South Carolina. And Florida State is a big time money making program with tons of tradition. As a FSU fan I personally would love it if FSU went to the SEC. Yes it would be harder competition. But other than Miami and Clemson, Florida State has no major rivals in the ACC. Maryland and N.C. State does not get FSU fans excited. But going down to Death Valley in LSU or playing at home to Alabama, that would be awesome. I think the ACC, if they lost one of those teams, would then try to get South Florida or West Virginia. That would make sense.

Also the PAC 10 has recently come out saying it would like to one day add a couple of teams and have a conference championship of its own. I think Boise State would be a logical choice. And then perhaps Utah would be the other pick.

Will college football have a playoff anytime soon? Probably not. But in 5 years the BCS conferences could look dramatically different and for the better. Just think 5 years from now on the first Saturday of December. Championship Saturday they would call it. The SEC Championship pits Florida vs. Florida State. The Big XII Championship has Nebraska vs. Oklahoma. In the Pac 12 Championship we have Boise State vs. USC. The ACC Championship has Virginia Tech vs. South Florida. And the Midwest 12 (Big 10) pits Ohio State vs. Michigan in a rematch from a week ago. Every BCS bowl game, including the championship game, has spots on the line on this day. Championship Saturday. How great would that be?

Kofod