[ColoradoTree]

I absolutely think some further stratification is going to happen in college football, and relegation/promotion is maybe the most sensible way of making it happen. 

That way, all the 133 current FBS schools remain "in the conversation." But in a given year, only 32 or so have a chance at the title, with four 8-team divisions or some such. You might see geographic conferences reemerge in that setting, as Ohio State and Michigan no longer have a financial reason to continue consorting with Rutgers, and the geographic conferences expressly acknowledge unequal distribution based not on the schools in question, but on objective factors such as the number of years in the top division. 

Of course, that requires the bluebloods and current elite programs financially to decide that they are OK continuing to subsidize athletic departments at other schools in their conferences, even at a lesser level than they do currently. How long will they be willing to do that? With so much tradition in college football (and college sports generally) having been tossed by the wayside, there's less of an argument for preserving those relationships. 

You see it with FSU and the ACC right now, but they're only speaking aloud what dozens of other ADs around the country are thinking.

[ColoradoTree]

I absolutely think some further stratification is going to happen in college football, and relegation/promotion is maybe the most sensible way of making it happen. 

That way, all the 133 current FBS schools remain "in the conversation." But in a given year, only 32 or so have a chance at the title, with four 8-team divisions or some such. You might see geographic conferences reemerge in that setting, as Ohio State and Michigan no longer have a financial reason to continue consorting with Rutgers, and the geographic conferences expressly acknowledge unequal distribution based not on the schools in question, but on objective factors such as the number of years in the top division. 

Of course, that requires the bluebloods and current elite programs financially to decide that they are OK continuing to subsidize athletic departments at other schools in their conferences, even at a lesser level than they do currently. How long will they be willing to do that? With so much tradition in college football (and college sports generally) having been tossed by the wayside, there's less of an argument for preserving those relationships. 

You see it with FSU and the ACC right now, but they're only speaking aloud what dozens of other ADs around the country are thinking.