6
This is close, but OU not in the Big 8 is completely wrong, though I know it was to preserve the RRS and because the old SWC only had 9 teams at its height. OU played UT non-con then, and they'd do it again. Then, whatever you do with the name, no reason for the Great Plains conference not to have ten teams too. Also don't like Northwestern and Vandy getting bumped for johnny-come-latelys like SCar and Penn St, meanwhile other "academic" schools get retained or even re-promoted. There's also dead weight in the Big East, and no need for any independents on the list other than ND, because even when we are dreaming big dreams, ND is still too stuck up to join a conference, lol. Maybe send Miami back to their outlaw barnstorming days I guess. Really, I think 12 teams conferences that are a little less fixated on the past are the way to do this, but if I were to make a final pass on Pate's alignment:
- SEC: Boot SCar, add Vandy. I think being in Nashville, he's just salty than Vandy isn't better.
- B10: Boot PSU, add Northwestern. Penn State still doesn't feel quite right as a B10 school, especially if you're going back in time before the conference brought in their natural potential conference-mates to make them feel more at home and get sweet sweet mandatory carriage money from legacy cable TV companies.
- BE: Boot USF (into the sun... they don't care anymore, and FAU is already a better place to watch football), add Penn State. Rutgers could go too, but I guess since they invented the sport, they can stay. They can't hide behind B10 money and pretend to give a shit, though. Also looking at you, BC. If you lose one of them, Miami can come back.
- SWC: Boot OU, add... somebody... Miami if they're unclaimed and you don't want more indies, otherwise UTSA, Tulane, Tulsa, UNM, AFA? I dunno. Not USF though. SWC was always an odd duck.
- B8: Add BYU and OU.
- P10: This is fine.
- ACC: Boot Miami, add SCar.
- Independents: Consider ND and Miami, ignore the rest.
