College football is changing rapidly, and one of those changes is conference realignment. Now some of these teams you’re never sure where they will go and I can’t predict where they’ll go, so I’ll be going over best case scenarios.
Taking the Top Teams from the FCS
Montana State- Montana State was a top team getting to the FCS championship and losing to North Dakota State. Montana State would be a great pick-up for some of these smaller conferences because it reaches into a new territory due to the lack of FBS teams in the Northern-Midwest, so I would put them in a Grouper 5 or Big 12.
South Dakota State- South Dakota State is a team that is always on top of the FCS. They are consistently fighting for the FCS championship with North Dakota State and are again in uncharted territory for the FBS, so I would say either they go to a Grouper 5 or the Big 12.
North Dakota State- North Dakota State is arguably the best team to ever exist in the FCS. They have won 10 of the last 14 FCS championships and have completely dominated the FCS. Again it’s in uncharted territory for the FBS, which the reason why it’s so important, is that it introduces a whole new audience to the FBS, which i why I think they belong in also go to a Group of 5 or Big 12.
Picking Out the American Conference
UTSA- UTSA is typically pretty consistent in being at least a decent team. They bring in a decent amount of money and they have a decent following, although they aren’t good enough for the SEC or Big Ten I do feel like they would be good enough for Big-12 or PAC-12.
Tulane- Tulane is also a very consistent team, with a larger fanbase than most Grouper 5 schools. They actually have had some great seasons over the last few years and could maybe be middle of the pack in some of these worse Power 5 Conferences, so I would place them in the Pac-12 because they desperately need more teams.
Tulsa- Tulsa has been really struggling, but with some of these conferences struggling, some other Grouper 5 schools will be brought in, that they could maybe compete with. The reason why they might be a team to grab is because there are not a huge amount of teams in Oklahoma, so they might be a good pick up for the Pac-12.
Choosing from Conference USA
Western Kentucky- Western Kentucky probably has one the larger fanbases in Grouper 5 conferences. Western Kentucky is at least decent every year and puts up a decent record. They don’t belong in the Big Ten or SEC but could survive in the Big-12.
Liberty- Liberty is always pretty solid and there aren’t any really strong teams in Virginia. Liberty has some richer alumni, which might help them build an even stronger team with NIL, which could make them a good contender for the SEC and Big Ten in the future, but right now they would be good for the Big-12.
Jacksonville State- Jacksonville State, again, is always pretty solid. Jacksonville State ended the season at the top of Conference USA, and is at the top of their conference pretty consistently. They also could start a natural rivalry since they are close to Florida State and Miami, which is why I think the ACC is good for them.
New Teams From the Mountain West
For the Mountain West the conference is so bad I think that only 2 teams will be worth bringing into a Power 5 conference.
UNLV- UNLV is consistently near the top of their conference and is in an area where there really isn't much competition for an audience and should bring in good money to the conference. They also should keep improving because they have rich alumni and I think they belong in the PAC 12.
Boise State- Boise State really needs no explanation to be on this list. They won their conference, went to the college playoff, and built one of the best college football running backs to ever exist. They have a lot of potential, in an area with no other teams to compete with an audience for. This is a really strong team and they are up north. I would say that they would actually be middle of the pack in the SEC or Big Ten, so I would say that they might belong in the Big Ten.
Derailing the MAC
Miami (OH)- Miami (OH) is always solid. They come in the top of the MAC almost every year, and are really solid. Unfortunately for them, they are around Ohio State which takes away viewers, but still have a decent amount of fans. With how they play I would say that they deserve to be in the Big 12 also.
Ohio- Ohio is also always pretty solid. I would say that Bowling Green and Ohio are very similar in most aspects. I do think that Bowling Green is slightly better though, but since they are still pretty solid and a little better than Miami (OH) I would say that they belong in the Big 12 also.
Bowling Green- Bowling Green has actually had some really competitive games this season with some good teams. They’ve actually done better than some of the Big Ten teams have done against an opponent like Penn State. Although I don’t think they belong in the Big Ten, I think that they could fare well in the Big 12.
(I didn’t get lazy, all these teams are in Ohio, so geographically they should go to the Big 12)
Taking From The Sun Belt
James Madison- James Madison is also always pretty good. It seems like every year they show up in a close game, or even beat a really good team. They might struggle with fans since they are so close to Wisconsin, but they definitely deserve to be in a better conference like the Big 12.
Marshall- Marshall is a lot like James Madison, they’re in the North part of the Midwest, sort of overshadowed by a powerhouse in the state (Ohio State), and always seem to have one really good game each year against a top team. Due to geography they are tough to line up with a fitting conference, but I would say that they belong in the Big 12.
Louisiana- Louisiana is always pretty good. This year they made a push for the playoffs, won their conference, and were just solid all around. The only problem with them is that they do have to compete with LSU for fans, but they are completely deserving to be in a better conference, which is why I would place them in the Big 12.
To The Biggest
For this section I will choose the best teams from each Power 4 conference that are not in the Big 10 or SEC to go to one of the conferences.
SMU- SMU is not a historically great program, but with NIL I do think that they can make a really good team in the two biggest conferences, and yes I think they would be better than Miami and Clemson, since in such a short period of time they became such a good team. Because of geography I do think that they belong in the SEC.
Iowa State- Iowa State is just such a solid team year after year, even though the Sun Devils were better than them this year I do think Iowa State will be more consistent, this would also give Iowa another rival. So for those reasons I think they belong in the Big 10.
Notre Dame- Notre Dame is the crown jewel of what each conference wants. Notre Dame is always in a playoff run, and can always compete with these really good teams. Do they always lose to teams like Ohio State, yes, but are they good enough to beat Penn State, also yes. The problem for Penn State is that they have no really competitive, natural rivalry. They always lose to Ohio State, always crush Rutgers, but I think Notre Dame, being the just two states over, would bring a natural competitive rivalry. That is why I think Notre Dame belongs in the Big 10.