NCAAF Takes New Approach to Division Formatting
The NCAA Division I Council announced on Wednesday that it would loosen restrictions on college football conference games, allowing conferences to determine which teams will participate in their corresponding title games. The decision is meant to pave the way for conferences to avoid having title contention determined by the winners of each division and the possibility of eliminating divisions, if possible, at some point.
As in the case of NFL matchups, the NCAA is now one step closer to raising the overall level of competitive thrust that dominates collegiate athletics. That is why it did not take long for a Power 5 conference to implement changes. Still, this ongoing topic will resonate for the next few weeks and potentially in the upcoming years.
Minutes after the NCAA's announcement, the Pac-12 revealed that beginning in 2022, the conference championship game would be held between the two teams with the highest winning percentage.
Pac-12's Announcement
In its statement, the Pac-12 outlined how, in five of the last 11 years, divisions have prevented the conference title game from including the top two teams. In both 2011 and 2012, for example, the title matchups would have been played between Stanford and Oregon, as both teams ranked in the top 10 in both seasons, had it not been for divisions.
This combination of factors permitted an unranked UCLA program with a 9-5 record to appear in the conference title game the following year. Rather than featuring an 11-1 Stanford or an 11-1 Oregon team, the system seemed to have failed the top programs at the time.
As the Pac-12 made sure to note in their announcement, they were the conference that proposed the notion of easing the rules regarding championship games to the council in the first place. According to the Pac-12, the suggestion was unanimously supported by all FBS conferences.
The ACC has long awaited this news. In 2014, the conference began calling for removing rules regarding the divisional format, believing that all conferences had the right to decide their championship game contenders and structure the rules and regulations that allow teams to reach that stage.
The Even Grayer Line on Divisions
Like the Pac-12, the ACC believes setting aside the divisional format will allow for more attractive matchups, more opportunities for teams to play each other, and the opportunity to get multiple teams into the College Football Playoff.
Since the inception of the playoffs, the ACC has made seven appearances, six of them thanks to Clemson, while the Pac-12 has only had two. One aspect of the decision involves eliminating divisions. The other must also consider the effects of this change.
The potential disappearance of divisions will have repercussions on conference schedules. The Pac-12 noted in its Wednesday news release that the conference's current football schedule structured based on having two divisions would remain in place for the 2022 season.
Further changes and modifications to the schedule will be reviewed shortly. Although the ACC did not vote on removing the division format, everything indicates that it will be approved at some point and will most likely come into effect as of 2023.
What Changes Could Mean for Conferences
For other NCAAF divisions, considerations around eliminating divisions will deal with the same issues. But, again, calendar and game structuring will need to undergo an aggressive process of modification and adjustment to fit the expected molds.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips also had some positive words to say about the changes. According to Phillips, a new format would allow teams to face all schools in the ACC. This, Phillips mentioned, would be over four years.
Phillips also confessed that he has always been inclined to believe some decisions should be made at a local level. But, with that said, Phillips sees decisions in favor of having every conference decide how they want the race to the championship to look. In the end, Phillips believes it's about making the NCAAF a more competitive league.
