Why Realignment is Good for College Football

However, could this all change in the 2024 season? This marks the first year of the 12-team playoff. Teams have reacted by joining new conferences. The Big 12 added BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF for the 2023 season. Texas and Oklahoma will leave the Big 12, joining the SEC in 2024.

The Pac-12 has imploded. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah will join the Big 12 in 2024. In addition, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington are moving to the Big Ten for the 2024 season.

The college football landscape will look vastly different in a year’s time.

This has created plenty of debate between fans. Is massive conference realignment good for college football? Will this still be the same sport we love as it enters a new era? Let’s look at why realignment is good for college football.

Realignment Adds New Juice

For better or worse, college fans will be antsy ahead of the 2024 season. Some are excited about the changes while others are hoping it won’t ruin the sport they love. Either way, the 2024 college football season should draw more eyes.

Even people who do not typically tune into college sports could check in for the 2024 season. This is a huge change that shakes the very foundation of college sports. Think about it: Some people only know Texas playing in the Big 12. This conference hasn’t been around for long, beginning play in 1996 with Texas joining the fold.

However, I am 24 so all I know is that Texas plays in the Big 12. Seeing the SEC next to the Longhorns will feel strange, but that doesn’t mean it is the end of college football as we know it. Personally, this only increases my interest in college football lines, especially for the 2024 season.

The SEC will feature some of the biggest brands in college football, like Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Texas. Seeing these teams square off every season will be a treat.

Conference Slate Boosted

We can’t ignore the negatives, though. Some people are traditionalists, and that’s fine. The Pac-12 dates back to 1915, when it was founded as the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). Oregon joined the PCC in 1916 and USC followed suit in 1922. The Pac-12 has deep roots. Seeing this change can be scary. Oregon joined the PCC 107 years ago. That’s hard to grasp.

However, the Pac-12 has not competed on the national level since the College Football Playoff was introduced in 2014. The same can be said about the Big 12.

Seeing the Pac-12 dismantle is sad, but its members will have brighter futures elsewhere. USC will get improved competition in the Big Ten, which can help the Trojans prepare for the playoffs. With better performances on the national stage, recruiting can improve. Better recruiting usually equals a brighter future. Oregon already saw its recruiting benefit from the move.

Yesterday I asked 2024 Gardena (Calif.) Serra CB Dakoda Fields why now was the right time for him to commit to Oregon:

“A big role was actually the Big Ten. I was waiting on that for a long time. I didn’t want them to stay in the Pac-12 because I wanted to play against the best… pic.twitter.com/5rUAnx1tKz

— Max Torres (@mtorressports) August 12, 2023

The big brands, like USC, Texas, and Oklahoma, could benefit from joining more competitive conferences. BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF will surely get more respect in the Big 12. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah will get better competition in the Big 12 compared to the Pac-12 without major brands, including USC, UCLA, and Oregon.

This should also translate to more entertaining conference slates. We always hit a lull in the middle of the regular season as powerhouses – like Ohio State – are continuously fed cupcakes. Will there still be cupcakes in conference play? Of course. But there will be more quality games with the conferences improving. This could also make more NCAA football odds enticing.

Take A Look At These Other 2 NCAAF Special Articles

• Why Realignment Drops the Ball in College Football
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Sacrifices for 12-Team Playoff

It’s time to address the elephant in the room. Ultimately, the College Football Playoff expansion sparked this massive realignment. The 12-team playoff mirrors the NFL. In turn, we will likely see fewer conferences compete for national championships. College football is going to look similar to the NFL, especially with NIL present. Is that for the better? We will find out.

2024 College Football 12-Team Playoff Schedule, per @Brett_McMurphy👀https://t.co/V2wkxaw3av pic.twitter.com/4U3LOM5pBr

— On3 (@On3sports) April 28, 2023

One of college football’s major problems has been the lack of parity on the national stage. The SEC has dominated the national title race, winning 13 of the last 17 championships. Nick Saban and Alabama built a historic dynasty, and now Georgia could be the next in line following back-to-back national championships. The 12-team playoff could help fix this.

Of course, the more games played in the postseason, the higher chance of upsets. We could finally get more parity. Teams like Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and Ohio State will likely remain in the mix every season. However, one team dominating college football could be put to an end. That would be a welcome sight.

Conference realignment was unavoidable with the 12-team playoff beginning in the 2024 season. Teams were looking to boost their conference schedules for potential playoff berths. The sacrifices could be worth it. The 12-team playoff sounds glorious. College football atmospheres are like no other. We will see them in postseason form as the first round of the playoffs will be home games.

Parlays chock full of college football odds during the playoffs is something I cannot wait for. The NFL playoffs are awesome, partially due to sports bets. Now, college football will have its version.

Realignment in college football is daunting, but the sacrifices are worth it to get to a 12-team playoff format. We could see more realignment in the coming months, as rumors surround the ACC.