Here's a fun idea from BC Interruption:
I just read this interesting tidbit in Maisel's latest three point stance:
"Stanford coach David Shaw suggests that the AQ conferences make scheduling deals a la the Big Ten-ACC Challenge in basketball. The Pac-12 and SEC schools all pair off one season, and the leagues keep switching partners from year to year. The appeal to viewers and ticket buyers is obvious. But that's not why most coaches and athletic directors schedule non-conference games. On the list of scheduling imperatives, appeal to viewers and ticket buyers comes well after home dates and coaching security. That's too bad."
David Shaw, my friends, is equal parts genius and insane. But unfortunately for us, this proposal will never get off the ground. Given the current college football incentive structure that includes securing at least 6-7 home games, coaching security and qualifying for one of the roughly 75 bowl games, no AD or conference is going to sign up for something like this.
Sounds great to me, though BCI is right about the unlikeliness of the scenario, because we can't be getting in the way of those I-AA cupcakes, now, can we? Still, the fact that most major-conference schools play at least one OOC game against another BCS school gives me some small hope that maybe possibly this could work in the future. I figure once college football gets from 75 to 90 bowl games--which should happen in 2026 or thereabouts--coaches and administrators will be feeling a little better about the idea.
There's a bigger safety net if you don't have to worry about your post-season being put in jeopardy. What's the worst that could happen? So you lose, you still wind up in the Bill Winterstone, Area Businessman, Bowl. And that's not so bad. There are worse things than having a man like Bill Winterstone there to break your fall. But I digress.
The B10-ACC Challenge is one of my favorite parts of basketball season, and it's a great excuse to get schools into a different region and play opponents they might not otherwise see. In football, those out-of-region trips are even rarer, so I'd love a reason to make some trips to Big Ten or Pac-12 territory.