Over at the mothership, they've been having some fun with the idea of promotion and relegation in college football. Those of you who follow English Premier League soccer or whathaveyou already know what this is, but for those of you who don't here's a quick explanation from wikipedia:
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between two divisions based on their performance that season. The best-ranked teams in the lower division are promoted to the division above, and at the same time, the worst-ranked teams in the higher division are relegated to the division below (in some countries play-offs are also used). This process can continue through several levels, with teams being exchanged between levels 1 and 2, levels 2 and 3, levels 3 and 4, and so on
What would those tiers/levels look like in college football? Jason Kirk laid it all out on Wednesday, with the Pac-12, Big XII, Big Ten, SEC, and ACC making up the top level.
On Thursday, Bill Connelly went through every season since 2005 to see which schools would be relegated, which would be promoted, and how the major conferences would look in 2012 as a result. Duke of course was the ACC team demoted in 2005, and with the Blue Devils out of the league in 2006, that unfortunately put Chuck Amato's 3-9 Wolfpack on the chopping block. (But don't worry! We would rise again.)
By 2012, Boston College, Wake, and Maryland are in the Big East. Duke has been sent to parts unknown (okay, the CAA). UConn, Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh have replaced them.