[Husker] Two-tier conferences

[Steve Reichenbach]

The Wikipedia page about college football on television (which I was
reading as I wrote the appended post) states that the NU and KSU
game was the first major college football game to be be televised
(and second overall after Fordham vs Waynesburg College).  Some
historical rivalries will be lost with the breakup of the Big 12.

> As the major conferences become more spread out to bring in more
> of the top teams, many of the lesser teams are being relegated to
> second-class status.  This will leave behind many regional rivalries
> and so may lead to less overall interest in college football.
> 
> One idea (that I haven't seen discussed) is two-tier conferences,
> such as they have in European soccer.  In such a scheme, there is
> a higher tier and a lower tier.  Every year, the best teams from
> the lower-tier move up and the worst teams from the top tier move
> down.  This would have many benefits.
> 
> 1) Television.  It would keep fans of the lower-tier more engaged
> in the games of the upper-tier.  Also, it would provide even more
> content (from lower-tier schools) for a 24 hour network.
> 
> 2) Quality.  It would motivate institutions to keep upgrading their
> quality (to move up from the lower tier or to avoid moving down from
> the upper tier).  The conference could offer more games between top
> teams.
> 
> 3) Status.  It wouldn't relegate schools such as ISU and KSU to
> permanent second-class status and it wouldn't guarantee first-class
> status to teams that don't perform.
> 
> 4) Rivalries.  It could keep alive some more local rivalries.  For
> example, the years that KSU replaced Northwestern (sorry, Mike) in
> the top-tier, Nebraska would play a more local school.
> 
> Such a scheme would allow the inevitable trend to giving more money
> to the top programs (which is what has driven this since the Supreme
> Court decision on NCAA vs OU in 1984) while not shutting out the
> lesser schools as is now the case.
> 
> It may be time for the NCAA to get more creative in trying to accomodate
> the reality of big time television revenues with the need for broader
> institutional participation as the basis for broader interest in the
> "product".  Would the cartel of the top schools support such a plan?
> Sometimes perceived self-interest prevents plans that would better
> serve in the long run.
> 
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