The world of college football has changed under our feet. The balance of power has shifted, and the traditional way of thinking — fiver power conferences could work together and create an equal but inclusive landscape across the nation — no longer seems to be feasible.
Now it’s a power grab.
A couple of dominoes have fallen over the past year that led to this. Last summer, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners kicked things off by announcing that they would leave the Big-12 for the SEC starting in 2023. Just this past week, the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins were the next pieces of the puzzle, announcing that they would be departing the Pac-12 for the Big Ten starting in 2024.
With the way things are going, it looks increasingly likely that in the not-so-distant future of college football, things will potentially be ruled by two or three mega-conferences that contain upwards of 20 teams. If you’re in, you’re in. If you’re out, good luck…
That’s what gives this all a sinking ship feeling. The iceberg has been struck, and people are flooding to the lifeboats, trying to find a sustainable home before the world of college football changes for good. In my mind, the three super conferences that will remain standing when all is said and done are the SEC, the Big Ten, and a merger between the Big-12 and the Pac-12. Each will likely contain 20-plus teams, and the Power 5 will become the Power 3.
With that idea in mind, we wanted to take a look at the current landscape and try to identify the teams who are most likely to move conferences in the coming months or years.
It should be noted that a number of ACC schools were included in this rankings despite those teams having a significant hurdle to clear before seeking a new conference to play for. The ACC has a television deal that would take revenue rights away from any team who tries to leave before 2036. That is a lot of money. However, with the momentum that this new era has, and the money that could potentially be thrown around in a new TV deal for the Big Ten from Fox, it’s not crazy to think that the hurdle could potentially be cleared.
If that were to be the case, there are a number of teams currently in the Power 5 that will need to find a place to go, and quickly. But which teams should we be looking at to make a move?
We ranked the most likely candidates:
California Golden Bears
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Where they would go: Big Ten
What they have to offer: Football…