So what happens if the Big Ten expands to a 16-team conference and it becomes incredibly successful? Will it be followed by the SEC and the Big 12? If so, will other conferences disappear completely? Here is a look at a possible outcome that I’ve put together. In my example I have reduced all 120 teams into 8 conferences. Six are composed of 16 teams and two are made up of 12 teams. I have dissolved the WAC, the Sunbelt and the Big East.  If the conferences do get realigned into something like this, I could also imagine this turning the postseason into a naturally occurring play-off system. It would begin with the sixteen teams in conference championship games. From there, the conference champions would play in the four BCS bowl games. At that point the remaining four unbeaten teams could move into semi final games and then the two winners move on to a national title game. In this system, the finalists only play two more games than in our current bowl system.  And in this system, a team only has to win their division and then they have an even shot at the national title. If the large conferences do develop, I would expect this play-off to be the next thing to come.  Here’s a look at my idea of the 8-conference league.

Moving from East to West

ACC

North: Army, Boston College, Cincinnati, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina State, University of Connecticut

South: Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Navy, North Carolina, Southern Miss

SEC

East:  East Carolina, Florida, Georgia, South Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wake Forrest, West Virginia

West: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Ole’ Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

Big North (big ten)

East: Indiana, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburg, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse

West: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Notre Dame, Wisconsin

Big 16

North: Central Michigan, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

South: Baylor, Houston, Louisiana Tech, Southern Methodist, Texas, Texas Tech,

Texas A&M, Tulsa

Conference USA

East: Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Marshall, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Troy, UAB, UCF

West: Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, North Texas, Rice, Tulane, UTEP, Western Kentucky

Mid-American

East: Akron, Buffalo, Kent State, Miami (OH), Ohio, Temple

West: Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan

Mountain west

North: Air Force, Boise State, BYU, Colorado State, Idaho, Nevada, Utah State, Wyoming

South: Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, New Mexico State, San Diego State, San Jose State, TCU, UNLV

PAC 12

North: Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, Washington, Washington State

South: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC