Overview of College Football Divisions

There are four divisions in college football. Those are the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12, and the Pac-12. If you’re wondering what the differences between each division are, keep reading. You may be surprised to find out that some of your favorite teams play in different divisions! The first thing you need to know about each division is what its rules are.

These are the Divisions That Compete For the College Football Playoffs

Big Ten

In the Big Ten, there are two divisions – the West and the East. Each division should be competitive, but there are many variables that could make a division a contender. The West division is likely to be competitive due to the number of returning starters and key pieces. The East division is a bit more unpredictable.

In addition to the East-West alignment, there are other options for Big Ten college football divisions. For example, the league could maintain its current East-West alignment and have two teams from each pod represent each conference. However, the current alignment does not work so well. For instance, the Big Ten West has a 0-8 record in conference championship games. In addition, the East tends to win more games in the conference than the West. Another alternative would be to abandon divisions altogether and select conference champions based on winning percentage.

Several years ago, the Big Ten college football conference experimented with two divisions – the Leaders Division and the Legends Division – to provide more competitive balance. Although the experiment failed, the Legends Division was the winner in the Big Ten championship. The West Division has a very competitive conference, but has yet to achieve the same level of success.

While the Big Ten is expected to release its schedule later this month, it is not known exactly which divisions will be played in the conference. The top two teams from each division will advance to the conference championship game in December. Those that fail to advance will be placed in the opposite division. Thus, the West Division will feature teams from Minnesota and Penn State, which both finished second in their respective divisions. However, it is possible that some games could be adjusted to avoid rematches.

However, the Big Ten has been discussing the possibility of eliminating football divisions, and lowering the conference slate to eight teams. This would allow the conference to leverage scheduling opportunities with other conferences. In addition, the Big Ten and other conferences are trying to tackle the SEC. Last summer, the Big Ten and other conferences announced a joint conference called “The Alliance.” Since then, Texas and Oklahoma have decided to leave the Big 12 for the SEC.

ACC

The ACC college football divisions have been changed to make the league more competitive. This new model increases the chances of multiple ACC teams reaching the Playoff. The new division structure also helps the conference championship game become more interesting. Historically, ACC championship games have been duds because of Clemson’s dominance. In the 2021 ACC championship game, Pitt defeated Wake Forest, making them the first Coastal Division team to win the conference championship since Virginia Tech in 2010.

The ACC includes schools like Florida State, Duke University, Clemson University, North Carolina State University, Syracuse University, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Miami. Three schools that joined the conference in 2013 have been to the Final Four at least once. In addition, there are teams in the conference that have won more than one national championship.

The ACC has a new scheduling model that will eliminate the Atlantic and Coastal divisions. The new schedule will allow every ACC team to play three primary opponents each year. In addition, they will play the remaining ten teams twice over a four-year cycle. This new model will ensure that all 13 ACC schools play each other at least once.

The ACC will use a double-round-robin schedule to determine which teams will play in each division. By the 2005-2006 season, the ACC expanded from eight to twelve members. By 2023, the league will adopt a 3-5-5 football scheduling model. In this new format, ACC teams will play their three primary opponents twice a year and the other nine teams twice in a four-year cycle.

The new ACC college football divisions are expected to resolve the oddities of the current system. The top two teams will play for the national championship in 2023. However, the ACC has a contract with ESPN until the 2035-36 season. Consequently, it is expected to fall behind its peer conferences in television revenue in the years to come. Besides, Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC in 2025.

After the 2023 season, the ACC plans to eliminate its Atlantic and Coastal divisions. This will allow ACC teams to play their opponents from different divisions more frequently. The elimination of divisions will also allow the top two teams on winning percentage in the ACC to compete in the ACC Football Championship Game, which will be held in Charlotte.

Big 12

The Big 12 is a conference of ten universities that participates in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. It was formed in 1994, and began conference play in the fall of 1996. Its members compete in a number of playoffs throughout the year and have a long history of success.

The Big 12 is the largest college football conference in the United States. Its member schools are the University of Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Houston, and Brigham Young University. The conference has eight schools besides Texas, so the competition is stiff. However, the Big 12 is a diverse conference that includes schools from all over the United States.

The Big 12 is unique among the current “Power Five” conferences because it has only ten teams. Until 1992, it had to have 12 teams to have playoff games, but the NCAA decided not to count games against its rules. Since then, it has continued to operate as a 10-team league, with the top two teams meeting in the Big 12 Championship Game.

The Big 12 plans to split into two seven-team football divisions in 2023. This will allow for more teams to compete in each division and prevent teams from becoming overly diluted. Adding divisions will also create geographic challenges for the Big 12, but it will also give it an excellent alternative for future years.

The Big 12 College Football Divisions are the most competitive conference in college football. The top two teams in each division meet in the championship game. This allows for a conference championship game where the de facto champion is determined. The championship game will take place in Arlington, Texas in 2022. This game is the most coveted event for all Big 12 teams.

Adding a north-south division is another option for the Big 12. This plan may create more divisions, but it has the potential to become a reality. A north-south alignment would make sense geographically, financially, and competitively.

Pac-12

After the Week Four games, the Pac-12 college football divisions are still very much up for grabs. At the top, the USC Trojans remain undefeated at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play. However, the UCLA Bruins are battling to catch up to USC for top spot after taking down No. 15 Washington last week. Utah and Oregon are in the middle of the pack, and Stanford and Washington are at the bottom. The standings could change dramatically over the next two weeks, but one thing is certain: USC and UCLA are still in the running for the Pac-12’s top two spots.

The conference schedule includes five matches within a division and four games against teams from the other division. This means four California teams will play each other every season, while four non-California teams will play one from the opposing division each season. On average, four California teams will play each other once a year, which should make the divisions more balanced.

The Pacific Coast Conference was formed in 1915, and the first four schools to join were California, Oregon, and Oregon State. Over the next 12 years, other schools such as USC and Stanford joined. The division has been in existence since that time. As of 2019, it is the second largest FBS conference in terms of the number of members.

In the years to come, the Pac-12 may do away with college football divisions. This could have a domino effect and cause other conferences to follow suit. The Big Ten and the ACC have also expressed an interest in scrapping their divisions. The SEC has also hinted at moving towards a pod system instead.

The Pac-12 has not had a championship game since the NCAA’s College Football Playoff in 2013. The last time they played in the playoff, Oregon lost to Ohio State in the national championship game. Since then, the Pac-12 has adapted its conference championships and the winner will be the team with the highest winning percentage.

The Pac-12 may have to find a new way to stay relevant. While the ACC and Big 12 would be a poor fit, it’s still the best place for the six teams that remain. However, it’s possible the Pac-12 could expand to include teams from the Group of Five conferences, which are in the second tier of college football. A partnership between the two would keep the money flowing. If the Pac-12 doesn’t do that, the Big 12 may just end up filling the gap with teams from the Mountain West.