How Each Individual League Would Function
- Michael McKernan
- Aug 6, 2023
- 6 min read
League 1:
League 1 will have 22 teams broken into 2 divisions: Midwest-West and South-East.
Each division will have 11 teams and each team plays everyone in the division once. Teams are allowed 2 non-division games to preserve rivalries, teams must play teams from a lower league (to encourage the spreading of wealth). Teams are not allowed to play a team from a different division (with the only exception being a preserved rivalry game – each team is allowed to claim up to 3 rivalry games – if all 3 are outside of their division they must choose 2.)
Playoffs and Bowl Games:
The top 3 teams from each division advance to the playoffs. Two Wild Cards will be added to the playoffs by a selection committee. The Division Champs will play a wildcard team in the first round. The other matchup will be #2 SE vs. #3 MW and #2 MW vs. #3 SE (this would be to avoid teams playing twice in the same season before the semi-finals/finals (with a wildcard team being an exception if two come from the same division).
The Bracket Would Look Like This:
Winners Championship Winners
The Bottom 2 teams in each division will play each other (#10 SE vs. #11 SE and #10 MW vs. #11 MW). The winner stays in the league. The loser goes down to League 2.
Other Bowl Games:
These five games would be used for division bragging rights. In the 5 games, the division that wins more games will have the #1 overall seed the following bowl season and play WC #2, meaning the only human/computer inclusion into the playoffs would be the two wildcards (so as to reward a division that plays much better than the other with two teams in instead of one). If two wildcards are from the same division, that division will be awarded a win when it comes to division bragging rights and teams #4 and #5 from the division that did not have a Wild Card Team will play a bowl game.
TV Contracts:
So as to avoid one TV Network running the biggest programs of college football, the networks will be on a rotating schedule (as long as they provide an appropriate bid) with each division gaining its own contract.
For example: CBS may own the 2024 South-East and FOX may own the 2024 Midwest-West. Then the following year ABC may own the 2025 South-East and NBC may own the 2025 Midwest-West. Then CBS and FOX will have it again in 2026. ABC and NBC in 2027 and so on. If a network does not reach an appropriate bid level it could go down to 3 networks. But no less than 3 to preserve a rotation. The one(s) outside the rotation will handle the biggest games of League 2 with the same South-East and Midwest-West based contracts.
Of the five games played in League 1. There will be a Noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. game on Saturday with a Friday night game and one game delegated to the lower version of that network (CBS, CBS Sports) (ABC, ESPN) (FOX, FOX Sports) (NBC, Paramount) at a time TBD.
End Result: 2 Will be Demoted
League 2:
League 2 will have 44 teams broken into 4 divisions: Midwest, West, East, South.
Just as in League 1 each division will have 11 teams and each team plays everyone in the division once. Teams are allowed 2 non-division games to preserve rivalries, play a League 1 team or play a team from a League below. Teams are not allowed to play a team from a different division (with the only exception being a preserved rivalry game – each team is allowed to claim up to 3 rivalry games – if all 3 are outside of their division they must choose 2.)
Playoff:
At the end of the year there will be a playoff. M1 vs. W2. W1 vs. M2 with the two winners playing in the next round to determine the Midwest/West team that advances to League 1 and E1 vs. S2. S1 vs. E2 with the two winners playing in the next round to determine the South/East team that advances to League 1.
The Midwest/West Champion and the East/South Champion will play in the Championship Game to determine the League Two Champion (but both will have been promoted already).
The Bottom 2 Teams in each division will play at the end of the year to determine who stays in League 2 and who goes down to League 3.
TV Contracts (repeated):
So as to avoid one TV Network running the biggest programs of college football the Networks will be on a rotating schedule (as long as they provide an appropriate bid) with each division gaining its own contract.
For example: CBS may own the 2024 South-East and FOX may own the 2024 Midwest-West. Then the following year ABC may own the 2025 South-East and NBC may own the 2025 Midwest-West. Then CBS and FOX will have it again in 2026. ABC and NBC in 2027 and so on. If a network does not reach an appropriate bid level it could go down to 3 networks. But no less than 3 to preserve a rotation. The one(s) outside the rotation will handle the biggest games of League 2 with the same South-East and Midwest-West based contracts.
End Result: 2 Will be Promoted, 4 Will Be Demoted.
League 3:
League 3 will have 44 teams broken into 4 divisions: Midwest, West, East, South.
Just as in Leagues 1 and 2 each division will have 11 teams and each team plays everyone in the division once. Teams are allowed 2 non-division games to preserve rivalries, play a League 1 or 2 team or play a team from a League below. Teams are not allowed to play a team from a different division (with the only exception being a preserved rivalry game – each team is allowed to claim up to 3 rivalry games – if all 3 are outside of their division they must choose 2.)
Playoffs:
At the end of the year there will be a playoff. The top 4 from each division will play. S1 vs. S4, S2 vs. S3 and M1 vs. M4, M2 vs. M3 and W1 vs. W4, W2 vs. W3 and E1 vs. E4, E2 vs. E3. The winner of each division’s playoff will be promoted.
The Bottom 4 Teams in each division will play at the end of the year to determine who stays in League 3 and who goes down to League 4. They will play double elimination style with the bottom team in each division being demoted. E8 vs. E11 E9 vs. E10. Losers Plays. Losing Team is demoted.
End Result: 4 Will be Promoted. 4 Will be Demoted.
League 4:
League 4 will have 88 teams broken into 8 divisions: 2 Midwest, 2 West, 2 East, 2 South.
Just as in Leagues 1, 2 and 3 each division will have 11 teams and each team plays everyone in the division once. Teams are allowed 2 non-division games to preserve rivalries, play a League 1, 2 or 3 team or play a team from a League below. Teams are not allowed to play a team from a different division (with the only exception being a preserved rivalry game – each team is allowed to claim up to 3 rivalry games – if all 3 are outside of their division they must choose 2.)
Playoff:
At the end of the year there will be a playoff. The top 2 from each division will play. S1 vs. S2, S1 vs. S2 and M1 vs. M2, M1 vs. M2 and W1 vs. W2, W1 vs. W2 and E1 vs. E2, E1 vs. E2. The winners of each South Division playoff game will play (as will the winners of the East, West, and Midwest respectively). The winner of the South vs. South, East vs. East, West vs. West, and Midwest vs. Midwest will be promoted to League 3.
The Bottom 4 Teams in each division will play at the end of the year to determine who stays in League 3 and who goes down to League 4. They will play double elimination style with the bottom team in each division being demoted. E10 vs. E11 E10 vs. E11. Losers Plays. Losing Team is demoted.
End Result: 4 Will be Promoted. 4 Will be Demoted.
League 5:
League 5 will follow the same rules as league 4 with 88 teams and so on until the last league where depending on the amount of teams it may be adjusted.