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OK, bear with me because this is something I was just thinking about purely for fun. No significance directly with anything going on with the conference reshuffle but perhaps a thinking process to see where we stand.

Given: AQ status is stripped from all schools. Playing field as far as qualifying for AQ status is level.

Next: Select 4 top teams in college football. I do not care who they are or what basis you use for your selection. Could be highest dollar earners, or most championships, most wins, etc. But they should be highly respected teams of the sport. Does not matter just pick 4 top teams such as Notre Dame, Florida, Ohio State and let me give HBPD USC. Those are my 4. I refuse to use Texas.

Now, each team in rotating order gets to pick a school to be in their new AQ conference. Conferences will have 16 teams each. No need to list the schools.

Question: Does SMU get chosen in the group of 64? Extra credit if you can justify why or why not SMU would be chosen.

This is kind of long so someone please tell OTP the rules so he can play too.

No. Maybe If there were 5 (and in all this, I don't see why there aren't 5) "super conferences" totaling 80 teams.

Dooby wrote:No. Maybe If there were 5 (and in all this, I don't see why there aren't 5) "super conferences" totaling 80 teams.

I agree.

Mrydel,

That is a novel way to look at it and while I don't think we make the 4*16 cut under the current system, under your scenario we just might.

Asked directly, in your hypothetical, is SMU more valuable than:

Duke
Wake Forest
Baylor
Houston
Iowa State
K-State
Wash State
Louisville
Cincinnati
Vanderbilt
Connecticut
Syracuse
Indiana
Northwestern

I am sure there are others, but those come to mind rather quickly. I say the SMU brand is more valuable than just about any of the above schools when thinking solely of FB.

The fact that SMU looks like it will achieve back-to-back-to-back Rivals Top 50 recruiting classes, without the benefit of BCS membership, speaks volumes.

A different Hypothetical. Remove the BCS and all its perks, thus giving all schools more equal footing in recruiting. Have a play-off system that includes the WAC, MWC, C-USA and the MAC. Have Vegas lay odds on who wins the NC 5 years from today. I absolutely guarantee you SMU makes the Top 64, probably the Top 30. If you allow legal pay-offs to players, we might make the Top 10.

As I have always said, would you rather drive that Trans-Am in College Station or University Park?