ACC, Big 12 submit NCAA legislation to deregulate football conference championships

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The intent is to allow leagues their preference in how to determine their conference champion. It would theoretically eliminate the need -- per NCAA rules -- to split into divisions with the division winners meeting in a conference championship game.

That would benefit the ACC and other conferences which have expanded to the requisite minimum of 12 teams (and two divisions) to stage a championship game. Theoretically, with passage of the legislation, any of those conferences could play in one division and still stage a championship game.

If the new legislation is adopted a league could match its two highest-ranked teams. That might enahnce a conference's ability to get as many teams as possible into the new four-team playoff.

"Theoretically, we could say we're going to take the two highest in the BCS rankings and have them play at the end of the season," Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said.

ESPN.com first reported last month the league's intent to forward such legislation that would give the ACC “flexibility” in who plays in its conference title game. The legislation was submitted in collaboration with the Big 12, Bowlsby said Friday night.

The measure is thought to have wide-ranging support among FBS conferences because it is largely non-controversial. It is known that the 10-team Big 12 would prefer deregulation if it ever decided to play a championship game with its current 10-team alignment. The league staged a championship game from 1996-2010.

NCAA rules require a conference to have at least 12 teams before staging a conference championship game. Teams must also play each opponent in its division. Beginning in 2014, the ACC and Big Ten will join the SEC in having seven-team divisions in football (14 teams total).

"You wouldn't any longer have to have 12 (teams)," Bowlsby said. "You wouldn't any longer have to play a full round-robin in your subdivision. That would actually afford us the opportunity to have a playoff between two selected teams by whatever process we would want to select.
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It's an interesting idea. I'm not really sure where I stand on it though. I do think it would be nice for every conference to have a championship game, but I think the current system helps ensure that teams are playing each other in their division, which helps keep conference winner ties at bay.

Also, based on the article's suggestion of possibly picking teams to play in the CCG based on BCS ranking, here's how last year's matchups would have looked, based on BCS rankings in Week 15:

ACC: FSU vs Clemson (instead of FSU vs Duke)
BIG: OSU vs MSU (same game)
Big 12: Ok St. vs Baylor (instead of no champ game)
PAC: Stanford vs Arizona State (same game)
SEC: Auburn vs Alabama (instead of Auburn vs Missouri)
 

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