Besides, if you look at the schools that got a P4 invite, many were getting back to a level where they used to be. TCU, Houston and SMU were in the Southwest Conference until the 1990s. Louisville and Cincinnati were in the old Big East. Only a few schools, such as Utah and UCF, really climbed up from lower levels. It\u2019s no secret Memphis and USF want in, but the landscape could look dramatically different for everyone in five years.<\/p>\n
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BEAT OUR EXPERTS<\/p>\n
Predict how you think the tournament will
play out. Can you beat one of our experts?<\/p>\n
When it comes to \u201cWhy bother?\u201d I\u2019ll repeat what I\u2019ve said the last few seasons: Just take it all one year at a time. It\u2019s harder to get attached to a player or coach you know might be out the door. But we\u2019re also coming off the second season in the history of college football where a team from outside the power conferences was guaranteed a spot in the national championship tournament. That\u2019s not going away anytime soon. It\u2019s not all bad.<\/p>\n
My alma mater, James Madison, lost a chance to play Virginia Tech this year because of the ACC moving to a nine game in-conference schedule. Beyond that, ACC teams are required that one of their three nonconference opponents must be Power 4 schools. Obviously, this is reducing the number of opportunities for G6 teams to get P4 games. Are we trending to G6 being a completely different level than P4 \u2014 kind of the old 1-AA versus their 1-A? Do you think we get to a place where there are no games between the two entities? \u2014 Kyle H.<\/p>\n
Miami (Ohio) basketball has pushed back against the weak schedule arguments by saying they tried to schedule many power conference programs, but those programs only want to schedule Quad 1 (competitive) or Quad 4 (easy win) games. And they never want it on the road. They don\u2019t want the risk of losing to a mid-major. Does this happen in football too? Is this at more risk of happening, and would P4 teams really want to avoid playing a G6 team like Boise State, Tulane, or Memphis that could actually beat them? \u2014 Bart R.<\/p>\n
Two similar questions about P4-G6 scheduling with the same answer. Yes, there are fewer games between the P4 and G6, and the number will continue to drop now that both the SEC and (most of) the ACC are moving to nine conference games with a requirement to play a total of 10 P4 opponents. Several G6 schools have lost games in recent months because of the change.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t believe they\u2019ll fully go away, because many P4 teams still want to schedule some easy victories, especially teams that are just hoping to reach a bowl game. The Big Ten still has no requirement for 10 P4 opponents \u2014 Indiana continues to fill out its nonconference schedule without them \u2014 but we definitely will see fewer P4 road trips to G6 stadiums. The ACC in particular has told its schools in recent years to stop playing those road games, which are viewed as high-risk and low-reward. It will only get harder for the good G6 teams to land those P4 games. I\u2019d love to see G6 conference challenges like we get in basketball. I\u2019ve talked to some conference officials who want it. Some G6 people recently told me the idea of fewer-to-no bowl matchups pitting P4 teams against G6 teams has been discussed, too. Speaking of that\u2026<\/p>\n
Do you have any info or predictions about which bowl games the Pac-12 will be tied to in the future? \u2014 Brad B.<\/p>\n
All of the bowls are up in the air right now. The bowl tie-in contracts ended after the 2025 season, a timeline which was meant to coincide with the end of the initial 12-year College Football Playoff contract. But as you\u2019re probably aware, the Big Ten and SEC haven\u2019t come to an agreement on more Playoff expansion, punting it for at least another year. That leaves the bowls in limbo right now, and conferences are still working on that.<\/p>\n
The most likely outcome is that the bowl tie-ins roll over another year. Because of conference realignment, former Pac-12 schools now in the Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC have stayed tied to former Pac-12 bowls. That\u2019s why Big 12 members Colorado and BYU played each other in the Alamo Bowl two years ago. Will the new Pac-12 schools similarly play in former Mountain West bowls? Possibly. But the end of some bowls like the LA Bowl and what was most recently known as the\u00a0GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit make for some other challenges.<\/p>\n
The bowl picture after an eventual CFP decision is also murky, with the talk of fewer P4 vs. G6 bowls. Or fewer bowls in total. Or a new set of bowls.<\/p>\n
Which league is stronger top to bottom, the American or the Pac-12? \u2014 Brad B.<\/p>\n
If this was 2025, it clearly would\u2019ve been the American, with what Tulane, North Texas, USF, Navy and even East Carolina accomplished. But in 2026, it\u2019s much closer. Those first three American teams I listed had to replace their head coach and top players, as did Memphis. It\u2019s a rebuilding year for the conference.<\/p>\n
In the Pac-12, Boise State sits atop the group, while Oregon State, Washington State and Colorado State have their own coaching changes. San Diego State, Fresno State, Texas State and Utah State are all solid bowl teams but need a step up to be CFP contenders.<\/p>\n
The bottom of the American is absolutely a drag, but if you cut out the bottom four to compare eight teams in each league, I\u2019ll go with the American based on the upside. USF, Memphis and Tulane are among the biggest Group of 6 spenders on rosters, and their floor is high. But I also like Navy, ECU, UTSA and Army for 2026.<\/p>\n
During the next round of conference media deals and realignment, what are the odds the top, most-resourced G6 schools form a \u201cbest of\u201d football-only conference to maximize playoff chances and TV money? \u2014 Reggie C.<\/p>\n
This is basically what the new Pac-12 tried in 2024, adding the top teams from the Mountain West and then trying to convince the top programs from the American to follow. One reason it didn\u2019t work was that the American already has a good TV deal with ESPN, while the Pac-12 was pitching hypotheticals.<\/p>\n
Talks of a G6 super league have gone around among administrators for years. But the biggest hurdle is the schools that believe they might get a Power 4 invite one day, like Memphis or USF. There\u2019s not much interest to pay millions for a lateral move if you think you\u2019ll have to pay for a more significant move in the near future.<\/p>\n
The new Pac-12 TV deal runs into 2031; the American\u2019s ends a year later. But we don\u2019t know what the SEC and Big Ten will do when their deals come up, along with the CFP. Again, still a lot of unknowns to trickle down.<\/p>\n
Does anyone have any information regarding Louisiana Tech\u2019s ongoing lawsuit with CUSA? Are they any closer to reaching an agreement to exit for 2026? \u2014 John W.<\/p>\n