Conference Realignment: Conferences Based On Academics

Atlantic Coast Convos' John Cassillo posted an interesting hypothetical the other day -- what if conferences were arranged by academic ranking and not by athletics earning potential? Boston College didn't make the cut for the conference right below the Ivy League, with Stanford, Duke, Northwestern and Rice headlining the "Almost Ivy League."

BC fell to the second conference that includes North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Miami, Washington, Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois, Texas, Tulane, Ohio State and Maryland. Oddly enough, this conference feels all too similar to the conference we put together as part of last offseason's SB Nation Conference Re-Draft. Coincidence?

As the league's name indicates, it's loaded with ACC (five) and Big Ten (four) teams, all of whom are likely pretty thrilled to be in each other's company - though Washington may feel like it's out on an island. Solid rivalries also stay intact with so many conference foes remaining together. From a television standpoint, this collection grabs Boston, Atlanta, MIami, Seattle, Milwaukee, the states of Ohio and Texas, and Baltimore. Several schools (Texas, Penn State, Ohio State) are huge draws, and you could see three or four in the top 25 early this upcoming season.

Here is the divisional breakdown as proposed by Atlantic Coast Convos:

North Division
Boston College Eagles
Illinois Fighting Illini
Ohio St. Buckeyes
Penn St. Nittany Lions
Washington Huskies
Wisconsin Badgers

South Division
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Maryland Terrapins
Miami Hurricanes
North Carolina Tar Heels
Texas Longhorns
Tulane Green Wave

And before you scoff at the fact that Texas is included in this conference, apparently Texas to the ACC had real legs last offseason only to have the ACC rebuff Bevo (?). Obviously will never happen, but fun to think about an annual football schedule comprised of your school's academic peers. One better: promotion and relegation based on changes to academic rankings.