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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/Pittsburgh-Milanista on 2024-03-11 00:42:23.
I have been thinking about how the 4-team playoff likely accelerated conference realignment due to a guaranteed one Power-5 conference missing out. Would the Big East have stuck together and remained the sixth power conference?
I personally think the Big East was doomed from the start being half a non football playing conference. I do think that Miami, Pitt, WVU, VT, Rutgers, and Syracuse would have all found homes early on in the ACC or maybe the Big Ten.
I think that it may have stopped the 2010-14 realignment off Nebraska, A&M, and Missouri and possibly Maryland leaving the ACC for the Big Ten may have been delayed at the very least. I think Colorado may have left for the attraction of pacific coast and reaching out to more California based students. TCU and Utah would likely still be the first calls up from the group of 5 after being BCS busters (Utah '04, '08 & TCU '09, '10) that would have been the G5’s representative in an 8-team playoff.
Unfortunately, I do believe greed trumps all, especially in the sport of college football and somehow, we would reach the Power-2 alignment that CFB will see come into fruition in 2024. I love this hypothetical as I love the regionalism of college football and wish we could go back to simpler times. Please share your thoughts.
Linked is an 8-team playoff article from 2011. Just wanted to give an idea of who would have appeared.