July 1 marked a big day for college sports players and fans as the pending conference shakeup finally became official.  After two years of prepping, negotiating, and coordinating, fourteen FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams have formally moved into their new respective conferences.  With changes coming and going, college football is certainly taking on a new look.

The SEC began the changes in 2021 as they made the decision to grow their conference by inviting Oklahoma and Texas to join in 2024.  Being proactive, the BIG 12 conference, the current home for the two teams, moved to not only replace the departing teams, but to expand their league as well.  The BIG 12 offered invitations to BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF in October 2021 to move up before the fall schedule began in 2023.  

Three of the four teams moving up have been a part of the AAC, leaving them short of their full lineup.  They in turn went searching for teams to call up, snagging six teams from the C-USA, namely Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, RIce University, UAB and UTSA to bump their team count to fourteen like the SEC, BIG 10, and BIG 12.  

As the six teams made their commitment, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss jumped ship as well, moving to the SUN BELT conference.  Dwindled down to only 5 of their 14 teams, C-USA went on the hunt to save their conference before the bottom fell out.  Independent teams, Liberty Flames and the New Mexico State Aggies will join the C-USA along with Jacksonville State and Sam Houston as they move up to FBS.

The BIG 10 conference looks to expand their conference as well, inviting USC and UCLA to join the ranks in 2024, both coming from the PAC-12.  With their pending exit, PAC-12 has slots to fill but is unfortunately struggling to make it happen, largely due to the lack of securing a media rights deal for the near future.  But if the stars align for the PAC-12 and they can expand their league, the rippling effect of jumping conferences is likely to continue.  SDSU has high hopes of a bump up and the available space in the PAC-12 looked to be just the ticket for them, but without a surefire media deal, they have opted to stick with the MWC for the current season.

 The whole shuffle began as SEC moved to expand its fourteen member league to sixteen, selecting Oklahoma and Texas for their outstanding academic program and strong athletic program.  And as the conference takes on its new look in 2024, it will also begin a new media deal with ESPN who will exclusively broadcast their games.  

Truth be told, the media coverage has been playing a large part in the expanding conferences and extended invitations.  With new contracts being made and streaming services available in new ways, the college sports media coverage landscape is definitely changing.  While impressive athletic programs and records largely lead the decision making for conference heads when it comes to extending an invitation, media marketability is hot on its heels.  The team’s location, where it will fit on the TV schedule and even the fan base, play a part in bringing in the viewers, which in turn brings in the money.   

The most recent shift is just a phase, although a hefty one, in the multistep game being played by the NCAA.  As conferences continue to expand, the rippling effect will continue to follow for years to come.  What conferences come out stronger or fizzle out altogether is anybody’s guess. But at least for now, the shape of things are looking for an exciting season and schedule in the immediate future.