Knudson: The Year in Preview

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By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
January 2, 2012

The 2012 college football offseason that begins in a few days will be just the start of a monumental year for the sport. Look for it to play out something like this…
 
January: The Bowl Championship Series Presidential Oversight Committee, made up of 12 school Presidents and Chancellors, votes to continue the BCS in its current form through 2016. The bid by the Mountain West to gain an automatic qualifying status for 2012-13 is denied without any reason being given, while the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conference AQ’s are extended. Spokesman Rev. John Jenkins of Notre Dame tries to explain the decision by noting that, “Tradition is important in college football, and it’s been tradition to have the Big East and ACC as AQ members - just because that’s the way it’s always been.”
 
February: In a stunning move prompted by their unhappiness with the BCS committee’s decision, the Southeastern Conference votes to break away from the NCAA and form their own semi-pro football league to begin play in the fall. While they don’t share the Mountain West’s opinion that the MW should get one of the AQ spots, the SEC makes no secret of the fact that they do not believe the Big East and ACC should get AQ spots, either, and that instead the SEC should get four automatic BCS spots each year. New commissioner Tony Barnhart announces that the conference will change its name to The Southeastern Football League. “Our conference is far too good to be bogged down by the restraints of the NCAA,” says Barnhart. “This is bigger than life and death, after all…”
 
March: Stunned by the decision of the SEC/SFL to secede from the college football union, the NCAA steps in and reverses the decision of the BCS committee and eliminates the “AQ” altogether. The BCS will only handle the staging and operation of the national title game and will leave it to conferences and bowl games themselves to create the remaining bowl pairings. It’s hoped that this decision will placate the SEC/SFL and get that conference to reverse its previous decision and remain in the NCAA fold.
 
April: Boise State’s Kellen Moore is selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. “I’m thrilled to be a Bronco,” says the former Bronco. Meanwhile, Barnhart announces the SFL will go forward as planned. “We’ve invested too much into this already to pull back now. Plus, we paid out all those signing bonuses in February and there’s no way those kids are giving that money back.”
 
May: West Virginia wins its lawsuit against the Big East Conference and will play the upcoming season in the Big 12. The decision clears the way for Pittsburgh and Syracuse to join the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2012 season and leaves the Big East with just five football playing members. Notre Dame announces they will not become football members of the Big East. When asked his response, Barnhart replies, “But Boise State’s in the Big East now, right?”
 
June: The Big East Conference extends a formal invitation to the University of Hawaii to join the conference immediately. Beleaguered Big East commissioner John Marinatto tries to quiet doubters by noting that Hawaii is so far west that they could actually be considered the conference’s most eastern team as well. Hawaii declines the invitation.
 
July: The Fiesta Bowl announces that it will continue to host the champion of the Big 12 – if they aren’t playing in the BCS title game – and match them against the highest ranked conference champion among three former “non-BCS” leagues, including the Mountain West and what’s left of the Big East.
 
August: The pre-season polls offer some strange sights. The Coaches Poll has Southern Cal ranked No. 1, with no teams from what was the Southeastern Conference in their rankings. Meanwhile, the AP Polls has the SEC teams included, with Alabama #1, LSU #2, Arkansas #3, South Carolina #4 and Georgia #5. USC is ranked sixth by the AP. A spokesman for AP says, “We just don’t really care that much. It’s just all college football to us anyway.”
 
September: After getting hammered by Florida in their SFL season opener, Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton calls and asks Big 12 commissioner DeLoss Dodds if the conference would consider taking the Tigers back for next season. Dodds reportedly offers to take Mizzou back if the Tigers sign over all their TV revenue to the conference.
 
October: Florida State and Miami announce they are leaving the ACC and the NCAA to join the SFL for 2013. “This way, we can pay our signing bonuses over the table,” says one unnamed FSU official. Meanwhile, Nevin Shapiro asks a Florida judge to consider reducing his sentence in light of it now being okay to provide all those extra benefits to ‘Canes players.
 
November: TCU beats Texas 27-24 to win the Big 12 championship. The 11-2 Horned Frogs will meet 11-2 Mountain West champion Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Elsewhere, unbeaten Pac 12 champ Southern Cal will meet once-beaten Big Ten champion Michigan in the BCS title game, while five other MW teams, Wyoming, Colorado State, Nevada, Air Force and Fresno State all gain bowl bids.
 
December: Seeded No.1- 4, Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and Georgia will participate in the first ever Southeastern Football League Final Four Tournament that will culminate with the first SFL Championship game in the Superdome next month. The winning school will receive the Bear Bryant Memorial Trophy and each player on the winning team will pocket a $20,000 winner’s share check.
 
…and the NCAA Presidents and BCS folks will meet again in January of 2013…Stay tuned.