If I were proclaimed the all-powerful King of NCAA football and could begin from scratch to create a new college football system:

 

I would take all 120 Division 1 (BCS) college football schools and divide them into three SuperConferences: SuperNorth, SuperSouth and SuperWest.

Since I consider the 10-team round robin format (in which each division member must play all nine other division members each year) to be by far the best competitive system;

I would divide each of the three SuperConferences into two geographic divisions, with each division split into an inter-adjusting 1st and 2nd tier of 10 teams each.

(By inter-adjusting, I mean the practice, as in European soccer, of the top two teams from each division of the 2nd Tier switching places with the bottom two 1st Tier schools at the end of each year.)

I would initially put into the 1st Tier the top 5-9 teams from each of the BCS conferences, but also the top 1-4 teams from each non-BCS conference.
 
At least two or three chronic (or at least current) underachievers from each BCS conference would have to earn their place back into 1st Tier status by winning a 2nd Tier championship and being promoted.
 
I would leave each SuperConference to negotiate its own television contract, (I do like most aspects of the free market system) but I would decree that all television revenues must be split EVENLY between all 40 schools!

The giant football schools would still generate huge financial advantages because of endowments, sponsorships, ticket sales, concession and parking revenues, alumni donations, bowl affiliations, etc. but the single biggest pot of money would be used to give all schools and all student athletes a more level playing field and improved access to potential success (it is supposed to be about them after all, isn't it?)

Schedules each year would consist of 12 regular season games: 9 inter-division games, and 3 same-tier, intra-division or intra-conference games. (If you want to keep 1st Tier status, you have to play 1st Tier opponents!)  Exceptions could be granted by the NCAA to preserve long standing traditional rivalries such as the 'Commander-in-Chief' award among the nation's military acadamies. 

When a 1st Tier team is demoted at the end of a season, it’s 1st Tier schedule of division opponents is exchanged with the 2nd Tier Champion who is being promoted to take it’s place, and vice versa. (Schools keep thier at-large weeks and scheduled opponents as they have been negotiated and contracted.)

At the end of each season, the 1st Tier division champions would play each other in a Conference Championship Game. The 2nd Tier division champions would also play each other for an automatic birth in an NCAA Football Championship Playoff.

The annual NCAA Football Championship Playoff would utilize the existing Bowl Structure along the format of my ‘BCS+4’ or ‘Bowl Invitational’ Proposals submitted in the past on another website. (see www.playoffpac.com )

Each year the NCAA would identify the top 16 teams for the post-season play-off; (3 Superconference Champions, 10 1st Tier at-large teams, and 3 automatic 2nd Tier qualifiers.)

Once that decision is made, all the non-BCS bowl games would then be free to invite any of the remaining bowl-eligible teams from either the 1st Tier or the 2nd Tier  to participate in their wonderful Bowl Games based on season record, past or new conference affiliations and individual selection strategies.  Remember, some of these 2nd Tier teams will have had GREAT seasons against comparable competition and twelve of them will be moving up to 1st Tier status the next year - what an excited fan base you would be inviting to come to your community for thier holiday celebration! 

The current BCS Bowls (plus 4 top tier non-BCS alternate bowl games) would then conduct their invitational process of the top16 teams however they choose. Perhaps the Rose Bowl would still be guaranteed the SuperWest Champion, the Sugar Bowl the SuperSouth Champion and the Fiesta or Orange Bowl the SuperNorth Champion, (maybe base it on which division champion wins) and each would select from among the 1st Tier at-large and 2nd Tier automatic qualifiers to fill their 16 total playoff slots.

At the end of the Christmas and New Year’s Bowl Season, the NCAA (not the BCS power brokers) would re-seed and host a 4-team semi-finals and then a National Championship Game from among the winners of the 4 BCS Bowl Games.

With this format, all Division 1 college football teams, their student athletes and their fan bases have hope for a brighter future. Each year brings the chance, and the risk of moving up to 1st Tier or dropping down to 2nd Tier status.  And at the beginning of each year - every Division 1 college football team has a legitimate path that could lead them, large or small, to the NCAA College Football Championship!

Every game therefore has meaning and motivation. Equalized television revenue sharing allows smaller schools to hire excellent coaches, build adequate facilities, and offer legitimate opportunities to their student athletes.

A team that hits hard times can have a better chance at righting the ship by shifting to an easier schedule.  A young coach can really make a name for himself by staying at a smaller school and taking it to greatness, instead of having to jump ship, abandoning his players and his community if he wants to prove his talents at a higher level.

And finally, each year results in the coronation of a true NCAA College Football Champion decided on the field by those who should be allowed to decide it, the football players themselves! 

 

SuperNorth Conference
GREAT LAKES		GREAT PLAINS
1st Tier		1st Tier
Michigan	1	Notre Dame	1	1 from INDEPENDENT
Michigan State	2	Illinois	2	Top 8 from Big 10
Minnesota	3	Iowa	3	Top 5 from Big 12
Ohio State	4	Kansas	4	Top 1 from ACC
Penn State	5	Kansas State	5	Top 3 from Big East
Wisconsin	6	Missouri	6	Top 2 from MAC
Boston College	7	Purdue	7
Cincinnati	8	Nebraska	8
Pittsburgh	9	West Virginia	9
Central Michigan	10	Bowling Green	10	Total 20 teams
2nd Tier		2nd Tier
Army	11	Northwestern	11	2 from INDEPENDENT
Navy	12	Indiana	12	Bottom 2 from Big 10
Syracuse	13	Iowa State	13	Bottom 1 from Big 12
Rutgers	14	Akron	14	Bottom 3 from Big East
Connecticut	15	Marshall	15	Bottom 1 from C-USA
Buffalo	16	Miami (OH)	16	Bottom 11 from MAC
Temple	17	Northern Illinois	17
Toledo	18	Kent State	18
Eastern Michigan	19	Ball State	19
Western Michigan	20	Ohio	20	Total 20 teams

 

SuperSouth Conference
ATLANTIC		GULF COAST
1st Tier		1st Tier
Florida	1	Alabama	1	Top 9 from SEC
Tennessee	2	Auburn	2	Top 7 from ACC
South Carolina	3	Georgia	3	Top 1 from Big East
Kentucky	4	LSU	4	Top 2 from C-USA
Miami (FL)	5	MIssissippi	5	Top 1 from Sun Belt
Clemson	6	Florida State	6
Maryland	7	Georgia Tech	7
North Carolina	8	South Florida	8
Virginia Tech	9	Southern Mississippi	9
East Carolina	10	Troy State	10	Total 20 teams
2nd Tier		2nd Tier
Vanderbilt	11	Mississippi State	11	1 from INDEPENDENT
Duke	12	Arkansas	12	Bottom 3 from SEC
Louisville	13	Louisiana Tech	13	Bottom 3 from ACC
Memphis	14	Alabama-Burningham	14	Bottom 1 from Big East
North Carolina State	15	Arkansas State	15	Bottom 1 from WAC
Virginia	16	Central Florida	16	Bottom 3 from C-USA
Wake Forest	17	Louisiana-Lafayette	17	Bottom 8 from Sun Belt
Florida Atlantic	18	Lousiana-Monroe	18
Florida International	19	Tulane	19
Middle Tennessee	20	Western Kentucky	20	Total 20 teams

 

SuperWest Conference
PACIFIC		SOUTHWEST
1st Tier		1st Tier
USC	1	Texas	1	Top 7 from Pac 10
UCLA	2	Oklahoma	2	Top 5 from Big 12
California	3	Texas A&M	3	Top 4 from MWC
Stanford	4	Oklahoma State	4	Top 2 from WAC
Oregon	5	Texas Tech	5	Top 2 from C-USA
Oregon State	6	Arizona	6
BYU	7	Air Force	7
Utah	8	TCU	8
Boise State	9	Houston	9
Fresno State	10	Tulsa	10	Total 20 teams
2nd Tier		2nd Tier
Washington	11	Arizona State	11	Bottom 3 from Pac 10
Washington State	12	Baylor	12	Bottom 2 from Big 12
UNLV	13	Colorado	13	Bottom 5 from MWC
San Diego State	14	Colorado State	14	Bottom 6 from WAC
Wyoming	15	New Mexico	15	Bottom 3 from C-USA
Hawaii	16	New Mexico State	16	Bottom 1 from Sun Belt
Idaho	17	Rice	17
Nevada	18	SMU	18
San Jose State	19	UTEP	19
Utah State	20	North Texas	20	Total 20 teams