Someone mentioned playing every team in conference as being one of the reasons to join a conference. I had never put much thought into the WHY join a conference. Looking at the past I saw several teams moving in and out. Ga Tech HC Dodd had a feud with The Bear and with SEC recruiting (namely Bama's recruiting) and they went independent in the late sixties. Then later they joined the ACC.
But it appears TV money and the conference $$$ split, conference tie-ins in bowl games and now jockeying for Playoff spots has driven the final nail in Independency. If Notre Dame can't make it without a quasi ACC bowl consideration deal then what chance does the others have going it alone? Scheduling is much easier also because a conference team only has to round up three or four games while the independent must round up twelve games from a shrinking field.
BYU has their own Mormon TV Network and was a MWC member but longed for a P5 conference. I really think they will have to go back to the MWC because of their geographic travel problems. If Independence is in fact a thing of the past what other reasons are there for joining a conference?
But it appears TV money and the conference $$$ split, conference tie-ins in bowl games and now jockeying for Playoff spots has driven the final nail in Independency. If Notre Dame can't make it without a quasi ACC bowl consideration deal then what chance does the others have going it alone? Scheduling is much easier also because a conference team only has to round up three or four games while the independent must round up twelve games from a shrinking field.
BYU has their own Mormon TV Network and was a MWC member but longed for a P5 conference. I really think they will have to go back to the MWC because of their geographic travel problems. If Independence is in fact a thing of the past what other reasons are there for joining a conference?