As TCU's athletic director, Chris Del Conte is enjoying the discussion that has accompanied the announcement of a Big 12 football championship game for 2017.
Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said the most likely outcome will be two five-team divisions with the two champions facing each other.
While the Big 12 could in theory match its two highest-ranked teams in the championship game under NCAA deregulation passed in January, a significant concern is such a matchup could duplicate a late regular-season game.
"Obviously, that's not optimal," Bowlsby said.
So that leaves athletic directors and conference staff to work on a model that continues a round-robin schedule and incorporates two five-team divisions as the conference currently stands. The Big 12 would probably play crossover divisional games early in the conference schedule (September and October) to avoid the immediate rematch problem.
The big-picture goal is to maximize the 13th data point and enhance chances for the College Football Playoff with a marquee matchup on Championship Saturday. Well, that and dividing about $27 million-$28 million in new conference revenue, according to the Big 12's consultants.
"How we get there, we haven't talked about," Del Conte said. "We've got a year to think about it."
He's fully aware that the ADs and the conference office are getting plenty of help. Ever since the announcement just more than a week ago, media and fans haven't been shy about pitching their favorite pet plan.
Here is the breakdown of plans likely to receive consideration:
North/South
North: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia
South: Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech
Breakdown: This was the go-to division preference for the Big 12 from the birth of the conference in 1996 until the last title game in 2010. Since there's not a great east-west natural divide (short of using Interstate 35), north and south makes more sense. A couple of problems immediately emerge. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State traditionally play their Bedlam game late in the season, which could set up the unfortunate immediate rematch. The North breakdown would be a potentially huge competitive plus to OSU, along with K-State and West Virginia to a lesser extent. At the same time, other traditional late-season rivalries such as Kansas-Kansas State, Baylor-Tech and Texas' Thanksgiving game against TCU or Tech could be easily accommodated.
Big 8/SWC (with WVU)
Big 8: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State.
SWC: Baylor, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia
Breakdown: Yep, it's a nod to history and the marriage that birthed the Big 12. And it's not a huge change from the North-South model, basically just flipping Oklahoma and West Virginia. The configuration would still solve a few problems. The Oklahoma-Oklahoma State immediate rematch in the championship game goes off the board. The balance of power looks a little more even. In what could be either a feature or a problem, it sets up a potential Red River rematch in the championship game. Fox and ESPN would love it. So would the championship site, with AT&T Stadium likely to be a strong contender. But would a possible meeting take away from the storied history at Fair Park?
Reseed
Odds: Teams that finished 1-3-5-7-9 the previous season
Evens: Teams that finished 2-4-6-8-10 the previous season
Breakdown: If you really want competitive balance and the best title game, why not try to engineer it in the simplest way possible? Divide the finishers from the previous season. Rinse. Repeat. While the concept was mentioned in passing at the news conference after the Big 12 meetings, it seems to be gaining traction. Iowa State president Steven Leath told the Des Moines Register, which had pitched the idea, that reseeding "was picking up steam" as a concept. "The idea of reseeding every year is intriguing," Leath said. "It differentiates us as a league. It keeps the league really vibrant, exciting and fresh." The problem of traditional rivals being in the same division would be back but might be able to be managed slightly. And without set divisions, rearranging to a more traditional setup in case of expansion to a more traditional setup might be less problematic.
Twitter: @ChuckCarltonDMN
Your choices
Twitter users offered plenty of suggestions last week to a request for their personal favorite Big 12 divisional alignments, complete with name suggestions for each division:
Future PAC: Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas. Future MAC: Kansas State, Iowa State, TCU, Baylor, Iowa State
I-35 East: West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Baylor.
I-35 West: Texas, Kansas, Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech
Willing To Play on LHN: Texas, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, West Virginia.
Not willing: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech
Dan: West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, Okahoma.
Beebe: Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas, TCU.
The Brisket and Side: Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor, West Virginia.
Red Dirt/Red Beer: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa State
