SMQ: Thinking radically about college football realignment in age of coronavirus
By Zach Bigalke
Florida Conference
- Teams: Florida, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Florida State, Miami, South Florida, UCF, South Alabama
- States included: 2 (Florida, Alabama)
- Current P5 teams: 3 (Florida, Florida State, Miami)
Like the California Conference, the Florida Conference isn’t entirely accurate in its labeling. Just as the California stretches slightly over the border to Reno, this league also fudges the borders just a little bit. For this exercise, consider the Florida panhandle extended through Alabama to include Mobile. In that way, South Alabama seamlessly fits in with the other seven schools from the Sunshine State to complete this realignment.
An SEC school and two ACC programs serve as the heart of this league. Dan Mullen’s Gators figure to benefit from this new alignment, as do Florida State and Miami. Regular competition against these three schools, though, will also allow programs like UCF and South Florida to grow in stature after a recent history of competitiveness. (Remember, South Florida ranked No. 2 during part of the 2007 season… and UCF’s story is well documented by now.)
The trip from Mobile to Miami measures 590 miles each way, putting the Florida Conference right on par with other leagues already detailed in terms of travel demands. Clusters of teams up and down the state can also travel between campuses by bus, mitigating the expenses required to conduct a league season.