In the wake of the latest realignment and media deals, there has been much talk about how every team in the ACC and Big 12 should aspire to be in the Big Ten or SEC to maximize revenue. However, for fans, the bottom line is the performance of their team on the field. Winning games on Saturdays is their primary concern, and increased money does not equate to more victories.
With college football undergoing significant changes in 2024, including larger conferences and an expanded College Football Playoff, every fan base should be contemplating one key question: Will these changes help our team win games?
For instance, while Oklahoma stands to make more money in the SEC, their path to a national championship becomes more challenging. On the other hand, Kansas State’s chances of CFP qualification have improved due to the Big 12’s expansion and the departure of Oklahoma and Texas.
So how does your school fare in this new landscape? Will it see an increase, decrease, or remain the same in terms of success?
To evaluate this, I have given all 67 power-conference schools a score from -5 to +5 based solely on their potential to win games. This score does not factor in the current coaching staff or roster. A score of 0 indicates no change, while ratings from 1 to 5 suggest mild to significant improvement, and -1 to -5 indicate mild to concerning decline.
ACC
SMU: +5
SMU emerges as a major realignment winner, with a Top 25 finish last season after a long drought. The momentum is on their side.
