College football scheduling proposal from Pac-12 commissioner could be great for sport
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff called out the “insane” way college football schedules games, calling for more up-to-date games. He’s right.
College football is a strange sport. It’s amazingly strange, but strange nonetheless.
No other sport out there schedules matchups a decade or more in advance. Yet that’s how it works in college football, with fans expected to geek out over a showdown with a marquee program that might not even be all that good when they actually meet.
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff wants to change all of that.
The Pac-12 wants college football scheduling in the moment
Kliavkoff told reporters that college football programs scheduling games for years and years in advance is “insane.”
He proposed a much more up-to-date system that would have programs schedule showdowns the year of. It would work more like the NFL does their schedule and it would set up some extremely juicy matchups for fans to get revved up for.
In fact, Kliavkoff is ready to roll with this plan for The Alliance between the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC “tomorrow,” per Bretty McMurphy. The only thing stopping that is the Big Ten not being ready to reduce from a nine-game conference schedule down to eight.
The idea is the right one, whether the Pac-12 can make it happen next year or years down the line.
Just think about it. Oklahoma could schedule USC after the Trojans took Lincoln Riley from their grasp. LSU could schedule Notre Dame in the Brian Kelly Bowl!
Games that aren’t so fraught would be incredible spectacles. Why shouldn’t Michigan State look to test their mettle against Baylor? Why couldn’t we see Alabama take on Ohio State with only nine or 12 months notice?
Programs could sell these games to their season ticket holders — and entice new ticket holders — with ease.
This is the obvious direction for college football to travel. Someone just has to take the plunge along with Kliavkoff.
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