Fansided

The 4 College Football Super-Leagues fans deserve

By Craig Williams

Jul 18, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney speaks during the Big Ten Football Media Days event at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Jim Young-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 18, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney speaks during the Big Ten Football Media Days event at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Jim Young-USA TODAY Sports /
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College Football Super-Leagues
The Atlantic North League /

College Football Super-Leagues: The Atlantic North League

Tier I

Midwest Division

  • Ohio State, (44)
  • Michigan, (33)
  • Kentucky, (33)
  • Cincinnati, (44)
  • Pittsburgh, (32)
  • Michigan State, (27)

Atlantic Division

  • Penn State, (31)
  • Liberty, (35)
  • West Virginia, (25/12)
  • Virginia, (28)
  • Army, (34)
  • Boston College, (25/12)

Tier II

Midwest Division

  • Louisville, (20)
  • Toledo, (24)
  • Miami (OH), (23)
  • Eastern Michigan, (22/9)
  • Western Michigan, (26)
  • Central Michigan, (21/12)

Atlantic Division

  • Syracuse, (21)
  • Maryland, (17/9)
  • Buffalo, (28)
  • Marshall, (31)
  • Navy, (21/7)
  • Virginia Tech, (25/11)

Tier III

  • James Madison, (joined this season)
  • Rutgers, (11)
  • Ohio, (21/5)
  • Kent State, (19)
  • Old Dominion, (11)
  • Akron, (7)
  • Temple, (20/4)
  • Bowling Green, (10)
  • UConn, (4)
  • UMass, (6)

The Atlantic North League borders the Atlantic Ocean and includes Michigan and Ohio to the West, and Kentucky and Virginia to the South. Western Kentucky is an exception to this strict border, placed in the Midwest Region for numbers balance.

Kentucky stands out in this region, pulled away from in-conference rivals Tennessee and Vanderbilt in the Southeast. However, any Wildcat fan knows that Kentucky and Louisville are a dynamic package deal. Placing them in the same conference seems fitting.

In addition to its rivalry with Kentucky, Louisville also has one with Cincinnati. Other rival games include Ohio State/Penn State, Ohio State/Michigan, Michigan/Michigan State, West Virginia/Pittsburgh, Penn State/Pitt (an old rivalry restored), Syracuse/Pitt, Virginia/Virginia Tech, Cincinnati/Miami (OH), and Boston College/Syracuse.

Arguably, the most storied rivalry in all of college football lies in this region: Army vs Navy!

Structuring each tier, West Virginia and Boston College barely nabbed the last two places in Tier I with one more win over the 2020 and 2021 seasons than Virginia Tech.

Hokies fans will resent Virginia in a tier above them as the Cavaliers have lost 17 of the last 19 rivalry games. Virginia, though, has more total wins over the last four seasons. Marshall and Buffalo have more wins than BC and WVU but play a considerably weaker schedule.

In Tier II, I selected Maryland, Eastern Michigan, and Navy for the last spots (barely beating Ohio and Temple.)

This season, Ohio State would defeat Penn State for the championship, getting the two seed to play Oregon in the national semifinal. Syracuse would win Tier II in a tight call over Louisville and replace Boston College. JMU, in its FBS debut, would win a Tier III championship and move up a level (replacing Central Michigan).

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