ARCHIVES  -    It takes a nineteen year backward look into the "musical chairs" of conference switching so as to sufficiently qualify that practice for archival of a period of historical greed.

CFCS PROJECT 10 YEAR LOOK AT THE BCS (2004 THRU 2013)

Of 7612 regular season games played 11.2% were vs. "lesser division opponents". - Meaningless as they were, they were great "stats harvesters" with which to impress the pollsters.

    The elites received nearly 85% of total bowl revenue during this period of time. - The non-elites received a meager 15%.  

     Eight (8) times non-elite teams were undefeated. None ever were selected to appear in a BCS Championship Game. The highest ranking ever for an undefeated non elite was TCU at No. 3 in 2010. - All eight did appear in a major BCS non-championship bowl. 

    And how about four times undefeated Boise St. never making it higher than No. 6 in The BCS final poll? - In 2009, the BCS paired TCU and Boise St. against one another in a major BCS bowl. Possibly to avoid the aberration of another victory by a non-elite over an elite, -  i.e  some years back, Applachian St opening day victory over Michigan?

    As was the case in 2004 Utah over Pitt; in 2006 Boise St. over Oklahoma; and, again in 2008 Utah over Alabama? -  It did occur once more in 2010 TCU over Wisconsin.

1.   2005:  Louisville leaves Conference-USA to join Big East Conference; Temple leaves Big East Conference to join Independents for a short stay - In 2007 they move to Mid-American Conference. - Boston College leaves Big East for Atlantic Coast Conference.  Army leaves Conference-USA to become Independent. 

2.  2011:  Boise St. leaves Western Athletic Conference to join Mt. West Conference; Nebraska leaves Big 12 Conference to join the Big Ten Conference; The Pac-10 Conference becomes the Pac-12 Conference with the addition of Utah from Mt. West Conference and Colorado from Big 12 Conference; Missouri exits Big 12 Conference to join Southeastern; Brigham Young leaves Mt. West Conference to become Independent.

3.  2012:  Texas A&M leaves Big 12 Conference to join Southeastern Conference; TCU leaves Mt. West Conference to join Big 12 Conference; W. Virginia leaves Big East Conference to join Big 12 Conference. Western Athletic Conference disbands scattering teams over Conference-USA, Sun Belt Conference, Mt. West Conference, and Independents. 

4..  2013:  A new American Athletic Conference was formed to replace disbanded Big East Conference. Temple, who had moved from the Mid-American Conference to the Big East Conference just the year before joined them along with Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, and So. Methodist, all from Conference-USA. That conference filled their loss with the addition of Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Middle Tenn., and North Texas from the Sun Belt Conference. They also added Louisiana Tech from disbanded Western Athletic Conference. Meanwhile, the Sun Belt Conference took on several new FBS members to fill out their own loss of members. - Musical Chairs doesn't end just yet!

5.  While Syracuse and Pittsburgh beat the "music end" to both occupy chairs in the ACC, Louisville jumps ship again leaving the new American Athletic Conference also for the ACC. -  Meanwhile, Central Florida makes it the fifth time a "non-elite" conference wins over an "elite" with a 2013 win over Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl. - This makes it five out of six wins for the underdogs since 2004 in a major BCS bowl.

CFCS PROJECT 9 YEAR LOOK AT THE CFP (2014 THRU 2019, 2021 THRU 2023)

Of the 7572 regular season games (2014-2019; 2021-2023) played 13.3% were vs. lesser division opponents. The number of meaningless games had not slowed with again 119 of them being scheduled in 2023. - As has not the massacre rate slowed, still at an "outscoring" pace of nearly 5 TDs per game, FBS over their lower division opponents.

The elites received nearly 77% of total bowl revenue prior to 2023. - There is little reason to believe that this will significantly improve after the coming Spring's distribution of playoff money. The non-elites will hover about the 25%, or less level again. 

- Looking at the past seasons since The CFP Co, came into being: 

1.  There was a non-elite undefeated team in 2016, Western Michigan 13-0 who was ranked No. 15 by the CFP thirteen member "expert" selection committee.  Also, in 2014 a 12-1 Marshall non-elite failed to make the CFP panel of "experts" Top 25. - Western Michigan did make it to a major bowl despite the selection committee snubs.  -  With such a blatant disregard for success, there's a near zero opportunity for a non-elite conference team to be "selected" by The CFP Selection Committee.

2.  2014:   East Carolina, Tulsa, and Tulane leave Conference-USA for the American Athletic Conference. Like the Sun Belt Conference, their departures are filled by the addition of new FBS members. Boise State chalks up another major bowl win for the "non-elites" vs.  Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl. - That's the sixth time it has happened that a "non-elite" has won over an "elite" since 2004.

3.  2015:  Idaho and New Mexico St. leave Independents for Sun Belt Conference.  - Fearing getting "stepped on" by the ACC expansion, Maryland scurrys to join the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers also "scurrys" leaving the newly formed American Athletic Conference to also join the Big Ten Conference. - Meanwhile, Navy had sailed away from the Independents to join the American Athletic Conference, and former Mid American Conference member, Massachusetts, leaves to join Independents. - Houston makes it 7 out of 8 for the "non -elites" with a major Peach Bowl win over Florida State.

4.  Alabama-Birmingham throws in the towel for a couple of seasons. - They will return in 2017.  - Though the distribution of revenue has somewhat improved for the non-elites, chaos continues rampant within the NCAA's replacement of the BCS with its twin sister, The CFP Company.

5.  2017:  After suffering an 0-12 2015 season and a mediocre previous season, Central Florida goes undefeated with a 12-0 record. It secures them a major bowl berth. Their coach is awarded "Coach of the Year", however they are rated no higher in the final CFP "experts" Poll than No. 10. -  Again a non-elite undefeated conference champion is denied the opportunity to play for a CFP determined national championship. - 

6.  2018:  The previous year saw the Big 12 Conference adding a "championship game" despite having only ten members. Oklahoma and TCU ended up playing each other for a second time in 2017, largely to have their individual chances enhanced in the seasons's final poll in order to become a "playoff four selection team".  - The 2018 season starts with  this becoming standard practice in the Big12.  - The season also begins minus Idaho dropping from FBS membership and from the Sun Belt Conference. That conference also loses New Mexico State to Independent status. Liberty attains FBS membership and joins the Independents who now total six teams. 

The 2018 season ended with Central Florida again going undefeated during the regular season. - History repeated itself with them again being left wanting for an opportunity to play for the cartel's 2018 version of a national championship. Small consolation to them, however they did move four positions up in the final CFP "experts" poll from the previous year. - They were awarded a major bowl bid, however lost to LSU in the Peach Bowl. - So, from 2004 thru 2018 the score in major bowls wherein the underpaid "non-elite" conferences participated currently stands at 8 out of 10 for the "Group of Fivers". -  It's a real shame when cartel greed wins out by paying less than 20-25% of their playoff pool revenue to conferences that've seen 80% wins by their non-elite champs in major bowl games appearances. As for the 2018 playoffs, once again it ended in controversy over the selection of teams. - It will ever be so until greed and inflexibility are replaced by the commonsense realization that expansion to a format as described by The CFCS Project will only result in more revenue for all.

7.  2019:  The season gave football fans a total of three undefeated teams, of which all three were selected for the CFP championship playoff. Twenty other teams won ten games or more while losing no more than three.  Only one of the twenty teams, Oklahoma, was selected to round out the field of four semi-finalists. - This left far too many teams (nineteen) and their disappointed fans wanting for an opportunity to play toward a national championship. - "Group of Five" American Athletic Conference champion, Memphis, did get the opportunity to play in a major bowl, however lost to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl. - Interestingly, four teams from the American Athletic Conference were among those  'left wanting." - The Power Five Conferences improved their record of games won vs. Group of Five Conferences over the past  seasons wherein they were opponents in major bowls. - Score stands at 8 out of 11 for the non-elites.

 8. 2020:   As far as The CFCS Project was concerned, COVID No. 19 reigned as a health poll "National Champion". The - project unrecorded - season did see Connecticut leaving American Athletic Conference to join up with Independents, who now total seven teams.

 9. 2021:  For the first time in the history of The BCS and The CFP, a  Group of Five team, Cincinnati, was "selected" as one of the final four teams to participate for a National Championship. - The "good 'ole boys" selected four teams - Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and Cincinnati - to play for a "National Championship." Cincinnati ultimately lost against Alabama 27-6 in the semi-final Cotton Bowl, so we now are at 8 out of 12 for the non-elites.

And while on their 2021 trip to Indianapolis before Cincinnati's boat was sunk?  

And 40 bowls were scheduled for 80 teams.  

And that many teams "went into the water."

And 35 bowls were played for 72 teams. 

And at stake was $471 Million dollars.

And 18 bowls were won by the "Power Elites" to a tune of $339 million or 73 percent.  And 17 bowls were won by the "Non Elites" to a tune of $132 million or 27 percent.

And 2 bowls had any significance toward a National Championship.

Most bowls "came out of the water"'.  -Five bowls and 8 teams saw COVID "take the rest."

And Cincy "first in" has but to wonder, will underdogs "never go in the water again?" -  A proper response to their question might be, "We're gonna' need a bigger boat" if we expect to put down the "sharks" who endanger the integrity of America's college football.

Congrats, "Underdogs" - You performed well for being paid so little! - Congrats also to, Southeastern Conference, performing well as usual. - Especially where you are able to place 13 of your 14 conference teams in bowls.  - We expect to see the Southeastern Conference have great presence again next year, however we will continue our hopes for better representation and paydays ahead for the "underdogs".

10.  2022:  - Navigate to HOME and JUSTIFICATION elements of this website for commentary. - There's simply no way one can describe the coming chaos other than to attempt to dissect without excesses of speculation and prognostication. - It's appropriate for what was to come in 2023 - And "lookee here", Tulane beats USC (46-45) in another bowl win for the "non-elites", thereby improving their eighteen-year record to 9 out of 13, or 69% wins over the "big guys".

11.  2023:  INSTABILITY REIGNS! - Six teams abandon Conference-USA to seek greener pastures.  Ala-Birmingham (who once gave it up for a couple of years), Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, and Texas San Antonio head for the American Athletic Conference who, in turn has lost Cincinnati, Central Florida and Houston to The Big 12 Conference. Also joining the Big 12 Conference to bring them up to 14 teams - and, to further legitimize their "conference championship game - Following BYU's exit from Independents is Liberty and New Mexico State who now belong to Conference-USA, a severely weakened nine team conference. New teams Jacksonville State and Sam Houston gain entrance into the "circus big tent" by also becoming members of Conference-USA. - Is this supposed to make the selection committee and pollsters jobs easier? -  What with Texas and Oklahoma already committed to SEC for 2024 we so are in need of commonsense management and a new system of determining a college football national championship. -  This time with uniformity, consistency, AND WITH CONFERENCE STABILITY!.

Speaking of "conference stability", whatever will happen to the PAC 12 Conference what with Southern California, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington moving on to the Big Ten Conference? - This makes little sense particularly when their former conference has consistently been on top with Washington, Oregon, and Arizona leading the 2023 Playoff/ Invitational Point parade. What of the rest of the conference teams and where will they end up? - Or are we slated to watching remaining teams Washington St. play Oregon State every week for a "conference championship"?

Three Group of Five teams deserve mention for the fine efforts put forth in 2023. - With little mention from the AP Writers and Coaches Polls and from The CFP Selection Committee "Expert" Poll - some sort of "underdog award" should go to Liberty (13-0); to newcomer James Madison (10-1); finally, to a perennial "doormat", New Mexico State who won eight games in a row before losing to Liberty in their conference championship meet.  - Where are the "gutsy" sportswriters of yesteryear who were there to champion the cause of "the underdog"?

By the time March of 2024 rolls around and the "moneychangers" decide "who gets what", a CFP Playoff Pool will be divided up. Coupled with their "major bowls" group will have been the group of 35 other rather meaningless "minor bowls" for revenue exceeding $653M.  - Sadly, only approximately 18% of the total revenue will have been distributed to the "non-elite" Group of Five Conferences.  - Meanwhile the Power Five "elites" plus major Independent, Notre Dame, will happily pocket 82%.

Oh! by the way, with Liberty's loss to Oregon, in major bowls the score is now 9 out of 14, nearly 65% wins for "underdogs" versus "elites".