Best Conference By Time Zone? (1 Viewer)

[Dan Lambskin]

Instead of our current geographical NCAA conference split (pac 10 west coast, big 10 midwest, etc) what if you could create 4 16 team conferences form all the schools in each time zone (put Hawaii in Pacific)

Who comes out with the best conference top to bottom? Gotta be eastern right?

 

[AAABatteries]

Instead of our current geographical NCAA conference split (pac 10 west coast, big 10 midwest, etc) what if you could create 4 16 team conferences form all the schools in each time zone (put Hawaii in Pacific)

Who comes out with the best conference top to bottom? Gotta be eastern right?

Only because of Bama would you think twice about Central.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Pfffft, you've already ruined our chances by lumping HI in with the West coasters.

 

[Galileo]

Half of the current top 25 is in the Eastern time zone.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Half of the current top 25 is in the Eastern time zone.

E S T!
E S T!
E S T!

 

[Tick]

Okay, here's what I did about a year ago...

1. Found the final Massey ratings for every team after every season since 1999.
2. Weighted them by year (23*2021 final position + 22*2020 + 21*2019 +...+ 1*1999). D2 schools got nothing (sorry, App St).
3. Sorted them into 4 16-team conferences, split into 2 8-team divisions each, trying to maintain existing conferences and rivalries as well as possible, while trying to balance the 4 conferences in strength and make sense geographically.

Here's what I came up with (number in brackets is overall ranking based on step 2 above):
West Conference (average team rating 36.3): Pac 12 plus assorted western teams, K-St because they didn't fit anywhere else.
West 1 (average team rating 38.8):

• 06 USC
• 23 Stanford
• 28 Washington
• 33 Arizona St
• 42 UCLA
• 53 California
• 62 Washington St
• 63 Arizona

West 2 (average team rating 33.9)

• 10 Oregon
• 14 Boise St
• 21 Utah
• 27 BYU
• 31 Kansas St
• 55 Air Force
• 56 Oregon St
• 57 San Diego St

North conference (average team rating 27.1): Big 10 plus Big 12 and some Ohio orphans.
North 1 (average team rating 25)

• 01 Ohio St
• 08 Wisconsin
• 12 Notre Dame
• 18 Iowa
• 25 Michigan
• 29 Michigan St
• 47 Minnesota
• 60 Toledo

North 2

• 02 Oklahoma
• 13 Oklahoma St
• 15 Texas
• 30 Nebraska
• 37 Cincinnati
• 40 Northwestern
• 45 Texas Tech
• 52 Iowa St

South Conference (average team rating 29.1) (SEC plus a bunch of Texas teams)
South 1 (average team rating 29.6)

• 04 Georgia
• 07 LSU
• 09 Florida
• 36 Tennessee
• 38 Mississippi St
• 41 Mississippi
• 43 South Carolina
• 59 Kentucky

South 2 (average team rating 28.6)

• 03 Alabama
• 11 Auburn
• 16 TCU
• 17 Texas A&M
• 32 Missouri
• 44 Arkansas
• 48 Baylor
• 58 Houston

East Conference (average team rating 37.4): ACC and Big East, Penn St and WVU go home, some orphans)
East 1 (average 39.75)

• 05 Clemson
• 24 Florida St
• 34 Louisville
• 35 North Carolina
• 46 NC State
• 49 Georgia Tech
• 61 Virginia
• 64 Wake Forest

East 2 (average 35.1)

• 19 Penn St
• 20 Virginia Tech
• 22 Miami FL
• 26 West Virginia
• 39 Pittsburgh
• 50 Boston College
• 51 UCF
• 54 Navy

 

[Tick]

Promotion/relegation regionally, here's the second division:

West	North	South	East
67 Colorado	66 Indiana	65 Memphis	70 Maryland
71 Nevada	68 Tulsa	72 South Florida	78 Rutgers
77 Fresno St	69 Marshall	73 Louisiana Tech	80 Duke
79 SMU	74 Purdue	84 Vanderbilt	81 Syracuse
86 Hawaii	75 N Illinois	88 Southern Miss	83 Temple
90 San Jose	76 W Michigan	91 Arkansas St	87 East Carolina
92 Colorado St	82 Ball St	96 Troy	95 Buffalo
93 Utah St	85 Illinois	99 W Kentucky	97 Appalachian St
94 Wyoming	89 C Michigan	102 Tulane	101 Army
105 New Mexico	98 Ohio	103 UAB	104 FL Atlantic
107 Kansas	100 Bowling Green	112 Ga Southern	106 Connecticut
111 North Texas	108 Kent	116 Louisiana	117 Florida Intl
115 UNLV	109 Rice	118 Middle Tenn	121 Coastal Car
119 UTSA	110 Miami OH	122 UL Monroe	124 Liberty
125 UTEP	113 Akron	123 Georgia St	129 Old Dominion
128 Texas St	114 E Michigan	127 South Alabama	130 Charlotte

 

[Tick]

So, from the original question, using those rankings, I get this comparison between Eastern and Central... essentially a dead heat. Sorry if I screwed up any time zones - just did some quick googling. Feels like Notre Dame should be Central, but Indiana's weird.

East (average 21.1)	Central (average 20.1)
1 Ohio St	2 Oklahoma
4 Georgia	3 Alabama
5 Clemson	7 LSU
9 Florida	8 Wisconsin
12 Notre Dame	11 Auburn
19 Penn St	13 Oklahoma St
20 Virginia Tech	15 Texas
22 Miami FL	16 TCU
24 Florida St	17 Texas A&M
25 Michigan	18 Iowa
26 West Virginia	30 Nebraska
29 Michigan St	31 Kansas St
34 Louisville	32 Missouri
35 North Carolina	38 Mississippi St
36 Tennessee	40 Northwestern
37 Cincinnati	41 Mississippi