#conference realignment

This analytical feature power ranks the major conferences in women's college basketball as the sport enters the 2026 postseason. The summary discusses the impact of recent realignment, which has consolidated power into "Super Conferences" like the expanded Big Ten and SEC. It evaluates the depth of these leagues, analyzing how the grueling conference schedules have prepared teams for the single-elimination pressure of March Madness.

The analysis compares the top-heavy nature of certain leagues against the balanced depth of others, debating which model produces more Final Four contenders. It highlights specific programs that have navigated the gauntlet of super-conference play to emerge as battle-tested favorites. The piece also looks at the mid-major leagues that could produce a Cinderella story.

The piece concludes by predicting which conference will secure the most bids on Selection Sunday. It frames the tournament as a referendum on realignment, testing whether the consolidation of resources has truly elevated the quality of play across the board.

The Long Journey of the U.C.L.A. Bruins Football Team This season, playing football for the U.C.L.A. Bruins means embarking on an extensive travel schedule, one that feels more like that of a seasoned traveler than a college athlete. The journey commenced in August with a victorious outing at the University of Hawaii. Following this initial triumph, the Bruins embarked on a series of challenging…

As batshit realignments continue and the existing conferences start to conspire, I hope everyone realizes that we had a good thing. In the end, TV money was its undoing.

FSU, a football powerhouse, is losing millions of dollars while Vanderbilt and Rutgers, who are always terrible, are raking it in.

There are reasonable ways to handle this. Unfortunately, the best case scenario is long gone, and we will be left with whatever four or five extremely wealthy men think is best.

TV money could have been spread equitably and the conferences could have remained regional and reasonable. However, now USC will play half its games east of the Mississippi.

The wrong people are in charge of everything. NIL is going to get blamed for this (it shouldn’t) while university administration will escape the blame and wrath of fans (the real tragedy).

Big-time college football is rushing to become pro football on Saturday. Only a few premier teams will make the cut. It may be regrettable, but it will be absolutely watchable.

Conference realignment, the transfer portal and compensation for athletes have rushed college football closer to professional football on Saturday. Reaching that dubious end zone may only be a quarterback sneak away. Defections from the Big 12 and Pacific Coast Conference have turned the Big 10 and SEC into super-conferences. The Big 12 scrambled to replace its name-plate former members by…