I am enamored by the jockeying going around in college football, not only at the player level - NIL, Transfer portal, etc. but also the team/conference level between conference realignment and CFP expansion to 12 teams.

I know there was much written and said about the fact the Big 12 did not have a pure conference champion back in 2014 as it did not have a conference championship. Part of the issue was only having 10 teams (not enough for divisions). So I was wondering how many teams do you need to have a viable NCAA/CFP conference. Obviously, 10 was sufficient for the NCAA but not the CFP selection committee.

So I came across this: (you don't have to read it all, the bold is what I was looking for)

20.02.9 Football Bowl Subdivision Conference. A conference classified as a Football Bowl Subdivision conference shall be comprised of at least eight full Football Bowl Subdivision members that satisfy all bowl subdivision requirements. An institution shall be included as one of the eight full Football Bowl Subdivision members only if the institution participates in the conference schedule in at least six men's and eight women's conference-sponsored sports, including men's basketball and football and three women's team sports, including women's basketball. A conference-sponsored sport shall be a sport in which regular-season and/or championship opportunities are provided, consistent with the minimum standards identified by the applicable NCAA sport committee for automatic qualification. (Adopted: 10/31/02 effective 8/1/05, Revised: 12/15/06)

20.02.9.1 Exception. A Football Bowl Subdivision member institution shall be permitted to count as one of its required six men's sports and one of its required eight women's sports a sport in which its conference does not sponsor or conduct a championship, provided the sport is one in which it participates in another Division I multisport or single-sport conference. Different sports may be counted for men and women. (Adopted: 4/29/04 effective 8/1/05, Revised: 12/15/06)

20.02.9.2 Grace Period. A conference shall continue to be considered a Football Bowl Subdivision conference for two years following the date when it fails to satisfy the eight full Football Bowl Subdivision member requirement due to one or more of its member's failure to comply with the bowl subdivision membership requirements. (Adopted: 4/28/05 effective 8/1/05, Revised: 12/15/06)

So it looks, like 8 is the number for a legitimate FBS/CFP conference. (I'll leave it to you guys to keep me straight).

If that is the case why wouldn't the "Big Ten Conference\League or Assocaition" go to 24 teams with 8 teams in Eastern Conference, the Midwest Conference and the Western Conference.  The "Big Ten Conference\League or Association" would provide oversight, negotiate media rights, do the scheduling etc (very similar to the commissioners office now.)

By definition these three conferences would be eligible for the CFP with an automatic qualifier. They wouldn't necessarily take away for the "old" Big Ten qualifier but it may boot a Sunbelt or G5 conference qualifier. It would not go well with the ACC/PAC 12/Big 12 as your 6 conference qualifiers could be B1G West, B1G Midwest, B!G East, SEC and 2 of the others.

I know the preseason is over but not much else going on during Arkansas St ate week.