College Football is always changing, and it feels like no team is tied down to their conference anymore. Five years ago, if you said that Texas, the heartbeat of the Big 12, would be joining the SEC and that UCLA, who plays in the Rose Bowl, would be in the Big 10, nobody would have believed you.
Yet here we are.
Rumors and teams are already saying they want to leave their current conferences. Clemson and Florida State want to leave for a conference that will pay more. Utah seems very unhappy in the Big 12, and rumors swirl about whether Kansas could be a Big 10 fit.
But what if the conference started to make sense again? Every conference has a team or two that just don’t seem to fit, whether culturally, politically, or geographically. Here is one team from each conference that doesn’t fit.
ACC – Syracuse
![College Football Conference Realignment: 1 Team From Each P4 Conference That Fits Better in Another Conference 1 Syracuse Football](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/USATSI_17059768-scaled-e1705074581812.jpg)
This may be a personal issue, but I’ve always considered Syracuse a Big 10 school. Geographically, they are closer to most Big 10 schools than they are to the majority of ACC schools. They also play traditionally more of a Big 10 style.
When I think of traditional Big 10 teams like Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa, Syracuse feels like they belong in that cultural mix.
Finally, Syracuse plays in an indoor stadium. There aren’t a lot of teams that play indoors, and none other in the P4, but when I think of an indoor stadium, I think of NFL teams that reside in Big 10 country, not the ACC, which is more associated with warmer, almost tropical temperatures.
Big 10 – Nebraska
![College Football Conference Realignment: 1 Team From Each P4 Conference That Fits Better in Another Conference 2 Oklahoma Sooners LV Bunkley-Shelton](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/USATSI_19064084-scaled-e1703629448482.jpg)
Nebraska has never felt like it belongs in the Big 10. Culturally and geographically, it is a Big 12 school. It is also very interesting that since Nebraska joined the Big 10, they have had no success in football. The kind of athletes that Nebraska gets traditionally don’t fit the smashmouth football style of the Big 10. Eventually, that may change with NIL and the transfer portal, but for now, Nebraska would do much better in the Big 12.
Finally, there have been multiple times when Nebraska has been at odds with the rest of the conference. Whether it’s realignment or policies, Nebraska has not voted with the majority of the league on multiple issues. There is little doubt that Nebraska would rejoin the conference today if the Big 12 had the same money as the Big 10.
Big 12 – West Virginia
![College Football Conference Realignment: 1 Team From Each P4 Conference That Fits Better in Another Conference 3 College Football, West Virginia](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/USATSI_22180396_168400517_lowres-scaled-e1703791427803.jpg)
Of the four conferences that will be covered, the Big 12 is the one conference that doesn’t really feel like it has a team that doesn’t belong. Utah was considered because of its attitude and resistance to being in the conference. Still, there is a good chance that once Utah is in the league for a year or so, it will embrace the league, and culturally, it actually matches up very well.
West Virginia feels a bit out of place geographically. Yes, UCF sticks out even more, but getting to Orlando is pretty easy from just about everywhere, whereas Morgantown is much more difficult. West Virginia feels like an ACC school, and they fall in their footprint a lot more than the Big 12.
The Mountaineers fit very well culturally, making this a tough switch.
SEC – Vanderbilt
![College Football Conference Realignment: 1 Team From Each P4 Conference That Fits Better in Another Conference 4 Vanderbilt Commodores](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/USATSI_19512045-scaled-e1713379012100.jpg)
Ncaa Football Tennessee Volunteers At Vanderbilt Commodores
Say what you want about Missouri feeling like a Big 12 school (they do) or Arkansas not fitting; there is no way to deny that Vanderbilt’s team should be kicked out of the SEC right now. Unfortunately for them, their fit is probably more of an AAC or Sun Belt.
If you’ve ever watched a Vanderbilt game, it doesn’t take long to notice that not only does Vanderbilt not compete at the SEC level, but they don’t have a fanbase that cares. Despite being in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, there just isn’t much interest in Vanderbilt, and it isn’t just because of the lack of success.
Vanderbilt is an academic school; only 9.7% of its student population comes from Tennessee. They have more students from New York than from Tennessee. Compare that to Tennessee, which has 64% of its students from in-state, and it’s easy to see why even fans in Nashville choose Rocky Top over Vandy.
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