D1-only recruiting suggestion:
My suggestion is to end sharing of conference money, at least to a large extent.
This is the only way to encourage intra-conference battles, which I think almost all of us agree would be a good thing.
I know that people, specifically dac in this thread, argue that this increases the rich-getting-richer problem we have now. I disagree.
The rich-getting-richer problem actually stems from sharing of conference money. It allows weaker teams in great conferences to remain strong BECAUSE of other teams in the conference.
For example: keep scholarships at $15,000. Reduce money earned for NT games to $15,000. Of that, $10,000 goes to the team who was in the game, and $5,000 to the conference.
Who does this help? It helps the good teams, to be sure. But it also helps the mids who make the NT. Right now, a mid from a ghost conference gets almost no benefit from making the NT. Under this system, they will get a tangible benefit, which can be used to battle mediocre BCS schools (who are now receiving far less in conference money) for second-tier recruits. If the mid is able to make a real run in the NT, then they can start to compete for elite recruits.
7/1/2012 2:20 PM (edited)