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What if statisticians ran college football? A re-conceptualization of the football bowl subdivision

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  • Jensen Jonathan A.

    (Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA)

  • Turner Brian A.

    (Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA)

Abstract

Conference affiliation is an important consideration for institutions of higher learning, both athletically and academically. Traditionally, conference affiliation in the NCAA has been determined based largely on geography. However, recent events beg the question of what would be the result if conference affiliation, and classifications such as being a Bowl Championship Series Automatic Qualifier, were re-configured based not on traditional aspects of geography, tradition and like-mindedness, but solely on the financial and on-field performance of an institution’s football program. This paper utilizes a multivariate statistical technique (cluster analysis) to re-conceptualize conference affiliation, as well as the current Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) hierarchy, based solely on data reflecting the performance of each FBS institution’s football programs. The analysis results in a total of 23 programs being relegated from their current status, while several programs (such as Boise State, Louisville and Rutgers) have been promoted into the highest tier of the FBS based on their performance. The paper also presents a new clustering of four “super” conferences based on this same performance data, resulting in four conferences consisting of programs with similar on-field and financial performance over the past 10 seasons.

Suggested Citation

  • Jensen Jonathan A. & Turner Brian A., 2014. "What if statisticians ran college football? A re-conceptualization of the football bowl subdivision," Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 37-48, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:jqsprt:v:10:y:2014:i:1:p:37-48:n:4
    DOI: 10.1515/jqas-2013-0071
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. James Quirk, 2004. "College football conferences and competitive balance," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(2), pages 63-75.
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    3. Mark D. Groza, 2010. "NCAA conference realignment and football game day attendance," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(8), pages 517-529, December.
    4. Donald I. Price & Kabir C. Sen, 2003. "The demand for game day attendance in college football: an analysis of the 1997 Division 1-A season," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(1), pages 35-46.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yurko Ronald & Ventura Samuel & Horowitz Maksim, 2019. "nflWAR: a reproducible method for offensive player evaluation in football," Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, De Gruyter, vol. 15(3), pages 163-183, September.

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