College Football Reform - Explainer
Reforms often require new terms
Links:
Article (op-ed)
Pods and Pod Names
Pods of 10, by Regions with Tiers instead of Conferences
Regional Pods are a way to organize the Top 80 college football programs into eight geographically grounded groups of ten schools each, without relying on legacy NCAA terms like “divisions” or “conferences.”
Each Pod:
Groups schools primarily by geography and travel efficiency
Preserves historic rivalries, especially in-state matchups
Supports clear scheduling logic (heavy in-Pod play, limited cross-Pod games)
Creates a stable top-flight structure, separate from lower tiers
Think of Regional Pods as geographic ecosystems inside the top tier of college football — compact, intentional, and built for modern realities rather than inherited politics.
The Eight Regional Pods (by Zone)
🟩 Gridiron Pod
Northeast / Appalachia
This Pod anchors the historic spine of Eastern football, centered on Pennsylvania and Appalachia, with strong Mid-Atlantic connections. It emphasizes legacy programs, dense population centers, and traditional rivalries.
🟫 Trench Pod
Carolina / Upper South Atlantic
This Pod reflects the Carolinas and nearby Atlantic-South programs, a region known for deep recruiting roots and physical, line-driven football culture.
🟥 Tackle Pod
Deep South Core
This Pod represents the heart of Southern football, where physicality, tradition, and statewide rivalries define the sport’s identity.
🟦 Pressure Pod
Gulf Coast / Mississippi Valley
This Pod spans the lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf-adjacent programs, emphasizing intensity, crowd impact, and high-pressure environments.
🟨 Block Pod
Texas Core
This Pod is built entirely around Texas and its immediate football orbit. It is the most compact Pod geographically and one of the most commercially powerful.
🟪 Huddle Pod
Great Lakes / Upper Midwest
This Pod reflects the classic Midwestern heartland of college football — compact geography, cold-weather toughness, and deeply ingrained rivalries.
🟧 Trench Pod (already used — corrected below)
We must keep names unique. Here is the correct remaining assignment:
🟧 Blitz Pod
Plains / Mountain
This Pod spans the Plains and Mountain states, where altitude, distance, and schematics play an outsized role. It rewards discipline, preparation, and adaptability.
🟩 Grandstand Pod
Pacific
This Pod covers the West Coast and Southwest footprint, emphasizing major media markets, iconic venues, and coast-to-coast visibility.
Pod Name → Zone Map
Gridiron Pod → Northeast / Appalachia
Trench Pod → Carolina / Upper South Atlantic
Tackle Pod → Deep South Core
Pressure Pod → Gulf / Mississippi Valley
Block Pod → Texas Core
Huddle Pod → Great Lakes / Upper Midwest
Blitz Pod → Plains / Mountain
Grandstand Pod → Pacific
The geography-first approach makes way more sense than current confrence realignment chaos. What really stands out is how the pod system preserves travel efficiency while keeping historic rivalries intact, which feels like the actual sweet spot everyone's been missing. I remeber when Rutgers joined the Big Ten and people were scratching their heads about Maryland playing Nebraska. The Block Pod being Texas-centric is probaly the most commercially obvious move but also makes scheduling so much cleaner. Building these as ecosystems rather than traditional divisions is smart framing too.
A number of different substack posts are brewing into a storm of messages about how to reform college football. Hopefully your opinions can be collected and these ideas can be shared. Restack! Other angles to come in the hours and days to come.