Competitive balance in college football: Additional analysis on the effects of changes in conference membership
Date
2013Author
Stoldt, G. Clayton, 1962-
Perline, Martin M.
Vermillion, Mark C.
Metadata
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Stoldt, G. Clayton, 1962-; Perline, Martin M.; Vermillion, Mark C. (2013). Competitive balance in college football: Additional analysis on the effects of changes in conference membership. The Journal of SPORT, 2(2), 130-153
Abstract
Numerous studies (Perline & Stoldt, 2007; Perline, Stoldt & Vermillion,
2012: Rhoads, 2004) have indicated that changes in college athletic
conference membership at the NCAA Division I FBS level result in greater
levels of competitive balance in football. The purpose of this study is to
determine if member churning in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and
the Big East between the years of 1999 and 2011 led to a greater degree of
competitive analysis. Three methods of assessing competitive balance were
employed. Two—the standard deviation of winning percentages and the
Hirfindahl-Hirschman Index—are commonly used in competitive balance
studies. The authors included range of winning percentages as an
additional method. Results indicate that competitive balance in football
improved in both conferences after changes in membership. This aligns the
findings of this study with previous research and supports the contention
that football is the primary consideration when conferences make changes
in their membership (Fort & Quirk, 1999).