If the NFL Had a Similar Structure to European Leagues

The current National Football League is the highest level of American football in the United States of America, with 32 teams based in 30 metropolitan areas throughout the country. The league has two 16-team conferences (the NFC and the AFC) with four 4-team divisions in each conference.

But what if the NFL said "Screw it," and partnered with the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA, and high school athletic associations across the United States and made a league system similar to European association football leagues, despite the controversy?

Championship
The original 32 NFL teams will automatically qualify for the Championship. Furthermore, the twelve best NCAA Division I FBS college football teams will join the original NFL teams to compete in the inaugural NFLC season. With the 2022 FBS season upon us, the FBS teams now have one thing on their mind: securing a spot in the top 12. Now, it feels much more important than winning the national championship. As of July, the stage already seems to have been set, but the NFLC's initial season hasn't been set in stone. These 12 teams should retain their rankings in order to qualify for the NFLC:


 * 1) Alabama
 * 2) Ohio State
 * 3) Georgia
 * 4) Texas A&M
 * 5) Notre Dame
 * 6) Utah
 * 7) Clemson
 * 8) Oklahoma State
 * 9) Michigan
 * 10) Wake Forest
 * 11) Oregon
 * 12) Baylor

Had the transition started a year earlier, the following 12 teams would've joined the originals:


 * 1) Georgia
 * 2) Alabama
 * 3) Michigan
 * 4) Cincinnati
 * 5) Ohio State
 * 6) Baylor
 * 7) Oklahoma State
 * 8) Notre Dame
 * 9) Michigan State
 * 10) Oklahoma
 * 11) Utah
 * 12) Ole Miss

This would've resulted in a temporary halting of many big rivalries and the renewal of some. For example, Michigan would definitely play against Ohio State again, along with Notre Dame and Michigan State. Meanwhile, Alabama would have to wait longer to play against Auburn, LSU, and Tennessee. This would also lead to new opportunities, such as an intense derby between two Cincinnati teams, the Bengals and the Bearcats, as well as an interesting matchup between the very popular Wolverines and the not so popular Lions, two teams from Michigan; same would go for a Lions-Spartans matchup. Interestingly enough, Ohio State may play against the Bengals and the Browns for the first time. Notre Dame would come to Soldier Field again to play against the Bears. Meanwhile, Baylor-Chicago and Oklahoma State-Dallas matchups could cause some intense drama. Also, Cincinnati would be the most likely of the 12 college teams to be relegated.

As for the NFL teams, some of their rivalries may have to wait another year in the future if one of the teams is relegated and the other is not. This will most likely include the Jaguars-Titans rivalry, as the Jaguars had the worst record among the NFL teams in 2021.

Super Bowl
The new Super Bowl would be just like the FA Cup. Every single team in America would have a chance to win American football's most prestigious competition. Yes, even the high school teams - imagine that!