How much of this is due to the fall of independents?

by Jeff (BGS) , A starter home in suburban Tempe, Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 09:32 (5977 days ago) @ LaFortune Teller

While I do think that teams are deliberately watering down their schedule, certainly having fewer independents means more conference games and thus lower connectivity. While Independents did play each other, I suspect they provided many of the bridges between conferences.

I know the following teams were independents in 1989, but not today. I am sure there are more:
Boston College, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Temple, East Carolina, Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, Tulane, Tulsa, South Carolina, and Northern Illinois