@Invader -- I like it. Your idea sounds a lot like the option I described in the first thread I posted on these forums a few months ago:
[url]http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=14678&highlight=[/url]
I had said the American league could be called the American Canadian Football League (ACFL), but I now think calling it a conference rather than a league (affiliated with the CFL) would be better -- perhaps the American Conference of Canadian Football (ACCF).
I have to say that now I do think it is important to find cities that have existing stadiums (or plans to build one), because the revenue wouldn't justify much private investment in stadiums...
This creates a problem because a lot of cities don't have a proper stadium to begin with -- and then you have to factor in the Canadian field size...
I think the following US cities/markets might be able to get started with their existing facilities:
Hershey, PA (Harrisburg/York/Lancaster)
Hersheypark Stadium -- cap. 16,841
Rochester, NY
PAETEC Park -- cap. 17,500
Ypsilanti, MI (Detroit)
Rynearson Stadium -- cap. 30,200
Spokane, WA
Joe Albi Stadium -- cap. 28,646
Boise, ID
Bronco Stadium -- cap. 30,000
[Some of the above may need some re-work, especially the one in Spokane which may be too tight.]
Some that clearly have issues:
Toledo, OH
Glass Bowl Stadium -- cap. 26,248
Kalamazoo, MI (Grand Rapids)
Waldo Stadium -- cap. 30,100
Portland, OR
PGE Park -- cap. 20,000
[The Toledo stadium wouldn't be able to fitfull endzones, and the same applies to Portland. The Kalamazoo stadium looks to be short all around.]
Milwaukee doesn't have any suitable stadium. For the sake of argument, let's assume that somehow a perfect CFL-sized 35,000 seat stadium is built in Milwaukee.
Then an 8-team ACCF might look like this:
Eastern Division
Detroit Wheels
Hershey Juggernauts
Rochester Red Dragons
Toledo Freight Trains
Western Division
Boise Behemoths
Milwaukee Beasts
Portland Leviathans
Spokane Sasquatch
[Hey BB, sorry to change up the Milwaukee Beer Barons name again. Thought I'd throw out another suggestion since it fit more with the rest of the names in the imaginary division (got a little carried away -- they're all beasts). Plus it was a nickname for a certain Milwaukee brew. ]