B10 Divisions - OSU and UM in the same division?

[Churlish79]

I think they will avoid ''protected rivalries'' across divisional lines at all costs.
If OSU and Michigan are in opposite divisions and are in protected rivalry game annually, then OSU will have 6 of 8 Big Ten games locked in every year. That means they will only play 2 of the remaining 5 other division teams annually...leaving 3 teams not playing OSU...except in a rotation.
If you keep OSU and Mich together, then OSU plays 5 locked in game, leaving them to play 3 of the 6 teams in the other division every year..so they would end up playing every one at least every other year. In other words, Nebraska vs OSU would happen every other year instead of possibly every third year.

That is why in the end with the West being Minny,Iowa,NW,Wisc,Neb and Ill,none of those teams would have a protected rivalry game with the other division,and likewise with the East having OSU,MSU,MICH,PSU,IU and PU...you also have not protected rivalry games in the opposite division, which frees up teams to rotate other division opponents every other year and maintain some semblance of a true conference where teams play regularly.

Having protected rivalries across divisional lines creates a nightmare for scheduling.

This post has it right on the money. Less cross division permanent "rivalry" games = better rotation of cross division games yearly. Those divisions certainly are fairly balanced in both money sports (We can debate one being a bit stronger than the other in each sport.. but they are pretty close).

Iowa would play all of their main rivals every year because they are in the same division as all of them.. including some other lesser rivals (Ill, NW)

The only problem I see is Minnesota and Michigan.. but then again, they don't play every year as it is and don't have a permanent rivalry.

On the basketball side of things, IU v Ill would be a rivalry that is noticeably missing. However, these divisions are less of a factor in a basketball schedule.

 

[zhawkzrule]

I agree by not doing a geography split, this is where the Big Ten will set itself apart from other conferences who do the North/South & East/West divisions. I was also thinking of a Great Llakes Division and a Heartland Division, that way if more teams are added down the road, you dont have to worry about the geographical split as much and you can keep more tradition ties.

 

[HawkeyeMike23]

Illinois (2)
Iowa (3)
Michigan State (1)
Michigan (8)
Northwestern (3)
Ohio State (9)
Penn State (3)
Purdue (1)
Wisconsin (3)

That is a list of the teams that have won or had a share of the Big Ten Championship since 1990. Michigan and Ohio State top the conference, but my point is to show how many teams have been good and fought for the top spot in the conference. I know there was a year in there where Minnesota ended the season in the top 15 too, even though they didn't make the list above.

I may not being making it very clear, but my point is that you can't shape a conference based on two teams (OSU & Mich) especially as bad as Michigan has been the past few years. I think the Big Ten needs to be split geographically, like many of you have stated.

Either way, I can't wait for it to play out, and I'm even less patient for college football season to start. September can't come fast enough...

Good post. I think this really shows that having PSU-OSU-Mich all in the same division does not automatically mean there would be a competitive imbalance between the two divisions. Wisconsin and Iowa have as many B10 titles as Penn St since they joined the league and Northwestern, which would be included with Iowa in a straight east/west split, also has won or shared three titles. Group Nebraska, one of the top ten programs of all time with Iowa, Wisconsin, NW, Ill, and Minn, and you will have two pretty equal and competitive divisions.

 

[JHHawk]

The way I see it, either Michigan or PSU has to come over to the "West". Having Michigan, OSU, and PSU in the same division would be ridiculous.

Personally, I think it should be:

Michigan, Neb, Iowa, Minn, Ill, Purdue

and

OSU, PSU, Wisc, Mich St, NW, Ind


With protected rivalries of:

Michigan - OSU
Nebraska - PSU
Iowa - Wisc
Minn - Mich St
Purdue - Ind
Ill - NW

(of course, you can mix around the rivalries as needed)

If you play the rivalry game at the middle of the Big10 season, then, in the case of a re-match, it won't be back-to-back...

So you are suggesting that they take the end of the year game that is annually played between Mich and OSU that is called ''The Game'', and play it in October? No way. Will not happen. The league will not touch this game, never. It is the golden goose, it aint moving to October.

 

[JoeHawki]

Conventional thought would be that Ohio State and Michigan would of course have to be in the same division to ensure they play that rivalry game each and every year.

If they are in the same division, that would ensure that there would be absolutely NO possibility of OSU-UM playing for the B10 championship. My thought is that there will be a significant amount of pressure from those two factions to ensure that the possibility at least exists for them to play that rivalry game for all the marbles.

Putting them in separate divisions and including that game as one of their protected games meets both needs.

Thoughts?

I think they have to be in the same division. their yearly game will will probably be the game that decides who goes to the title game. If you break them up, 2 things come to mind. 1) they face the possiblity of playing each other twice a season, if 2) they are even allowed to play each ohter every year. Just like okie and neb. that game used to be huge, but no more, they don't even play each other every year anymore. of course after this season, probably never again.

 

[JoeHawki]

The way I see it, either Michigan or PSU has to come over to the "West". Having Michigan, OSU, and PSU in the same division would be ridiculous.

Personally, I think it should be:

Michigan, Neb, Iowa, Minn, Ill, Purdue

and

OSU, PSU, Wisc, Mich St, NW, Ind


With protected rivalries of:

Michigan - OSU
Nebraska - PSU
Iowa - Wisc
Minn - Mich St
Purdue - Ind
Ill - NW

(of course, you can mix around the rivalries as needed)

If you play the rivalry game at the middle of the Big10 season, then, in the case of a re-match, it won't be back-to-back...

neb doesn't have a protected rivalry yet. the most natural one would be iowa., and i would say that minny and iowa is bigger then wisc and iowa, although the last few years, the wisc game has been huge.

 

[JoeHawki]

However it gets divvied up, the following teams should stay together in the same division:

1. Michigan - OSU.
2. Michigan - MSU.
3. Indiana - Purdue.
4. Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin.

After that you can divide them up any way you wish.

This i agree with.

 

[JoeHawki]

My guess, because of that factor, is the divisions will look like this:

Michigan
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Nebraska
Iowa

Penn State
Ohio State
Illinois
Northwestern
Purdue
Indiana

the div with iowa may be the toughest div in all of college football. even the big 12 south is not that tough. the only rally weaker team there is Minn.

 

[AHawk1]

I know its all about football and rivalries but some of these scenarios could really make one of the basketball divisions much harder.