My Thoughts on Big Ten Divisional Alignment

S

SteveDeace

Well-Known Member
In terms of what the rest of the Big Ten’s new divisional alignment will look like, I agree with the Cedar Rapids Gazette that teams will be slotted via pairings. I project the divisional pairings will go as follows:

Big Ten Divisional Pairings
Michigan-Michigan State
Ohio State-Penn State
Nebraska-Iowa
Wisconsin-Minnesota
Purdue-Indiana
Illinois-Northwestern

With the pairings determined, I project the teams will be aligned this way:

Big Ten Divisional Alignment

WEST
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Nebraska
Illinois
Northwestern

EAST
Indiana
Minnesota
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Wisconsin

Along with playing each team in their division, each team will be given a permanent rival in the opposite division. I project those will be:

Big Ten Protected Rivalries
Michigan-Ohio State
Nebraska-Penn State
Wisconsin-Michigan State
Iowa-Minnesota
Illinois-Purdue
Northwestern-Indiana

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney says that 1993, the year Penn State was brought into the league, is the line of demarcation from a statistical analysis standpoint in determining the competitive balance in each division. Just for fun, I thought it might be interesting to go back to 1993 and assuming Nebraska was in the Big Ten take a look at who would’ve played in the conference championship game each year.

Because the old Big 8 played just seven conference games back in the day, I determined champions by best conference winning percentage and not overall record. In terms of tiebreakers, I used head-to-head outcome first followed by which team had the longest championship game drought. Matchups in italics are games featuring undefeated teams.

Prospective Big Ten Championship Game Since 1993 (including Nebraska)
1993—Nebraska vs. Wisconsin
1994—Nebraska vs. Penn State
1995—Northwestern vs. Ohio State
1996—Nebraska vs. Ohio State
1997—Michigan vs. Penn State
1998—Michigan vs. Ohio State
1999—Nebraska vs. Wisconsin
2000—Northwestern vs. Purdue
2001—Illinois vs. Ohio State
2002—Iowa vs. Ohio State
2003—Michigan vs. Ohio State
2004—Michigan vs. Wisconsin
2005—Michigan vs. Penn State
2006—Michigan vs. Ohio State
2007—Michigan vs. Ohio State
2008—Michigan State vs. Penn State
2009—Nebraska vs. Ohio State
 
Steve,

As a hardcore Michigan fan, how do you feel about "The Game" being replayed in the CCG?
 
I think you are almost right
SteveDeace said:
Big Ten Divisional Pairings
Michigan-Michigan State
Ohio State-Penn State
Nebraska-Iowa
Wisconsin-Minnesota
Purdue-Indiana
Illinois-Northwestern
Click to expand...
agreed
SteveDeace said:
Big Ten Divisional Alignment

WEST
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Nebraska
Illinois
Northwestern

EAST
Indiana
Minnesota
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Wisconsin
Click to expand...
agreed ...
or the illinois pair and indiana pair could be switched
SteveDeace said:
Big Ten Protected Rivalries
Michigan-Ohio State
Nebraska-Penn State
Wisconsin-Michigan State
Iowa-Minnesota
Illinois-Purdue
Northwestern-Indiana
Click to expand...
Michigan St - Indiana (Spittoon)
Wisconsin - Northwestern (140 miles apart)
 
bwsmoney said:
I think you are almost right

agreed

agreed ...
or the illinois pair and indiana pair could be switched

Michigan St - Indiana (Spittoon)
Wisconsin - Northwestern (140 miles apart)
Click to expand...

Yes, I have come to accept that the geographical split that makes all the sense is not going to happen so this is the next best case.

I still think it is a big mistake to destroy ''The Game'' but they refuse to learn from the mistakes of the big 12 and Neb-OK stupidity.

Now, I am down to whatever is the best for Iowa,and that would be for Iowa's crossover to be Minny,with Mich having OSU,Neb having PSU, and MSU having Wis...but would not mind having NW vs PU(closer) with Illinois vs IU...bad blood.
 
SteveDeace said:
In terms of what the rest of the Big Ten’s new divisional alignment will look like, I agree with the Cedar Rapids Gazette that teams will be slotted via pairings. I project the divisional pairings will go as follows:

Big Ten Divisional Pairings
Michigan-Michigan State
Ohio State-Penn State
Nebraska-Iowa
Wisconsin-Minnesota
Purdue-Indiana
Illinois-Northwestern

With the pairings determined, I project the teams will be aligned this way:

Big Ten Divisional Alignment

WEST
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Nebraska
Illinois
Northwestern

EAST
Indiana
Minnesota
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Wisconsin

Along with playing each team in their division, each team will be given a permanent rival in the opposite division. I project those will be:

Big Ten Protected Rivalries
Michigan-Ohio State
Nebraska-Penn State
Wisconsin-Michigan State
Iowa-Minnesota
Illinois-Purdue
Northwestern-Indiana

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney says that 1993, the year Penn State was brought into the league, is the line of demarcation from a statistical analysis standpoint in determining the competitive balance in each division. Just for fun, I thought it might be interesting to go back to 1993 and assuming Nebraska was in the Big Ten take a look at who would’ve played in the conference championship game each year.

Because the old Big 8 played just seven conference games back in the day, I determined champions by best conference winning percentage and not overall record. In terms of tiebreakers, I used head-to-head outcome first followed by which team had the longest championship game drought. Matchups in italics are games featuring undefeated teams.

Prospective Big Ten Championship Game Since 1993 (including Nebraska)
1993—Nebraska vs. Wisconsin
1994—Nebraska vs. Penn State
1995—Northwestern vs. Ohio State
1996—Nebraska vs. Ohio State
1997—Michigan vs. Penn State
1998—Michigan vs. Ohio State
1999—Nebraska vs. Wisconsin
2000—Northwestern vs. Purdue
2001—Illinois vs. Ohio State
2002—Iowa vs. Ohio State
2003—Michigan vs. Ohio State
2004—Michigan vs. Wisconsin
2005—Michigan vs. Penn State
2006—Michigan vs. Ohio State
2007—Michigan vs. Ohio State
2008—Michigan State vs. Penn State
2009—Nebraska vs. Ohio State
Click to expand...

This looks good enough to me. I'd rather have Iowa's protected rival be Wisconsin but I know that's not going to happen. At least Minnie is a soft spot on the schedule.
 
Everybody seems to forget that Illinois and Indiana are protected rivals right now. Have been since 1995. So I agree with your divisional alignment, Deace, but would probably change a couple of the protected rivals. Illinois with Indiana and NW with Purdue.

The one intriguing protected rival you list is Nebraska-Penn State. Delany made it sound like they would be protected the other day (I'm inferring on that one, not an exact quote) but I had previously thought Nebraska-Wisconsin would be a protected rival. But I like the idea of Nebraska-Penn State playing annually.
 
I know it is an extreme long shot, but I still think the way to go is to split the two teams from both Illinois and Indiana and put them I separate divisions from their in-state rival.

That would put Illinois and Purdue in the same division and Northwestern and Indiana in the same division. Or Illinois and Indiana and Purdue and Northwestern.

Why? Well if you are going to put teams from the far west and far east in the same division, might as well split up the middle similarly. It would also set up the protected rivals well as you can just slot the in-state school in that slot.
 
I'm guilty of using past conference records to project the championship game, but I'm not sure it is very reliable. In some seasons it would have come down to a tie breaker formula to determine the division champion. Since we do not know the tie breaker criteria, your and my projection could be off. Secondly, the schedule played under divisions is likely different than the one actually played. We will never know the results of games not played.

I predicted basically the same arrangement back in early July, with the exception of Illinois and Minnesota who I have flip-flopped. I still believe Minnesota will remain in the west and Illinois in the east. Wisconsin will get Minnesota as its protected rival to continue the longest running series in football. Going forward this arrangement will permit salvaging more protected rivalries under a 9 game schedule. I think people misread Alvarez's statement. He didn't say Minnesota and Wisconsin would be in the same division, but they would be guaranteed the Minnesota game. The reporter said they would be in the same division.
 
CAARHawk said:
I know it is an extreme long shot, but I still think the way to go is to split the two teams from both Illinois and Indiana and put them I separate divisions from their in-state rival.

That would put Illinois and Purdue in the same division and Northwestern and Indiana in the same division. Or Illinois and Indiana and Purdue and Northwestern.

Why? Well if you are going to put teams from the far west and far east in the same division, might as well split up the middle similarly. It would also set up the protected rivals well as you can just slot the in-state school in that slot.
Click to expand...

I don't think it really matters where those four schools end up. They're close enough to the "middle" that you could slot any of them anywhere and it would't affect things too much.
 
SteveDeace said:
Because they had been there more recently than Nebraska..as I explained in the tiebreaker section.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't the REAL tie breaker be overall record? I suppose you can make up your own tie breaker, but in reality Iowa would go since they only had 2 overall losses and Nebraska had 3.
 
Mr Deace -

I think you have the divisions correct, & if I were a betting man ....


Do you think that Meeechigan will have a beef about being put in the west?
 
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