The Big Ten is Dead

HuckFinn

HuckFinn

Well-Known Member
18, no more, please. The BT is gone. If you want to continue to follow this phantasmagorical transition, be ready to totally re-define your conference centered focus. Personally, I will have to drop the “Big Ten” and embrace the “BeginAGain” conference. (Yup, BAG)

For those of doing this at home, list the 18 teams before us. Now, jump to mid season and enter
random records. Observe. This is the definition of a hot mess.

Now. Let us design two divisions, which will divide the hot mess into a somewhat more recognizable pattern.

East Division:
Rutgers
Maryland
Penn State
Ohio State
Indiana
Purdue
Michigan
Michigan State
Northwestern

West Division:
US C
UCLA
Washington
Oregon
Nebraska
Iowa
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Illinois

Yeah. Bad. Travel variation. Balance of power issues.

So, balanced power:

Legends. Leaders

Rutgers Northwestern
Maryland Indiana
Purdue. Nebraska
Illinois. Minnesota.
USC. UCLA
Oregon. Washington
Iowa. Michigan State
PennState. Wisconsin
Michigan Ohio State

Yeah. I projected worst to best. Good luck on your analysis. Not giving the West Coast teams much credit until they prove their worth.

Next, go to 20 teams. I dare you…
 
I prefer the divisionless approach but if you must have divisions, how about 3 divisions?

North division
Wash, Ore, Neb, Iowa, Minn, Wisc

South division
USC, UCLA, ILL, NW, Pur, Ind

East division
MSU, Mich, Ohio St, PSU, Rut, MD

Then all the west coast schools would have fixed protected cross-overs.

Of course whether you are talking 2 or 3 divisions, TV networks would hate it. They want USC playing Ohio St and Mich as much as possible.
 
Well I'd rather it be 'dead' in the sense you're talking about compared to the type that the PAC 12 is. I'm not a fan of it all either. But it is what it is. Iowa wasn't winning BIG titles all the time and threatening for national titles anyway. Now we have a shot at making the playoffs more often and that's gonna be the stage everyone wants to be on. So to that end I'll evolve with the times and have fun with it.
 
I'll disagree that the Big Ten is dead. Instead P5 regional college conferences are dead or on life support. Of the current conferences the SEC remains a regional conference, but the Big XII is now a national conference. The PAC is deceased and remaining members likely merged into the MWC. The ACC is on rocky ground and only legal language is keeping it together.

The Big Ten looks more like an NFL model than a conference. I can see where use of PODS are needed for travel purposes, but other wise formal division along geographic lines are unnecessary.
 
HuckFinn said:
18, no more, please. The BT is gone. If you want to continue to follow this phantasmagorical transition, be ready to totally re-define your conference centered focus. Personally, I will have to drop the “Big Ten” and embrace the “BeginAGain” conference. (Yup, BAG)

For those of doing this at home, list the 18 teams before us. Now, jump to mid season and enter
random records. Observe. This is the definition of a hot mess.

Now. Let us design two divisions, which will divide the hot mess into a somewhat more recognizable pattern.

East Division:
Rutgers
Maryland
Penn State
Ohio State
Indiana
Purdue
Michigan
Michigan State
Northwestern

West Division:
US C
UCLA
Washington
Oregon
Nebraska
Iowa
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Illinois

Yeah. Bad. Travel variation. Balance of power issues.

So, balanced power:

Legends. Leaders

Rutgers Northwestern
Maryland Indiana
Purdue. Nebraska
Illinois. Minnesota.
USC. UCLA
Oregon. Washington
Iowa. Michigan State
PennState. Wisconsin
Michigan Ohio State

Yeah. I projected worst to best. Good luck on your analysis. Not giving the West Coast teams much credit until they prove their worth.

Next, go to 20 teams. I dare you…
Click to expand...
I really think they will end up going with like 3 pods or regions, especially if a conference c-ship game is not needed.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
Well I'd rather it be 'dead' in the sense you're talking about compared to the type that the PAC 12 is. I'm not a fan of it all either. But it is what it is. Iowa wasn't winning BIG titles all the time and threatening for national titles anyway. Now we have a shot at making the playoffs more often and that's gonna be the stage everyone wants to be on. So to that end I'll evolve with the times and have fun with it.
Click to expand...

Yea, but Iowa isn't gaining an advantage of making the playoffs from the BIG adding teams or conference realignment, they are merely having a better chance because the playoffs will be expanded, just like every other team.
 
MelroseHawkins said:
Yea, but Iowa isn't gaining an advantage of making the playoffs from the BIG adding teams or conference realignment, they are merely having a better chance because the playoffs will be expanded, just like every other team.
Click to expand...
For sure. I suppose 9 wins will be the threshold for getting in the playoffs going forward. I'm not sure an 8 win team with a tough schedule can or not.

That'll be what's interesting lets say a big brand name school like say PSU has 4 losses against good OSU, Michigan, USC, and Oregon teams. But say lowly ole Minnesota has only 3 losses with an easier schedule. The fight for those last 3 to 5 playoff spots will be interesting. Cause they'll be lots of those sort of scenarios to sort through every yr I would bet.
 
Someone suggested that there be one protected rivalry game played played on Thanksgiving weekend, and then you would play 8 other teams that would rotate every other year, or every two years. I like that. We probably would get Nebbie, and then play everyone else twice every four years. That feels more like a conference to be playing everyone regularly.

BTW, if and when we go to 20, I would move to a 10-game schedule with one protected rival. Same as above. That would require basically two preseason games, both of which would have to be a home game to get to 7. That would finally kill the ISU game!!
 
eyekwah said:
I'll disagree that the Big Ten is dead. Instead P5 regional college conferences are dead or on life support. Of the current conferences the SEC remains a regional conference, but the Big XII is now a national conference. The PAC is deceased and remaining members likely merged into the MWC. The ACC is on rocky ground and only legal language is keeping it together.

The Big Ten looks more like an NFL model than a conference. I can see where use of PODS are needed for travel purposes, but other wise formal division along geographic lines are unnecessary.
Click to expand...
Even the NFL has divisions. It helps drive fan interest....as it would in an expanded BTen.
I think the BTen blew it by saying they planned to eliminate divisions after adding USC and UCLA -- and by delaying that announcement to later than expected I think they (meaning university presidents & ADs) were having second thoughts. The further expansion with Oregon & Washington allows them to rethink that decision. I hope they do.
 
Who the hell cares about conferences anymore? The ship has sailed...

It's going to be the Big Ten and SEC now tier one, Big 8 and ACC tier 2.5, and everyone else.

College football is about making the playoffs now...the conference thing is dumb.
 
Fryowa said:
Who the hell cares about conferences anymore? The ship has sailed...

It's going to be the Big Ten and SEC now tier one, Big 8 and ACC tier 2.5, and everyone else.

College football is about making the playoffs now...the conference thing is dumb.
Click to expand...
Agree with this.

Iowa's goals each year will be as follows:

1. Make the playoff.
2. If you can't make the playoff, qualify for a bowl game? If they still have bowl games?
3. Winning season (not as easy as it used to be).

The Big Ten is not dead. Iowa clearly is in one of the two strongest conferences in college football. I believe that the Big Ten got a lot stronger with 4 elite programs being added: USC; UCLA; Oregon; Washington.

Go BIG or go home.
 
Fryowa said:
Who the hell cares about conferences anymore? The ship has sailed...

It's going to be the Big Ten and SEC now tier one, Big 8 and ACC tier 2.5, and everyone else.

College football is about making the playoffs now...the conference thing is dumb.
Click to expand...
I agree that winning the conference in football is, and will be, a lot like winning the conference in MBB. Its a nice thing to say and you can hoist a banner, but making a deep NCAA tourney run is the goal. Making the 12 team playoff will be the focus in football.

That said, the conferences are still really important logistically. That is who you will be playing. So, how those things are organized matters. And, whether it is a division or pod or whatever you call it, if you are up to 20 teams within the conference, breaking those into smaller subunits somehow gives another possible feather in your cap to try and win. I think division titles in the NFL are dumb because you only need to best three other teams. But, those teams are your rivals, and you hear teams like the Chiefs and (formerly) the Patriots crowing about division titles all the time. Is it the end goal? Of course not. But, its not nothing. Iowa fans have certainly cared about trying to win the West the last decade.

So, for all those reasons, I still care about conferences.
 
Fryowa said:
Who the hell cares about conferences anymore? The ship has sailed...

It's going to be the Big Ten and SEC now tier one, Big 8 and ACC tier 2.5, and everyone else.

College football is about making the playoffs now...the conference thing is dumb.
Click to expand...

Football appears to be Alabama and Georgia, sometimes Auburn

On occasion, Ohio State and Michigan will contend to a degree

Conferences be damned

Of course: Yale Rules the Roost

Yale University has received the most national titles in all of college football history, winning 18 since their first in 1874.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
I agree that winning the conference in football is, and will be, a lot like winning the conference in MBB. Its a nice thing to say and you can hoist a banner, but making a deep NCAA tourney run is the goal. Making the 12 team playoff will be the focus in football.

That said, the conferences are still really important logistically. That is who you will be playing. So, how those things are organized matters. And, whether it is a division or pod or whatever you call it, if you are up to 20 teams within the conference, breaking those into smaller subunits somehow gives another possible feather in your cap to try and win. I think division titles in the NFL are dumb because you only need to best three other teams. But, those teams are your rivals, and you hear teams like the Chiefs and (formerly) the Patriots crowing about division titles all the time. Is it the end goal? Of course not. But, its not nothing. Iowa fans have certainly cared about trying to win the West the last decade.

So, for all those reasons, I still care about conferences.
Click to expand...
The reason conferences are dumb now, is because you don’t have to win it (in the coming future) to make the playoffs.

Our conference expansion is a great thing for the Big Ten, but increasing the number of average to above average teams has made it all but impossible for Iowa to win. But…it doesn’t mean shit because conference titles aren’t a de facto requirement for post season anymore.

And Iowa fans have cared about winning the West because that was the only way to win the conference, which in turn was the only way to make the playoffs.

Conferences are obsolete institutions that were created when money and geography were significant obstacles to college football. Travel was slow and expensive, and prohibitive for many programs. It paid to band together with geographically close teams to form a “league” where everyone joined up and guaranteed games within a certain radius every year.

Money and travel are no obstacle anymore.
 
Fryowa said:
Who the hell cares about conferences anymore? The ship has sailed...

It's going to be the Big Ten and SEC now tier one, Big 8 and ACC tier 2.5, and everyone else.

College football is about making the playoffs now...the conference thing is dumb.
Click to expand...

But you along with others are only having tunnel vision on football. There is an advantage to conferences if run correctly. The BIG 10 is a conference that sticks together and they try to treat all teams fairly. It truly does have a family feel. The conference is strong as a whole (All universities). On the research side, there is something to have universities that strive for the same goals, such as heavy in research (BIG 10 schools) compared to other conference schools who are not (See SEC).

The conference teams benefit from the mega TV deals and the BIG conference is the gold bar so far in that regard. So, being affiliated with a conference is not dumb. Belonging to a healthy conference is beneficial for universities on many fronts and vital for some on a revenue front.

Penn State was independent for many years and obviously saw and reaped the benefits of joining the BIG.
 
Fryowa said:
The reason conferences are dumb now, is because you don’t have to win it (in the coming future) to make the playoffs.

Our conference expansion is a great thing for the Big Ten, but increasing the number of average to above average teams has made it all but impossible for Iowa to win. But…it doesn’t mean shit because conference titles aren’t a de facto requirement for post season anymore.

And Iowa fans have cared about winning the West because that was the only way to win the conference, which in turn was the only way to make the playoffs.

Conferences are obsolete institutions that were created when money and geography were significant obstacles to college football. Travel was slow and expensive, and prohibitive for many programs. It paid to band together with geographically close teams to form a “league” where everyone joined up and guaranteed games within a certain radius every year.

Money and travel are no obstacle anymore.
Click to expand...
So. The BT is dead. Told ya’.
 
I think the West Gravy train is dead after this year. That much is for sure. Hopefully, Kirk and Son can get one more BTT game appearance before the big, bad, PAC teams come to town.
 
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