Two Weeks Until Big 10 Meet on Divisions

[eyekwah]

The day is fast drawing near when the Conference takes up the subject of football divisions. According to ESPN's Rittenburg it will be late July or early August. The division talk has died down, but likely will begin to pick up next week, which is the last week of July.

I'm going out on a limb and making these predictions:

1. There will be nine conference games played over a minimum of 10 weeks.
2. Some conference games may occur in the 2nd and 3rd week of the season.
3. Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Nebraska will have a round robin schedule with each other.
4. The remaining 8 teams will play 3 of the 4 teams listed above, rotating games every two years between two of the four.
5. Iowa and Wisconsin will not be in the same division, but they will continue to play each other each year.
6. Teams will still get to keep their protected rivals.
7. The final Saturday Michigan will still play Ohio State, but Penn State will play Nebraska as well. Other old trophy games that weekend will be Illinois/Northwestern, Minnesota/Wisconsin, and Purdue/Indiana.
8. And the most contrary prediction; Michigan and Ohio State will be in different divisions.

Care to make of any of your own?

 

[bws258]

East/West is best

 

[briankaldenberg]

1. The Big 10 will not have a conference championship game
2. The Big 10 will not have divisions
3. The Big 10 will move to a 9-game conference slate
4. Each school will have have 3 protected rivalries. Iowa's will be Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
5. Every Big 10 team will be required to play through at least Thanksgiving weekend, but many will move their last game into the first weekend of December.

 

[rodneywatkins]

All these are really cool ideas. However, it will be interesting to see what both conferences actually do. Looking forward to the big event.

 

[keokuk1]

The day is fast drawing near when the Conference takes up the subject of football divisions. According to ESPN's Rittenburg it will be late July or early August. The division talk has died down, but likely will begin to pick up next week, which is the last week of July.

I'm going out on a limb and making these predictions:

1. There will be nine conference games played over a minimum of 10 weeks.
2. Some conference games may occur in the 2nd and 3rd week of the season.
3. Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Nebraska will have a round robin schedule with each other.
4. The remaining 8 teams will play 3 of the 4 teams listed above, rotating games every two years between two of the four.
5. Iowa and Wisconsin will not be in the same division, but they will continue to play each other each year.
6. Teams will still get to keep their protected rivals.
7. The final Saturday Michigan will still play Ohio State, but Penn State will play Nebraska as well. Other old trophy games that weekend will be Illinois/Northwestern, Minnesota/Wisconsin, and Purdue/Indiana.
8. And the most contrary prediction; Michigan and Ohio State will be in different divisions.

Care to make of any of your own?

I think that Mich,Neb,OSU, and PSU playing a round robin would go against everything that the Big Ten stands for and that is equal treatment. That schedule would not be good for the conference as it would attempt to give special treatment to 4 schools over everyone else. I’m sorry but I would be very shocked if that were to happen.

 

[eyekwah]

I think that Mich,Neb,OSU, and PSU playing a round robin would go against everything that the Big Ten stands for and that is equal treatment. That schedule would not be good for the conference as it would attempt to give special treatment to 4 schools over everyone else. I’m sorry but I would be very shocked if that were to happen.

Think of these four teams as protected rivals. If OSU and PSU are in the same division then they have protected rivals in MI and NE. It really isn't any different than Iowa having WI as a protected rival if they are in different divisions.

Read this guys post on the Wildcats forum. Incidentally and independently I came up with the same arrangement.

WildcatReport.com - Message Boards

 

[garn]

The 9 game conference schedule would make it easier for non-conference scheduling, but what about those teams that already have 4 non-conference games on the schedule? That could possibly mean alot of schools forking out money to back out of previously scheduled non-conference games.

 

[eyekwah]

The 9 game conference schedule would make it easier for non-conference scheduling, but what about those teams that already have 4 non-conference games on the schedule? That could possibly mean alot of schools forking out money to back out of previously scheduled non-conference games.

If you check future schedules of the Big Ten teams only two or three Universities are booked with 4 non-conference games in 2011. Keep in mind that it may be more profitable to provide a payoff because of increased revenue with the replacement game.

 

[garn]

This was posted this afternoon from a Buckeye fan on the Husker board I post on. It was mentioned in Chicago that winning percentages from when Penn St. joined the Big 10 would be used as a measuring stick when doing the divisional split. I love it how Buckeye fans cann't even say the name Michigan, much more intense rivalry than what I had ever known.

1. Ohio State 0.797 170-43-1 EAST
2. Nebraska 0.760 165-52 WEST
3. Penn State 0.703 147-62 EAST
4. TSUN 0.695 146-64 EAST
5. Wisconsin 0.687 145-65-4 WEST
6. Iowa 0.580 119-86-1 WEST
7. Purdue 0.520 105-97-3 EAST
8. MSU 0.495 101-103-1 EAST
9. Northwestern 0.480 97-105-1 WEST
10. Minnesota 0.45320 92-111 WEST
11. Illinois 0.383 75-121-1 WEST
12. Indiana 0.354 69-126-0 EAST

No question that a West Division of Iowa-Nebraska-Wisconsin doesn't have the star power of Michigan-tOSU-Penn St, but it's just as salty.

 

[H8IAST8]

It would be fine if the West were guaranteed to get Notre Dame in the future. Until then, i dont think you can put OSU Michigan and PSU in the same division.

 

[Couppee]

There is no way that IOWA will play MSU to end the year.

 

[DwayneTwill]

I think that Mich,Neb,OSU, and PSU playing a round robin would go against everything that the Big Ten stands for and that is equal treatment. That schedule would not be good for the conference as it would attempt to give special treatment to 4 schools over everyone else. I’m sorry but I would be very shocked if that were to happen.

Agree. There's no way that scenario happens.

 

[eyekwah]

Jim Delany was in Seattle for the hearing on Michigan's practice time violations. While there he talked about expansion. Reading between the lines Michigan, Ohio State and Penn St will not be in the same division.

Delany continues to downplay geography in Big Ten split | CollegeFootballTalk.com