YOU Breakdown the Big Ten's Expansion

[BamasTide]

The Big Ten as we all know as added Nebraska. This will create a twelve team system similar to the SEC, ACC, and the former BIG 12. No doubt this will create divisions, but which teams would you put into which divisions and what would you call these divisions? How will this effect that conference's biggest rivalry game Ohio ST.-Michigan? I see it like this.

BIG Ten North
Indiana
Minnesota
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Wisconsin

BIG Ten South
Illinois
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Nebraska
Northwestern

I think you keep the Mich.-OSU rivalry intact but move it to the end of Oct. like the Bama-Tenn. game. This breakdown also keeps teams that are in the same state in the same division. I would also make a every year match-up between Penn. St. and Nebraska. So that's what I came up with, how about YOU?

 

[TideEngineer08]

It sounds like they are going to split Ohio State and Michigan, and hope for the potential rematch in the championship game. From what I've seen, most of their fans are appalled at the possibility of moving their game to October though.

I think you keep it simple and split down the obvious East/West line:

East
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue

West
Illinois
Minnesota
Nebraska
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin

It keeps the most rivalries intact and honestly, the competitive balance isn't skewed that badly. But the powers that be seem to loath the idea of having Michigan, OSU and Penn State in the same division. The obvious problem with any split is, if you can't split Michigan/OSU, how do you resolve sending Penn State to a west division? The other option is to draw names out of a hat like the ACC did.

In the end, I think the above model is what they go with, but they do like you suggested and split Ohio State and Michigan and move their game to the end of October. Michigan goes west, while Purdue or Northwestern takes their place in the east.

 

[jps1983]

I think they'll split Mich/OSU just to try to get that matchup for their conference championship game too. Other than that, I have no clue how they'll do it (East/West or North/South). I figure they'd go more along the lines of east/west b/c the geogroaphy split is more like the SEC than the Big 12.

 

[BAMA1979]

It sounds like they are going to split Ohio State and Michigan, and hope for the potential rematch in the championship game. From what I've seen, most of their fans are appalled at the possibility of moving their game to October though.

I think you keep it simple and split down the obvious East/West line:

East
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue

West
Illinois
Minnesota
Nebraska
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin

It keeps the most rivalries intact and honestly, the competitive balance isn't skewed that badly. But the powers that be seem to loath the idea of having Michigan, OSU and Penn State in the same division. The obvious problem with any split is, if you can't split Michigan/OSU, how do you resolve sending Penn State to a west division? The other option is to draw names out of a hat like the ACC did.

In the end, I think the above model is what they go with, but they do like you suggested and split Ohio State and Michigan and move their game to the end of October. Michigan goes west, while Purdue or Northwestern takes their place in the east.

You have Purdue in each division. I think you meant to put Iowa in the West and if you do that then you nailed it. On paper it seems like the East is a much stronger division, but in reality the West will probably be better this season and would have been better last season as well.

 

[TideEngineer08]

You have Purdue in each division. I think you meant to put Iowa in the West and if you do that then you nailed it. On paper it seems like the East is a much stronger division, but in reality the West will probably be better this season and would have been better last season as well.

Yes, that's what I meant to do... I don't know how I missed that.

I agree the East is heavy on traditional powers in this format. And, it's true that more likely than not, Michigan is going to rebound. I would have no problem moving Michigan west for this reason. But, I'm not a Big Ten fan.

 

[9jack9]

I think you keep it simple and split down the obvious East/West line:

East
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue

West
Illinois
Minnesota
Nebraska
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin

In the end, I think the above model is what they go with, but they do like you suggested and split Ohio State and Michigan and move their game to the end of October. Michigan goes west, while Purdue or Northwestern takes their place in the east.

They also need to have a permanent cross divisional opponent like the SEC. Each current team already has 2 permanent opponents, and the only 2 cross divisional ones under the above structure are Illinois vs. Indiana, and Northwestern vs Purdue.

Then there's the trophy games. Under this structure the cross-divisional trophy games, and the date the trophy was first awarded, are:
Michigan-Minnesota (Little Brown Jug): 1903
Illinois-Ohio State (Illibuck): 1990
Illinois-Purdue (Purdue Cannon): 1943
Minnesota-Penn State (Governor's Victory Bell): 1993

Minnesota would take Little Brown Jug over Victory Bell. Illibuck is the same for Illinois, but, much like the Alabama schools in the SEC, they are going to have to give up an annual game (Alabama chose Tennessee over Vandy, Auburn chose Georgia over Florida), and choose between playing Indiana or Purdue. My model goes with Indiana, and sets up an annual battle of engineering schools between Northwestern and Purdue.

So, you get 5 divisional opponents, 2 rotating cross divisional opponents, and a permanent cross divisional rival schedule like this:

Illinois vs. Indiana
Northwestern vs. Purdue
Michigan vs. Minnesota
PSU vs. Iowa
OSU vs. NU
Michigan State vs. Wisconsin

The last 2 match ups sets up a marquee game between the Buckeyes and the Huskers, plus Wisconsin and Michigan actually border each other, so it makes sense.

 

[GrayTide]

Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin in the West; tOSU, Penn State and Michigan in the East. As for the other 6 who cares, just like Kentucky, MSU, and Vandy.

 

[TideEngineer08]

They also need to have a permanent cross divisional opponent like the SEC. Each current team already has 2 permanent opponents, and the only 2 cross divisional ones under the above structure are Illinois vs. Indiana, and Northwestern vs Purdue.

Then there's the trophy games. Under this structure the cross-divisional trophy games, and the date the trophy was first awarded, are:
Michigan-Minnesota (Little Brown Jug): 1903
Illinois-Ohio State (Illibuck): 1990
Illinois-Purdue (Purdue Cannon): 1943
Minnesota-Penn State (Governor's Victory Bell): 1993

Minnesota would take Little Brown Jug over Victory Bell. Illibuck is the same for Illinois, but, much like the Alabama schools in the SEC, they are going to have to give up an annual game (Alabama chose Tennessee over Vandy, Auburn chose Georgia over Florida), and choose between playing Indiana or Purdue. My model goes with Indiana, and sets up an annual battle of engineering schools between Northwestern and Purdue.

So, you get 5 divisional opponents, 2 rotating cross divisional opponents, and a permanent cross divisional rival schedule like this:

Illinois vs. Indiana
Northwestern vs. Purdue
Michigan vs. Minnesota
PSU vs. Iowa
OSU vs. NU
Michigan State vs. Wisconsin

The last 2 match ups sets up a marquee game between the Buckeyes and the Huskers, plus Wisconsin and Michigan actually border each other, so it makes sense.

Another thing to consider, as far as rivalries go, is that the Big Ten will almost certainly go to a 9 game conference schedule as soon as current contracts play out. That's supposedly around 2015 or so.

 

[Redwood Forrest]

It sounds like they are going to split Ohio State and Michigan, and hope for the potential rematch in the championship game. From what I've seen, most of their fans are appalled at the possibility of moving their game to October though.

I think you keep it simple and split down the obvious East/West line:

East
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue

West
Illinois
Minnesota
Nebraska
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin

It keeps the most rivalries intact and honestly, the competitive balance isn't skewed that badly. But the powers that be seem to loath the idea of having Michigan, OSU and Penn State in the same division. The obvious problem with any split is, if you can't split Michigan/OSU, how do you resolve sending Penn State to a west division? The other option is to draw names out of a hat like the ACC did.

In the end, I think the above model is what they go with, but they do like you suggested and split Ohio State and Michigan and move their game to the end of October. Michigan goes west, while Purdue or Northwestern takes their place in the east.

I am with you on this, except you have Purdue in the West, but I know you meant Iowa, since you already have Purdue in the East.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I Could Care Less

The Big Ten as we all know as added Nebraska. This will create a twelve team system similar to the SEC, ACC, and the former BIG 12. No doubt this will create divisions, but which teams would you put into which divisions and what would you call these divisions? How will this effect that conference's biggest rivalry game Ohio ST.-Michigan? I see it like this.

BIG Ten North
Indiana
Minnesota
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Wisconsin

BIG Ten South
Illinois
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Nebraska
Northwestern

I think you keep the Mich.-OSU rivalry intact but move it to the end of Oct. like the Bama-Tenn. game. This breakdown also keeps teams that are in the same state in the same division. I would also make a every year match-up between Penn. St. and Nebraska. So that's what I came up with, how about YOU?

The Big Ten is a self-important, mediocre conference with little more than an old name to hang its hat on. Their ratings come entirely due to the fact that their universities occupy - on the whole - states with a higher populace than elsewhere.

And they always like to bring up two things with the SEC:

1) the days of segregation
2) the Civil War

That's what you do when you're mediocre. It allows you to feel internally superior to a team that just kicked your tail.