Big Ten Conference Divisions

[Oh8ch]

If there is anything better than "proving it on the field" it is proving it twice - with different results.

 

[Woody1968]

I can't imaging watching THE GAME in late September. Ugh. Different Divisions, whatever, just don't move THE GAME from the end of November. Personally, I'd want the same division, though, as watching us play them in Indianapolis, in a stadium that seats fewer people, is kind of absurd to think about.

 

[Woody1968]

Just wait till you have an undefeated season and victory in The Game.....followed by a loss in the Conference Championship Game that keeps you out of the BCSCG. I have to tell you, losing one of them (CCG) is like a kick in the nuts that deflates the whole season.

Yeah, but a rematch against your rival worked out for you guys in 1996/1997.

 

[OHSportsFan]

Sign me up for the East-West alignment that has been thrown around.

If I had to break the conference in half (obviously based on the bread winner, football), the top 6 would be- Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa

The bottom other 6- Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan State, Northwestern.

3 of the top go to the East- Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State
3 of the top go to the West- Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa

Then, 3 of the bottom to the East- Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State
And 3 to the West- Northwestern, Illinois, Minnesota

Works geographically. Football-wise that's as good as it gets to me. Basketball- the East is pretty stacked (OSU, MSU, Purdue...Indiana?). West is weak (Wisc, Illinois...Minnesota?). Moving one or the other makes it unbalanced either way. Rivalries are all there, except for the Illibuck and...anything else missing?

Am I missing why this seems so simple to me?

 

[Woody1968]

Sign me up for the East-West alignment that has been thrown around.

If I had to break the conference in half (obviously based on the bread winner, football), the top 6 would be- Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa

The bottom other 6- Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan State, Northwestern.

3 of the top go to the East- Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State
3 of the top go to the West- Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa

Then, 3 of the bottom to the East- Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State
And 3 to the West- Northwestern, Illinois, Minnesota

Works geographically. Football-wise that's as good as it gets to me. Basketball- the East is pretty stacked (OSU, MSU, Purdue...Indiana?). West is weak (Wisc, Illinois...Minnesota?). Moving one or the other makes it unbalanced either way. Rivalries are all there, except for the Illibuck and...anything else missing?

Am I missing why this seems so simple to me?

Take your top 6 and take the historical top 4 from it. Only Nebraska is in the west. What are the head to head records of Wisconsin and Iowa against tOSU and scUM?

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

If I had to break the conference in half (obviously based on the bread winner, football), the top 6 would be- Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa

3 of the top go to the East- Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State
3 of the top go to the West- Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa

<snip>

Am I missing why this seems so simple to me?

If you used a 'top four' construct, like most people have been doing, you have three of the top four on the east. The east is therefore top heavy in that regard... According to most analyses presented in this thread, Ohio State, Mich, Penn State and Nebraska are all head and shoulders above Wisc and Iowa...

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

 

[Gatorubet]

Yeah, but a rematch against your rival worked out for you guys in 1996/1997.

(Thanks be to Germain and Stanley, A-Men!!)

Yep, but the Noles still whine about it to this day. After the win in the SECCG, I wanted to play somebody else. Still, the 32 point beat down was a nice feeling, and had Thud Busboy and company played somebody else and won we'd have lost out on a MNC.

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

Thud Busboy

 

[OHSportsFan]

Take your top 6 and take the historical top 4 from it. Only Nebraska is in the west. What are the head to head records of Wisconsin and Iowa against tOSU and scUM?

If you used a 'top four' construct, like most people have been doing, you have three of the top four on the east. The east is therefore top heavy in that regard... According to most analyses presented in this thread, Ohio State, Mich, Penn State and Nebraska are all head and shoulders above Wisc and Iowa...

Fair points to both.

I've steered clear of all this talk, so that's just my first glance guess on what I'd want.

 

[BB73]

From an ousider's perspective, I believe changing anything about the current UM-tOSU game is a huge mistake. They should stay in the same division and play on the final reg. season game like they do now. Only now it will be for the right to go to the conference championship game (most years at least).

How could they even think they should touch this game? It's one of the pillars of college football??

The Big XII made the mistake of not having Oklahoma-Nebraska play every year - that used to be a great rivalry (as I'm sure you know), and conference moves squashed it.

 

[DallasHusker]

Imagine a scenario where OSU has the division locked up and UM is out of it going into the last game. OSU still has to win the conference championship game to make it to the Rose Bowl (NC game is not on the horizon). Pryor is dinged up. A couple of linemen are gimpy. Heyward has rolled his ankle. Can JT really say screw it - we are going balls to the walls because this is "The Game"? Or do you rest some folks and make sure they are ready for the CCG?

These are not issues when you have five weeks off leading to a Bowl Game. But they are the decisions that come with playoffs and CCGs. And they are unscrewing the bottle containing that genie as we speak. Thump your chests all you like, but rational coaches are not going to pull out all the stops if they know it will keep them from beating Nebraska the following week.

Sorry, but I just couldn't resist fixing that for you. :tongue2:

Seriously though, what you're talking about mirrors the "Red River Shootout" rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma, which I believe most would put in the top few football rivalries in the country at this point in time. Its always played at midseason, and I don't think that the timing has diminished the rivalry at all.

 

[MaliBuckeye]

Seriously though, what you're talking about mirrors the "Red River Shootout" brought to you by Dr. Pepper and AT&T rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma, which I believe most would put in the top few football rivalries in the country at this point in time. Its always played at midseason, and I don't think that the timing has diminished the rivalry at all.

I wonder how much of that is due to branding and TV Coverage?

 

[BB73]

Sorry, but I just couldn't resist fixing that for you. :tongue2:

Seriously though, what you're talking about mirrors the "Red River Shootout" rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma, which I believe most would put in the top few football rivalries in the country at this point in time. Its always played at midseason, and I don't think that the timing has diminished the rivalry at all.

Part of that tradition is the split crowd at the Texas State Fair, which coincides with the middle of the season.

If they tried to move the Red River Shootout to the end of the season, folks on both sides would react strongly, and not just because that would mess up the Texas-aTm game and the Bedlam game.

Timing is part of tradition.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Its always played at midseason, and I don't think that the timing has diminished the rivalry at all.

If it's always played at the same time (mid-season), then timing isn't an issue...it would become one if they decided to move it (see BB73's post above). The Ohio State - Michigan (aka "The Game" for our new Husker fans) game has been the last regular season conference game for both since 1935 (Michigan played at Hawaii in 1998 the week after The Game, which the only instance I know of off the top of my head that either team has played a regular season game after The Game). It would sacrilegious to move it from being the last regular season game.