Looks like all the talk of there being East & West is going to be the case.
I asked AD Gene Smith likelihood of #Buckeyes and #Wolverinesbeing in same division- "Strong likelihood"
The only problem with this
Hopefully...
we find out that the report is legit and can start thinking of him as only 97-98% idiot.
"We bring you to Michigan to take care of Michigan; your job is to protect that block M."
-Carol Hutchins
That might be true, but
Gene Smith may have arbitrarily answered the question. No proof of thought whatsoever. 100% idiot is still possible.
Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you. -Satchel Paige
even a broken clock
is right twice a day. He's still an idiot, but in this case I hope he's a correct idiot.
Twitter: @MikeCohodes
My Blog - posts on movies, tv, and books; politics; and fatherhood Updates minimum 3x a week
I don't think it takes that
I don't think it takes that much brainpower to tell someone something that you were told. Hell, he probably wasn't even supposed to say it.
Was he at the Schott Center
Was he at the Schott Center when he said it?
M'Dog
For once,
I hope he's right too. The B1G is tough enough most years without having Ohio as an annual cross-division game while MSU nibbles on Indiana's nut sack.
"I promise you we would have walked to the University of Michigan." - Brady Hoke
This may be a questions that
This may be a question that has been answered before, but when are we likely to find out exactly who will be in what divisions?
THOSE WHO STAY WILL BE CHAMPIONS
This is what I'm hoping for.
“When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing” - Bo Schembechler
Shirley you can't be serious.
Shirley you can't be serious. Either you give up The Game (not happening), or we're stuck with playing a way harder schedule than the rest of the West. Being Champions of the (actual) West isn't worth it.
"The straightest line from A to B is straight: From A to B"
"When you have Denard Robinson, you can have everything"
~George Walden
I think it's equally as
I think it's equally as difficult as the East and I want us to stay in separate divisions. I actually like the idea of playing Ohio back to back at the end of the year. I'm probably in the minority on that one, but that's just my opinion. NEG AWAY.
“When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing” - Bo Schembechler
The question isn't weather
The question isn't whether our division is harder than the other division is; everyone in the division has to play the same teams. In fact, I'd be just fine with having the six best teams in the conference in our division and making the championship game a cakewalk every year. The issue is that we would have to play OSU every year, while everyone else would have to play significantly easier protected rivalries. This puts us at a competitive disadvantage if we want to keep playing our rivalry game.
On playing OSU twice: I'm open to the idea in and of itself. But in a lot of years, Michigan and/or OSU have already won their divisions, so the (first) Game would meaningless. Think of Oregon/Stanford. Or think of marriage: if it's so great, why don't you want to do it twice? Maybe because the fact that it only happens once (hopefully) is part of what makes it so special.
"The straightest line from A to B is straight: From A to B"
"When you have Denard Robinson, you can have everything"
~George Walden
I think it's equally as
I think it's equally as difficult as the East and I want us to stay in separate divisions. I actually like the idea of playing Ohio back to back at the end of the year. I'm probably in the minority on that one, but that's just my opinion. NEG AWAY.
“When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing” - Bo Schembechler
I'm with you
I like the thought of playing them twice. Not sure why others wouldn't want to see the greatest rivalry in sports played twice if possible. Plus, if we lose to them in the regular season game we get a chance at redemption. I can't believe people wouldn't want to see those 2005 teams go at it again a week after Crable's late hit. The problem is Brian wants them in the same division so the lemmings on here tend to follow what ever he says. I love Brian and this blog but I don't agree with every thought he has
While it's true that websites
While it's true that websites tend to promote a herd mentality, Brian doesn't have some obscure minority viewpoint here. The vast majority of people I've spoken to - regardless of whether they visit this site or even root for Michigan - think the idea of playing Ohio on back to back weeks is crazy. It will make the first, on-campus game meaningless. You have to remember, that second game won't be played on campus. It will be played in a domed NFL stadium in front of a corporate crowd. It will not be the same. Worse yet, the first game isn't going to mean as much, either, if both teams have clinched their divisions already.
It's also a safe bet that the league will get sick of having back-to-back games very soon. It's very likely that the league will insist on all November games being intradivisional. That means no more Game on the final week of November, if we're in separate divisions. If we're in separate divisions, the Game will be moved to October - count on it.
And then there is the problem of competitive balance. If we're playing Ohio every year as our protected rivalry game while MSU is playing IU, Nebraska is playing a probation-weakened PSU and Iowa is playing Purdue, that puts us at a big disadvantage in the division standings. If we're going to be playing Ohio every year, we need to be in the same division.
Mark my words - if/when
Mark my words - if/when Michigan and OSU actually do play on back-to-back weeks (which may well happen in 2013) - you'll hate it. Maybe as a hypothetical it doesn't seem that bad. But when we celebrate winning the Game only to realize that we've got to do it again the next week (and this time, against Meyer's full starting lineup), that will suck, hard. If we lose the rematch, it'll be like the game in the Big House didn't even matter.
I bet the lemmings at least know it was 2006.
And I'm sure you'd have been excited to play them again in 95, 96, 97, 03, 11, or any other number of years. (Hey, how about a rematch after the 69 game?!?)
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
He is serious
but don't call him Shirley.
I love Greg Mattison
Nope, it's gonna be Godzilla
Nope, it's gonna be Godzilla vs. King Kong (H/T):
"The trouble with quotes on the internet, is that it is often difficult to discern whether or not they are genuine" --Abraham Lincoln
Ding, ding, ding...
Oh, so close! However we
Oh, so close! However we can't have 6 vs 8 team division.
While we're making unbalanced
While we're making unbalanced divisions (6 in the east, 8 in the west), why don't we just send Maryland and Rutgers to the other division (because obviously), Michigan State to the other division (because lil' brother shouldn't sit at the grown-ups table), and heck, let's just send Penn State to the other one too. Michigan plays OSU 7 times, and the winner of the best-of-seven faces the winner of the Little Eightish in the championship game.
"The straightest line from A to B is straight: From A to B"
"When you have Denard Robinson, you can have everything"
~George Walden
Not gonna happen. state is
Not gonna happen. state is lobbying to be in the West according to reports.
It's gonna be Michigan, indiana, maryland, ohio, penn state, purdue & rutgers in the East.
illinois, iowa, state, minnesota, nebraska, northwestern and wisconsin in the West.
I was just going to comment
I was just going to comment in this thread about State, but you totally beat me to it. I still can't believe MSU wants to be in the West. .... makes no sense... I guess they better hope there's a cross division rival still calculated into it. I mean, have we ever not played Sparty since we've both been in the Big Ten?
Makes total sense. They know
Makes total sense. They know that in a division that includes Michigan and Ohio, they will have little to no chance of ever advancing to the B1G championship game. In the West, they will only have to contend with Nebraska, which as a program recruits much closer to their level.
It's cowardly on their part, but it makes sense.
"...what do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?"
"Fix the cigarette lighter."
Michigan in the East makes sense.
UM's large eastern alumni base is a selling point for televising Big Ten games in the New Jersey area. I believe UM also has a significant alumni base in DC as well. It makes sense to place your premier teams in the same division as the two recently added out-of-region teams.
"The Ruhr will not be subjected to a single bomb. If an enemy bomber reaches the Ruhr, my name is not Hermann Göring: you can call me Urban Meyer!"
Still kind of sad though.
Still kind of sad though. Michigan won't be playing the charter members every year which has always bugged me even when they did rotate off the schedule for a short period.
illinois, minny, northwestern, purdue and wisconsin.
But if they go to a 10 game
But if they go to a 10 game schedule they'll play 4 teams from the other division which is good.
"Ohio is like a giant turd that Michigan just can't pinch off"
Until the league expands to
Until the league expands to 16 - 20 teams.....then, no.
"...what do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?"
"Fix the cigarette lighter."
I'm cool with this, because
I'm cool with this, because although I'll miss playing (actual) Big Ten teams like Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota for the jug, it essentially means that if we beat Penn State and Ohio we can cakewalk our way to winning the division.
"Long time listener, first time caller."
I would be okay with that.
I would be okay with that. The possibility of playing MSU twice sits a lot better with me than playing Ohio twice. It's a midseason game as it is, and it probably wouldn't happen as often as Ohio rematches would.
Goodbye tradition.
You're probably correct and that makes me sad.
Those are actually pretty
Those are actually pretty well balanced Divisions, both competitively and geographically.
M'Dog
I also like...
I also like that West division. I really like Michigan playing State, Nebraska, Iowa, Wiscy, and Northwestern. That's how it should be. I also understand that the East in this picture is total crap. I wish we could replace Marland and Rutgers with USC and Texas. (Or almost anyone else...)
Gene Smith...
Also, always a "strong likelihood" he says something stupid.
I hope he is correct but he is never anyone's go to source.
If the haters don't hate you then you're doing something wrong. - David Cone
The inner/outer scenario
The inner/outer scenario obviously made too much competitive and historical sense for it to be considered.
Right or wrong...
It never
Right or wrong...
It never had a chance because of the geography and I'm a little surprised that wasn't clear to everyone from the first time it was mentioned.
Not arguing it's merits... Just the 0% chance it has/had which should have been obvious to all.
"never had a chance because of the geography "
ditto for Maryland and Rutgers joining the big10 right?
geography doesn't really matter - the 'old' big 10 teams aren't driving to Rutgers, Maryland or Nebraska, nor for that matter, Minnesota. If it was about travel costs they'd just have a 'flyers' division and a 'tires' division and minimize travel for teams within a drive of each other -- which would look a lot like the concept in question.
Never had a chance...hence
Never had a chance...hence why the conference made it only one of two options on a survey administered to the public. Nice logic.
We're not talking about sending the Nebraska Cross-Country team to Piscataway more often over the course of a decade - rather establishing competitive balance in the one sport that would rely on a divisional model.
The two of you apparently
The two of you apparently missed the "right or wrong" and "not arguing it's merits" bits? All I know is my first thought was "not a chance". Then I seen how popular the idea was and read all of the arguments about why it was such a good idea and my only thought was 'not a chance". Call it coincidence if you like, but it looks like it won't be happening and this is my unsurprised face.
"because of geography"
I didn't realize you were giving me a choice. In that case, I pick "wrong".
The proposal may indeed be "right or wrong" or may be discussed without arguing it's merits - but you didn't do that. You said it was wrong for a specific reason - a reason that doesn't hold water.
But he was right
It never had a chance of happeneing. If the B1G made devisions based solely on competative balance the debate would never end because all schools are up and down competatively. They also said they can't use geographical names for the divisions unless they are actually geographically aligned. There was never any chance for the inner outer idea. I never bothered reading about its merits..I took 1 look at the map and knew it would never happen.
How can you kill that which has no life
If it never had a chance, there are reasons why.
I'm not really arguing if it was a viable option or not, as much as I'm arguing with someone saying 'geography' is the reason without explaining what he means. It's not really about the pros and cons as much as diluting it down to one (extremely vague) issue.
Something about the map struck as you as obviously wrong - that's fine and you're not alone. But if you put up a map of the existing alignment you would have the same reaction. It makes little sense geographically. Therefore, obviously, geography isn't the only criteria, nor is it a deal-breaker if things aren't geographically logical or unconventional.
I apologize if I'm not being
I apologize if I'm not being clear (I'm trying).
I'm not saying that geography SHOULD (sorry, don't know how to format for italics) be an issue. I'm saying that it's a deal killer for the inner/outer model even if only as a misguided matter of perception ("right or wrong" etc).
Sorry - not buying the "Gene
Sorry - not buying the "Gene Smith is an idiot" meme at all. In the past two years he's managed to dodge any significant NCAA investigation into what sure looks like fairly massive and widespread extra benefits being given to his players, told the NCAA there were no violations and they bought it, avoided any real sanctions when the shit did sort-of hit the fan and then managed to replace a beloved coach with an even more beloved coach all the while seeing his football team go undefeated.
I wish we had an "idiot" like Gene Smith in charge of our Athletic Department when Stretchgate was unfolding. My guess is that Smith would've told the Freep to go f themselves and banned them from the facility forever.
Um
It's called having friends in the NCAA. With that and the Miami stuff we may not be far off finding out the NCAA is corrupt
Funny you should say that...
Didn't Ohio just lose some
Didn't Ohio just lose some scholarships and have to serve a bowl ban in 2012, when they otherwise would have played for the national title? They didn't skate completely.
On the "Smith is an idiot" front, how dumb does he look for not applying the bowl ban in 2011 when his team was 6-6?
Smith would've told the Freep to go f themselves and banned them
I would be totally OK with Smith being AD for the 15 minutes it would take for him to do this.
Banning the media doesn't
Banning the media doesn't work too well. That's a good way to destroy the perception of your program. Doing that just guarantees that the media outlet will attack you.
Brandon handled the Freep thing well. He attacked their credibility without actually giving them a reason to bitch, by retaining their access.
The only problem with this report is that gene smith is an idiot. If that wasn't the case I'd be sold. As it stands, and someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, he remains an idiot and I can't put 100% faith in what he says. For once I hope he's right.