Just a thought: Potential Conference Realignment
To preface this post, I do believe the following likelihood is highly unlikely, but I like to ponder. Do you think schools like Iowa, Nebraska, OSU and PSU would be so upset following this season as to leave for a conference like the Big 12 for ideological reasons more than anything else? We could become the "literal" Big Ten again and play OSU as one of our non conference games every year, however I see Big Ten Presidents trying to to follow the Ivies into the FCS with a smaller focus on athletics, albeit 75 years later. This is extreme and laughable, but I am always interested in macro societal shifts and I could see this at least being a thought. Does anyone want to amuse me with their scenarios?
September 11th, 2020 at 6:40 AM ^
Yes. It is extreme and laughable.
Too much money for them to leave.
September 11th, 2020 at 6:41 AM ^
Please send Rutger, Maryland, Illinois and Perdont to the Big12 instead
September 11th, 2020 at 8:09 AM ^
I'm not sure why you wish to ship two founding members of the Big Ten to the Big 12 but keep Ped State and Nebraska instead. That doesn't make sense in my humble opinion.
September 11th, 2020 at 9:26 AM ^
Because they are terrible programs...change my mind
September 11th, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^
Illinois, Purdue, and Maryland are solid in basketball at least.
Rutgers can't go soon enough though.
September 11th, 2020 at 9:50 AM ^
I agree--don't get rid of the schools who have belonged to the conference for a long time. I would be fine, though, if the Big Ten were to lose the newly added schools (Rutgers, Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan State).
September 11th, 2020 at 9:55 AM ^
I’ll settle for Maryland and a Rutger I guess
September 11th, 2020 at 10:50 AM ^
Michigan State - newly added???
A person would have to be at least 75 years old to remember a time when MSU wasn't a B1G member.
September 11th, 2020 at 6:43 AM ^
Stop eating those (electric) prunes!
September 11th, 2020 at 7:50 AM ^
Dude on the left looks like he had too much of somethin'!
September 11th, 2020 at 6:48 AM ^
In this scenario, Lucy wants to spend time with Ricky, so she decides to join Ricky on a camping trip. Ricky does not want this to happen, so he does a "practice" camping trip with her to see how she likes it. He hopes to make her tired and scare her out of wanting to go camping with him ever again. This is another case where Ricky should have been honest with her and appreciate the fact that his own wife wants to spend time with him. And once again, the show plays into gender stereotypes in a painfully obvious way.
September 11th, 2020 at 7:56 AM ^
My brain is short circulating
September 11th, 2020 at 8:02 AM ^
Where's the part about Ricky growing really good weed?
September 11th, 2020 at 9:14 AM ^
....or the one where he has an affair with the cigar girl at the club he plays at???
September 11th, 2020 at 10:40 AM ^
Lucy and I are just friends with the Benedicts.
September 11th, 2020 at 7:11 AM ^
The realignment you suggest IS highly unlikely, because of money, but also because big-time college football is like politics, highly tribal. (Not only must "our" side win, "their" side must suffer.)
However, as a thought experiment to remake the Big Ten with 10 teams, your idea is better than mine. I had mentioned removing the latest additions, Penn State, Nebraska, Maryland, and Rutgers. But for broader cultural reasons, the four you named, Penn State, Nebraska, OSU, and Iowa, do seem to fit other conferences.
September 11th, 2020 at 8:37 AM ^
By cultural reasons you mean four teams that have a strong history of football success and also are the ones that want to play this year. Don’t dance around it
September 11th, 2020 at 7:20 AM ^
should have split the difference - play 5 games late Oct - early Dec.
Play 5 more mid March-April.
P12-B10 Rose Bowl on 5/10 or something.
Sure, players with NFL concerns would skip the latter half but at least they'd get 5 games to play in the fall and the extra elig. wouldn't pitch the teams in the spring from a numbers perspective.
September 11th, 2020 at 7:24 AM ^
I was thinking Nebraska moves back to the Big 12 and Rutgers and Maryland leave for the American conference.
And to replace them, we bring in NDSU, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh.
September 11th, 2020 at 7:36 AM ^
Big 12 should definitely add Cincinnati in my opinion. They are on the rise, and I would absolutely love for OSU to no longer be the only Power-5 school in the talent rich state they reside in.
September 11th, 2020 at 8:21 AM ^
Now that you say that, Indiana has THREE power 5 (including ND, which can go to hell) and Ohio has one. I vote BG, Toledo, Cinci, Dayton's school all join the Big 12!
September 11th, 2020 at 1:36 PM ^
Go Bison!
September 11th, 2020 at 7:36 AM ^
Nope, don't like it. Just get rid of divisions, play a true rotating schedule with no protected games, and let the top two teams play for the conference championship.
September 11th, 2020 at 7:57 AM ^
I have been saying this for years...Divisions do not work to get the top 2 teams to play in the conference championship. Scrap em. I would also like to see a 10 game Big schedule and other conferences match up the # of conference games. SEC only has 8 conference games...what a joke. Every Nov. is a bye week with a 1AA team. Sorry yes it is still 1AA to me....ha.
September 11th, 2020 at 7:38 AM ^
I like this OP, you are obviously a visionary who has great ideas for the league.
But I think we can make your good idea even better with a few minor tweaks. Such as:
1. Require the remaining B1G teams to play all games on ponys. Small ponys. You know, the really cute small ponys you see at petting zoos and places like that.
2. Reduce the field to 71 yards.
3. Make all games first team to score 10 points LOSES!
These are my suggested improvements. What do you guys think about that?
September 11th, 2020 at 7:55 AM ^
Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
September 11th, 2020 at 8:09 AM ^
Have a little golden golf ball with wings that flies around the field, and as soon as someone finds it, their team gets 1,000 points and ends the game.
Also, make the points intervals of ten ONLY. Because higher scores mean more excitement.
September 11th, 2020 at 8:15 AM ^
chocked on my coffee laughing at this one...
September 11th, 2020 at 9:09 AM ^
YER A WIZERD BRUTUS!!
September 11th, 2020 at 9:23 AM ^
Worst world building ever.
And don't even get me started on her magic system.
September 12th, 2020 at 1:23 AM ^
I'm not sure what to think about your new rules, with the exception of this:
Rule #1 about ponies, I think we'd have to ban Pony Conquerer to make this rule safe for the participants.
September 11th, 2020 at 7:57 AM ^
Another day, another MLive-esque post.
HERE'S WHAT I THINK.
September 11th, 2020 at 8:16 AM ^
In all seriousness, why do we have conferences?
wait for it...
$$$$$$$
September 11th, 2020 at 8:19 AM ^
I could see Nebraska rejoining the Big 12, but not Iowa, Ohio State, and PSU.
If Ohio State ever did leave the B1G, which I don't think will happen, my guess would be for the SEC.
September 11th, 2020 at 9:43 PM ^
They are south east of anything important, afterall
September 11th, 2020 at 8:34 AM ^
Less chance than Lloyd fucking Mary
September 11th, 2020 at 8:35 AM ^
I have never gotten the Maryland hate. Good academic school, good in every sport other than football and that’s hopefully changing. It just always seems like “nope, we don’t like change.”
September 11th, 2020 at 8:43 AM ^
Great post
September 11th, 2020 at 8:49 AM ^
Please stop
September 11th, 2020 at 8:58 AM ^
Nope.
September 11th, 2020 at 9:21 AM ^
I’ll have what you’re smoking!
September 11th, 2020 at 9:31 AM ^
PCP is bad, mmkay?
September 11th, 2020 at 9:34 AM ^
OSU would never leave. The B1G office bows down to them. If it was up to them, and not the conference presidents, we'd be kicking off tomorrow because OSU said so.
September 11th, 2020 at 9:59 AM ^
"Possible, not probable." - Lloyd Carr
September 11th, 2020 at 10:14 AM ^
Leave the Big Ten and the money and the perks that extend past football? I don't think they would ever dare except in some dire emergency or due to some philosophical dispute which could not be reconciled.
September 11th, 2020 at 10:32 AM ^
LOL NO
In all seriousness though, LOL NO
September 11th, 2020 at 11:17 AM ^
Michigan to the FCS. Ok. That's where I stopped reading.
September 11th, 2020 at 11:22 AM ^
It would cost way to much to leave the conference for these schools right now. They would have to pay the media rights back to the big ten and that would be a ginormous cost. I can see the cancellation of the football season altering agreements bigtime going forward and would give schools the right to play a season when other conference members cancel... There will be changes to the btn media and tv contracts. They won't be able to leave the conference but I'd say they could go independent for a cancelled season and make their own schedule.... jmo
September 11th, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^
The B1G presidents looking to get out of sports and become Ivies.
Yes, I have an opinion -- you're nuts!
September 11th, 2020 at 1:35 PM ^
I don’t have an interest what any other university decides especially the droopy state down south