Official Friday Division Alignment, UM/OSU thread

I like turtles.

In the past he has taken heat for wanting to preserve tradition at the expense of progress (for example keeping the Rose bowl pac10/b10 getting in the way of a playoff). Why in this case is he so quick to piss on the tradition of The Game, probably one of the best traditions the b10 has going for it? I thought this was a conference all about tradition (hence the "leather helmet 10" nickname given by haters).

ESPN Bottom line is running headline:

"Ohio State President supports being in different division than Michigan in reorganized Big Ten"

"Gordon Gee also supports a conference championship game because it would give the teams a chance to play twice each season: Gee 'I want to beat them twice' ."

:::hangs head in disgust:::

At least the story is making national headlines.  Maybe that will create more outcry.  Ugh.  This sucks.

I'm not sure how many permutations you can make, 12 teams split into 2 conferences (been way too long since my last engineering class), but it seems most of those permutations have been suggested already.

I just want to know, what is so wrong with a true geographical split that has an East division with UM / OSU / PSU / MSU, and add Indiana / Purdue... and a West division with everyone else -- the geographic rivals Neb / Iowa / Wiscy / Minn, and also U of I and NU.  Is that really imbalanced?  It makes too much sense to me.  But what do I know.

I just want the season to start - trip preparations officially commencing today

If the 12 team conference/Conference Championship is gonna screw up traditional rivalries, then why not make The Game the "Daytona 500" of college football and make it the first game of the new season, played on Labor Day Weekend?  Make it a huge extravaganza, sort of like the official start of every new season.

Then, if we meet again at the conference championship, it'll be 3 months later and (presumably) and highly anticipated rematch.

So, I had this idea based on a loophole I found in the rule for conference championship games. The rule says that the members of the game essentially need to be the winners of two separate round-robins of 6 teams or more. It doesn't say that when or how the divisions need to be chosen.

My thought is to make 4 groups of 3, with one team from each tier in each group. Michigan would play the two teams in their division (MSU, Minn). Michigan's group and PSU's group would play OSU's group and Nebraska's group, forming somewhat of a square with Michigan on the opposite corner from PSU and OSU on the opposite corner of Nebraska. Now, where the loophole comes in is that because Michigan is essentially playing around robin with OSU's group AND another one with Nebraska's group, we could wait until the end of the season to decide divisions. Imagine dividing the square in half vertically or horizontally.

I'm just going to assume that Michigan, OSU, PSU, and Nebraska win their groups this particular year. In that case, we would look at which two teams have the best record. If it is Michigan and OSU, put them in separate divisions so they play each other in the BTCG. If it is Michigan Nebraska, put Michigan and OSU in the same division. If it is Michigan and PSU, then it doesn't matter how you divide the divisions.

What this does is it makes OSU-Michigan count like a divisional rivalry, because it could be at the end of the season, but it doesn't preclude the possibility of OSU and Michigan meeting in the championship game again if they are both still the two best teams. It also adds some randomness to the last game of the season, much the same way that our current setup does. You almost need to beat your rival and hope someone else loses to go to the championship game.

I'm glad we have this open thread because I've wanted to post this but didn't want to start a new topic for it.

Anybody else just get the canned mass email from Mary Sue Coleman via Bruce Madej?

Thank you for your note on the importance of Michigan-Ohio State football game. President Coleman and other university leaders have asked me to respond on their behalf.

I want to assure you that no one understands the tradition of this Big Ten football rivalry more than Athletic Director David Brandon. He has experienced this legendary rivalry first hand as a player, as a fan and supporter of the athletic program and as a U-M regent.

Expansion of the Big Ten is certain to bring some changes. We know there will be a conference championship game in 2011 and we expect to soon learn the details of the divisional alignment.  Clearly we would like to have Michigan and Ohio State play the last game of the season for the Conference Championship (as has happened so many times in the past). However, based on a 12 Team - two division conference with a championship game format, in order for this to happen in the future both teams will have to play their way into the championship game.  Which, we hope happens many times if this happens to be the final decision-if the decision is to move the game.

Certainly one of the priorities of the Big Ten commissioner and the Big Ten athletic directors is preserving the traditional rivalries, like Michigan-Ohio State and Michigan-Michigan State.  This will continue to be a driving principle...as will creating competitive balance between the two divisions.

Just like the renovations to the Big House, we believe the Big Ten can move forward and make improvements while maintaining the traditions that are so important to fans.

Go Blue,

BRUCE MADEJ

Putting Official(!) in your title does not make the thread anything distinctive if there are ten berjillion other threads about it in the past three days.

Any truth to the rumor that only games played within the divsion will count towards going to the Big Ten Championship game? The crossover games will not count towards you winning your division.

That there are going to be 6 divisions.  All the division winners plus 2 wild-cards will advance to the 8 team Big Ten playoff, which will keep the Big Ten playing right up until the bowls start.  Delany reported to have said, when asked about the traditional time off for exams:  "You want a break for exams?  Go play in some pussy conference like the SEC".

I have been reading MGoBlog daily for the past several years, but this is my first post.

The situation with The Game, combined with hearing a band cover Don McLean's "American Pie" the other night, got this spinning around in my head (apologies to Don McLean in advance):

“The Game” Lyrics (Sung to the tune of the great song “American Pie” by Don McLean)

A long, long time ago...
We can all remember
How that special day used to make us smile.
And when Howard and Griffin had the chance
They could really make us dance
And, maybe, we’d be happy for a while

But August came and made us quiver
With every statement they delivered.
Bad news on the doorstep;
We couldn’t believe they’d take one more step.

I do remember that I cried
When I read that Delany had decided,
The memories had touched me deep inside
The day The Game died.

Delany said, “I’m gonna buy, buy me some college football pie”.
I drove my Chevy to the tailgate,
But the tailgate was dry .
And we loyal fans have tears in our eyes.
Knowin’ this’ll be the day The Game dies.
this’ll be the day The Game dies.

Delany do you understand tradition?
And do you understand the true mission?
Didn’t the ACC teach you so?
Do you even know about the Snow Bowl?
And what Smith and Woodson did for the mortal soul?
Did you hear that Woody went for two?

Well, we know Delany you’re gonna sin
`cause we hear you mumbling in the din.
Let The Game remain pure and true!
Don’t touch the Scarlet or the Blue!

The Game is not about the almighty buck!
It’s Michigan and Ohio love and luck!
It’s not for sale to some AFLAC duck!
Don’t let The Game die!

Delany started singin’,
"I’m gonna buy, buy me some college football pie."
I drove my Chevy to the tailgate,
But the tailgate was dry.
And we loyal fans have tears in our eyes
Knowin’ this’ll be the day The Game dies.
this’ll be the day The Game dies.

For over a hundred years The Game has been on its own
The Big House and The Shoe are its cornerstones,
And that’s how it should always be!
When Delaney sang for the A.D.s,
In a coat he borrowed from the president of ABC
Without a voice from you and me.

And while the A.D.s were looking down,
Delany stole the Big Ten’s crown!
The meeting was adjourned;
A terrible verdict was returned.
And while Gordon read the Dayton Daily News,
Mary Sue didn’t want to hear us sing the blues,
So we just dropped tears on our shoes.
The day The Game died.

Delany was singing,
"I’m gonna buy, buy me some college football pie."
I drove my Chevy to the tailgate,
But the tailgate was dry.
And we loyal fans have tears in our eyes
Knowin’ this’ll be the day The Game dies.
this’ll be the day The Game dies.

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The news drove us in to a fallout shelter,
100 years of tradition is falling fast.
It landed so foul on the grass.
The players just want this all to pass,
With Delany in Chicago in a cast.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the marching bands played Across The Field and The Victors tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
When the players tried to take the field;
The Big Ten Conference refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day The Game died?

Delany started singing,
"I’m gonna buy, buy me some college football pie."
I drove my Chevy to the tailgate,
But the tailgate was dry.
And we loyal fans have tears in our eyes.
Knowin’ this’ll be the day The Game dies.
this’ll be the day The Game dies.

Buckeyes and Wolverines are all in one place,
Millions of fans lost in space
The Game just can’t be started again.
So come on Dave be nimble, Gene be quick!
Delany has sat on a candlestick
You should know that fire is the devil’s only friend.

And as we watched him on the stage
Our hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell,
Could break that Tar Heel’s spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the Columbus night
To light the sacrificial rite,
We saw Delany laughing with delight
The day The Game died

He was singing,
"I’m gonna buy, buy me some college football pie."
I drove my Chevy to the tailgate,
But the tailgate was dry.
And we loyal fans have tears in our eyes.
Knowin’ this’ll be the day The Game dies.
this’ll be the day The Game dies.

I met a fan who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just frowned and turned away.
I went down to the sacred stadium
Where I’d seen The Game so many times before,
But the man there said The Game would not be played.

And on the campuses the students screamed,
The players cried, and the coaches dreamed.
The Big Ten had just spoken;
The spirit of The Game had been broken.

And the four men who made The Game the most:
Bo and Woody, Schmidt and Yost,
Forever Delany will be haunted by their ghosts.
The day The Game died.

And Delany kept singing,
"I’m gonna buy, buy me some college football pie."
I drove my Chevy to the tailgate,
But the tailgate was dry.
And we loyal fans have tears in our eyes.
Knowin’ this’ll be the day The Game dies.
this’ll be the day The Game dies.

Then the loyal fans started singing:
"Bye, bye, Mr. Delany goodbye!"
We don’t accept this fate, we’re not Miami and Florida State!
Buckeyes and Wolverines stand together up on high,
Singin’, "We’re not gonna let The Game die!”

There are two options available:

1. Permanently move the UM-OSU game to Halloween week and play it at a neutral site, preferably an indoor stadium- I think they should rotate between Ford Field, Lucas Oil Stadium, and the Metrodome, but that would be up to the people in charge to decide- and name the game "The Spooky Bowl."

2. Reorganize the B10 as follows:

Bo Division- Michigan

Woody Division- Ohio State

Crap Division- the other ten teams

No regular-season games will be played between Michigan and Ohio State.  Conference championship is played third weekend of November, the game rotates annually between Ann Arbor and Columbus, and it pits the winner of the Bo Division and the Woody Division.

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