OT: Conference aIlignment comparison
I've posted a diary as well as some comments about how I like the idea of the Big 10 splitting into an East/West division alignment as follows with 5 division games and 3 cross division games that can switch every year or every other year to maintain a home and home series;
East: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State
West: Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois, Minnesota
I wrote about how this kept most rivalries in tact, with the major issue being the inequity in strength of the East and West Divisions. I took Jeff Sagarin's final rating of each team and averaged the rankings of each division over the last decade. What I found was, with the suggested division split, the East division strength over the last decade was 44 and the West was 48. A difference, yes, but it appeared to be a small one.
Since then, I decided that I would do what every media source seems to do, and compare this Big Ten and our rankings to our football brethren to the south, the SEC.
From the data, I found two things. One was that the average difference between the SEC East and West Divisions was suprisingly close, with an average difference in ranking of 2. I have no idea if this makes our rank difference of 4 look large, but was a bit suprised. The second thing that I found was a bit more disheartening. It appears that over the last decade, the SEC was the stronger conference with an average conference ranking of 40 to our 46. I am having a hard time accepting this truth*, but have full faith that this ship will be righted over the next decade as Michigan begins their run of dominance. I have no idea if this is usefull, or a totall waste of time. All I know for sure right now is that we are still over two months away from football season, and I am starting to succumb to the starved feelings of football hibernation.
*To point out the possible flaws in the overall data, which probably prove my whole point moot, in 2007-08 when Michigan ended the season with the same record as Florida, and gave them a proper whoopin' to send out Lloyd on their sholders, Jeff Sagarin rated Florida 10th and Michigan 21st.
What gets more forum posts? Conference expansion or new Big Ten division alignments?
Discuss
I feel like this alone deserves its own board topic. Or maybe a diary? Clearly.
Won't someone think of the children?
And hey, if the Big Ten just gets Florida, Texas, Duke, Alabama, and Alaska Fairbanks, we'll have an awesome mega conference that will totally get the New York TV market. and then we can split into divisions based on average student height and endowment growth rates.
/sarcasm
If you have to tell everyone that its sarcasm, then you're probably trying to hard.
All the posts about the quarterback controversy in the spring were less annoying than all these division speculation posts.
All of your posts are annoying. You don't have to comment on every single thread.
Since then, I decided that I would do what every media source seems to do, and compare this Bog Ten and our rankings to our football brethren to the south, the SEC.
The Bog Ten against the Tumbleweed Twelve....