Proposal: For 2023 onwards, get rid of divisions
Divisions are bad. From a competitive standpoint they can be imbalanced but even moreso - I'm annoyed that we see Rutgers every year but have played Florida as often as we've played for the Jug under Harbaugh - and that's more often than we've played Purdue, Illinois or Nebraska. Is this a conference?
So if we are going to drop a conference game in 2023 for the alliance, I suggest we drop divisions too. Go back to the old system of protected rivals - but now have 3 (or alternatively, rotate the 3rd "rivalry" opponent after 1 four-year cycle). The remaining 5 conference games can rotate annually so that you see the remaining 10 programs every 2 years, and see every campus in the big ten every 4 years.
As for the championship game, I personally love Seth's "showcase" idea, and further think that the championship games should be consumed into the first round of any kind of expanded playoff to double as selection games. But worst case, we can go with the big 12 method. Does that mean rematches? Yes. Is that ideal? No. The showcase is far superior. But at least the big 12 has two of its best teams play at the end of each season.
The devil will be in selecting the 2 or 3 rivals you see every year, but as you'll see everyone every other year, this shouldn't be a dealbreaker . We can keep the triangle of hate out west, (or make it a quadrangle of hate, I opted not to below), keep the East Coast schools playing annually while still giving Penn State rivalry against Ohio State, and make the Jug an annual game. Here's a proposal that does those things:
Nebraska: Iowa, Purdue, Indiana
Iowa: Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Minnesota: Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan
Wisconsin: Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern
Northwestern: Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland
Illinois: Northwestern, Purdue, Ohio St
Purdue: Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska
Indiana: Purdue, MSU, Nebraska
MSU: Michigan, Indiana, Rutgers
Michigan: Ohio State, MSU, Minnesota
Ohio State: Michigan, Penn State, Illinois
Penn St: Ohio State, Rutgers, Maryland
Rutgers: Maryland, Penn St, MSU
Maryland: Rutgers, Penn St, Northwestern
January 12th, 2022 at 6:24 PM ^
I'd rather play a mediocre Iowa than play OSU in back to back weeks. The unbalanced divisions doesn't really bother me.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:29 PM ^
Yeah it seems like we are adding an extra impediment in our way. It wouldn't be easy beating OSU in back to back weeks in the typical year.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:36 PM ^
Yea agreed, for reference, Seth's "showcase" idea is at the end of this. He's had a few iterations of it over the years, but basically the idea is, the last game of the season features the best matchups with no rematches:
https://mgoblog.com/content/proposal-better-big-ten-schedule
January 12th, 2022 at 9:06 PM ^
We shouldn’t have to play OSU twice in two weeks to get into the playoff. SEC would never let that happen with Alabama and Georgia. SEC sets up a scenario where the only time Alabama plays Georgia is in a conference championship so that the loser can still get into the playoff. I say structure with that in mind.
January 12th, 2022 at 7:41 PM ^
What I'd really like is to just get rid of the Big Ten Championship Game. I've never liked it. For one thing, it feels artificial to decide the league title in a domed NFL stadium in Indiana instead of on campus. But worse, it forces us into awkward alignments, like either potentially playing OSU two straight weeks or having lopsided divisions, like now.
If/when the playoff is expanded, I'd love to see all the conference title games eliminated and have that week be the first round of the NCAA playoffs - played at the campus of the higher seeds.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:25 PM ^
Because I think Big Ten teams should play more Big Ten teams more often, I'm voting Yes on something that will likely never happen.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:28 PM ^
Under this scenario I could see MSU having years with easy schedules with 2 of their 3 protected rivalries being Rutgers and Indiana.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:40 PM ^
True, but they almost certainly play Penn State, Nebraska or Wisconsin in those seasons. If they manage to play 7 weak teams and us - the big ten is certainly having a down year. If we lose to ohio and beat MSU their schedule shouldn't matter to us, and if they beat us we don't have too much to complain about
January 12th, 2022 at 6:37 PM ^
I'm open to the idea but people need to remember that balancing the divisions or getting rid of them altogether really doesn't help Michigan, and it helps our rivals. We will play MSU and OSU every year regardless of how divisions look, but freeing Ohio State/MSU/Penn St from playing each other every year makes their schedules way easier
January 12th, 2022 at 6:39 PM ^
In general, I support the proposal to eliminate the divisions.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:40 PM ^
Although I miss rivalry games such as Minnesota for The Jug and Illinois (just so we can mock them), I doubt the B1G would consider any changes whatsoever until something is decided about expanding the college football playoffs.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:41 PM ^
No championship games and I’m on board
January 12th, 2022 at 6:43 PM ^
While they are imbalanced and that sucks, having divisions does at least increase the number of teams you play the same (or mostly similar) schedule to and usually gives the most accurate standings and teams to play for the conference title. The more diversity you add in to every team's schedule, the more likely you are to have standings that don't reflect the real strength of the teams
January 12th, 2022 at 7:06 PM ^
This is actually a really good point. You could have up to half of your games be different from a team you don't play
January 12th, 2022 at 8:23 PM ^
This is exactly my problem with Seth's proposal. I think it actually exacerbates the imbalance in quality of teams. In the current setup, at least one team has to make it through the East gauntlet. In a conference with no divisions, there's a decent chance that both teams make it to the championship game by virtue of easier schedules.
I also think the additional challenge is tie-breakers. Currently, if two teams are tied for the division, they have played each other, which lends itself to a very easy and fair first tie-breaker. With a free-for-all, the second team could easily be a 3- or 4-way tie, with many of those teams having not played each other. The division tie-breakers are honestly way more fair than the tie-breakers were when we were an 11-team conference. Being a 14-team conference would make them a disaster.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:11 PM ^
I believe the schedules of all the conferences should be "standardized" in a manner that clarifies who the best teams in the conference actually are. First, eliminate both divisions and the Conference Championship game. Everyone plays a 10 game conference schedule. Set the next year's schedule based upon the performance each team had the previous year. Make every team that finished in the top half of the league the previous year play each other the following year. This would ensure that no top program gets a free pass-like Iowa did this year. (A "rivalry" game could fit into this.) How the lower half performers are scheduled into the schedules of the top half is pretty nonconsequential-but would give the lower half an opportunity to move up. To add to this, make the OOC schedule reflect a similar difficulty level with something like the winner of a Conference playing the third place team from another Conference. That way there could be some legitimate cross-referencing done.
Anyway...it wouldn't be that difficult to do.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:46 PM ^
3 OOC games should only be allowed when you play AT LEAST one top 25ish OOC team every season. This year's OOC schedule is fucking pathetic and embarrassing. I understand that guaranteeing 3-0 to start a season greatly improves the chances of getting your ass kicked by Georgia/Alabama in the semifinals. But give me one or even two great OOC teams every fall. I'll barely watch the upcoming 3 tomato can games. Life is too short not to play home and homes with UCLA, Texas, Oregon, LSU, etc much more often.
January 12th, 2022 at 7:13 PM ^
UCLA was on the schedule originally.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:47 PM ^
Proposal: kick the 3 East Coast-ish teams and Nebraska out, play a true 9 game round robin, then have a playoff elimination game with the PAC 12 in the Rose Bowl.
January 12th, 2022 at 6:47 PM ^
Looks like a huge advantage for MSU PSU Wisconsin and Iowa
January 12th, 2022 at 6:50 PM ^
Playing OSU twice in a row would make our path to a B1G title much harder and, more importantly, it cheapens the importance of The Game. Getting a redo the next week takes away from the idea that you have 365 days to either have that L hang over your head or pump your chest out and talk shit with a W. That game’s winner historically decides the B1G champ in most years. That’s why it feels so sweet to win and so bitter to lose. You don’t put that game on a neutral field to decide the B1G.
January 12th, 2022 at 7:04 PM ^
Yea agreed. I wish I could edit the original post, but Seth's showcase proposal is essentially ensuring the championship game is not a rematch, which seems necessary with such a large conference
January 12th, 2022 at 7:16 PM ^
January 12th, 2022 at 7:28 PM ^
I simply can't see the divisions going anywhere. Inertia will rule the day here.
It is what it is, namely a form of "welfare" for the Western Division teams - an easier road to Indy (though not a single one of them has taken advantage of it yet).
January 12th, 2022 at 7:57 PM ^
It sounds like PAC-12 is going to do this.
Makes sense to me. While they’re at end they can get rid of Rutgers and Maryland. Honestly Nebraska should go back to Big 12 too
January 12th, 2022 at 7:58 PM ^
In my perfect world conference would simply be limited in size (say 10 teams). You play all of those teams. It would eliminate the need for a conference championship and then expand the playoffs. Will never happen though.
January 12th, 2022 at 8:09 PM ^
There are 40 teams in The Alliance, 41 with ND...we can totally resurrect the Big East and make this happen. But it probably means drawing lines in some uncomfortable ways.
January 12th, 2022 at 8:36 PM ^
Someone looked at this a few years ago and how it would balance out the current imbalance in east/west divisions by looking at SP+ ratings
January 12th, 2022 at 8:42 PM ^
Or continue Jim Delany's work by adding enough teams to create a 2nd Conference:
Big Ten Original
Michigan, MSU, OSU, Ind, Pur, Ill, NW, Wis, Min, Iowa
Big Ten Extra Crispy sponsored by Rotel
PSU, Maryland, Rutgers, Neb, GT, Virginia, UNC, BYU, Colorado, Kansas
Play 8 teams in your Conference, 3 from the other Conference, 1 OOC =12 games
Each team gets 3 protected Rivals across both Conferences (may vary from the OP above).
Play 1 game between the two Conference Champions to determine the auto-bid to CFP (eight-team).
January 12th, 2022 at 9:00 PM ^
OK, take Seth's plan or yours and keep going..
9 conference games stays. But no divisions, no pods. 1 protected rivalry.
Um, osu
Msu, psu
MD, Rutgers,
IL, nw
In, Purdue
IA, ne
MN, WI
That's it.
Rotate the other 8 each year.
Play a bonus week 10. With all teams.
Best team vs best team that they have not yet faced. May be 1 vs 2, may be 1 vs 4, but it's a new game and it will sell for tv.. it will never hurt your top couple teams strength of schedule..
January 12th, 2022 at 9:01 PM ^
Cut the trash, go to 10 teams and realize someone had this shit figured out 40 years ago. Play 9 conference games and be done with it.
Im not even sure if Im being sarcastic or not. Would the BIG ten lose a dime if they dropped their bottom 4 teams. Yes I know its not happening but if it could?
January 12th, 2022 at 9:15 PM ^
It's obvious enough to cut Rutgers and Maryland, but who else? Northwestern, and...? Nebraska? They may be bad but they're still a good draw. I don't think it's a crazy idea tho. Or to use the alliance to make 4 x 10 team conferences, or even 5 x 8, resurrect the Big East and Pac 8 and make a western 8 of the Pac12 interior and Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin and as long as s you keep Michigan and Ohio together everything else can figure itself out. Let's go alliance, do it!
January 12th, 2022 at 10:45 PM ^
It would be a tough decision but if we could go back in time our original 10 would still make plenty of money. I think the SEC might take the teeth out of some of its members by trying to filter so many teams through a small funnel. If Texas and Oklahoma go a decade without a conference championship along with perhaps Tenn, Auburn, and LSU you are going to lose a lot of interest from some very strong fanbases.
January 12th, 2022 at 9:03 PM ^
Seth's no-rematch Showcase weekend is SUCH A BETTER idea than a playoff.
This is why it will never happen.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:30 PM ^
Lose divisions
Lose rutger
Lose Terps
Ghost Scott Frost and his mom
Fuck Penn State.
Make 10 ten again.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:46 PM ^
This guy gets it. 16 teams isnt 2 teams better its 6 teams worse.
January 13th, 2022 at 12:00 AM ^
I personally enjoy the difficult schedule. Gives us a bit more leeway to lose a game.
January 13th, 2022 at 12:18 AM ^
Just have the top two conference teams play in the B1G championship game.
January 13th, 2022 at 7:44 AM ^
Add in regulation like the EPL.
Last place Big10 teams drops down to the MAC and first place MAC gets elevated to the Big10
January 13th, 2022 at 10:36 AM ^
I think the first thing that needs to happen is that all conferences have a standard set of rules with a clear understanding of how to get into any type of playoff system. Until that happens college football will remain unfair as some conferences race each other to the bottom.