SIAP: B1G Moving Back to 8 Conference Games (2022 or Sooner)

Submitted by umbig11 on

The B1G wants to move back to 8 conference games. It is a matter of when, not if. The current scheduling arrangement runs through 2021. Some are saying the change could possibly take place in 2020.

Why? They want to even the playing field with the SEC and ACC for access to the CFP. In addition, it reduces scheduling burdens and allows for B1G teams to get back to 7-8 home games on a more consistent basis.

Mr Miggle

May 23rd, 2018 at 8:40 AM ^

From two days ago, this one has led to a lot of talk.

This was Bill Moos’s full quote that hints a possible adjustment with Big Ten scheduling:

Yesterday's may quiet it. It sounds from these that going back to 8 conference games is something Nebraska is pushing, but it didn't get enough support to pass. It sounds like we'll know soon enough.


 Retweeted

If you're reading "Big Ten mulling 8-game league schedule" into Moos' comments Monday on Sports Nightly ... slow that roll. The B1G in coming days will announce schedule news for 2023 and beyond, but it does NOT involve moving to 8. "That is NOT in the cards," Moos said this a.m.

Kevin13

May 23rd, 2018 at 9:21 AM ^

of only 8 conference games with a 14 team conference. I think they should actually go to 10 conference games and have 2 OOC games. Start the season with a cupcake game, then play a big name opponent for the second one and then start conference play.

Tough to say your a conference champion when you don't play 6 of the teams in your conference. The more conference games the better.

Magnus

May 30th, 2018 at 7:49 AM ^

The more conference games, the better? If you're not playing the teams in your conference, there's no way to tell who the conference champion truly should be. Whether it's an 8-game schedule or a 10-game schedule, it's impossible.

The solution isn't to change the schedule. If you want to know your conference champion, you have to make your conference small enough to play each team each year. The whole discussion is a bunch of hooey.

ak47

May 22nd, 2018 at 6:38 PM ^

This is incredibly stupid but whatever, enjoy the crossover games the next couple of years since after this the west division will essentially be a different conference for football. We will play teams we schedule home and homes with out of conference more than we will play Wisconsin.

DrMantisToboggan

May 22nd, 2018 at 6:39 PM ^

Means one less crossover game each year, which is fine. I have no strong feelings over 2 vs 3 games against the West. Plus, as long as the East has 4 Top 25 teams we should add a cupcake to the schedule, I feel fine saying that.

Late Bluemer

May 22nd, 2018 at 6:44 PM ^

Wanted to schedule Montana state or some other school that most people don’t even realize have a football team instead.

Also, now that we are dropping a conf game we can hopefully go back to osu and sparty at home in alternating years — w/ a back to back at home w sparty to make up for the recent imbalance

LSAClassOf2000

May 22nd, 2018 at 7:13 PM ^

I can't help but wonder if all the cancellations and eventual downmarket replacements happening in the future OOC schedules were, in some way, a prelude to the concession by Michigan that SOS really didn't matter to the committee (of course, there were other things involved in those decisions). I actually thought the return of the 9-game conference schedule was a good idea at first, but if SOS really isn't going to be a factor, then there isn't much point in maintaining it IMHO.

LV Sports Bettor

May 23rd, 2018 at 3:10 PM ^

win the Big Ten and almost guarantee spot into playoff. No reason to try and do more. I'd love for this year's ND game to have been replaced by a creampuff. Schedule is murder esp big ten east these days.

Blueblood2991

May 22nd, 2018 at 6:56 PM ^

I'm pretty indifferent about the decision, but I'm bummed it happened less than two months after we had to pay Virginia Tech to cancel our series. I was looking forward to that home and home, and I believe the rationale was too many P5 teams on the schedule that season.

This is where I curse Delany's name, correct?

wile_e8

May 23rd, 2018 at 12:41 AM ^

Sure, replacing games against Illinois or Minnesota with nonconference games souds good.... until you realize there is approximately a 100% chance those nonconference opponents are going to be MAC teams or equivalents. Plus there's a good chance that the unofficial annual game against Wisconsin will bite the dust now, so we'll get Illinois or Minnesota anyway. 

UMinSF

May 22nd, 2018 at 7:06 PM ^

I enjoy conference games, and like when we play traditional opponents. I'm not a fan of cupcakes. IMO, the whole purpose of being in a conference is to play against those teams.

Would much rather enjoy a difficult schedule full of exciting games, even if it slightly lowers playoff chances. Just my 2 pennies.

 

NittanyFan

May 22nd, 2018 at 7:09 PM ^

once every SIX years under the current schedule format.  (ditto for those teams playing in Ann Arbor).

Will that now become once every EIGHT years?  Once every TEN years?

I actually like the idea of four OOC games - it potentially opens things up schedule-wise (e.g., Michigan can play ND annually and PSU can play Pittsburgh annually and both U-M/PSU can still schedule another good OOC game too).  But 8-game conference schedules really only work with a conference that maxes out at 12 teams.  

bluepow

May 22nd, 2018 at 8:07 PM ^

So lame.  Fuck you Delany for creating this nonsense. 

I have never understood the cheering for 16-team "super conferences", 14 is already destruction.  

EconClassof14

May 22nd, 2018 at 7:18 PM ^

I hate this. Going to 8 games increases scheduling disparities and inevitably gifts someone into the conference title game. Michigan has already been on the losing end of this by getting Wisconsin for 6 years in a row while osu got Nebraska and PSU got Iowa

LV Sports Bettor

May 23rd, 2018 at 3:14 PM ^

talks about after the season is how over is many wins you had that year.



Nobody is going to go pop up 5 years later and say yeah that 2021 Michigan team had 11 wins but not good enough because 3 of those came against creampuffs.



Instead seasons are almost always looked at and simplified with one number, how many wins you had overall especially years later down the road. Don't need to apologize for good seasons when you play in a very good conference.

ak47

May 22nd, 2018 at 9:11 PM ^

Would you really prefer playing Illinois northwestern over Nebraska and penn state. People overrate the amount they care about the original big ten. It was the big 2 and little 8 for a reason and it’s because nobody gave a shit about the little 8.

I dislike going to 8 because I’d rather play Wisconsin than Central Michigan. If we were replacing these games with a real p5 opponent it would be fine but instead we just get one more game where either we lose and it’s embarrassing or it’s over at the half.

jsquigg

May 22nd, 2018 at 7:36 PM ^

Stupid. Conference expansion was stupid. BCS was stupid. The idea that you can have an objective champion is stupid. They should have smaller regional conferences that play a round robin and then have a "Champions" league of sorts, but it will never happen because greed/capitalism/corruption, etc.