Per Tom VH, Only 12 "Protected Rivalries" on the 2024-28 B1G Schedule Model
As the new 18-team B1G era begins, Tom VH (Hold me, TomVH!) gives us the list of yearly rivalries. Iowa is still locked in with three (Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin) while nobody cares enough about Penn State to marry them.
October 5th, 2023 at 2:15 PM ^
Still calling it Big “10”… ? 🤔
October 5th, 2023 at 2:26 PM ^
Now there’s an interesting point that I don’t think has been brought up…I think folks were willing to say “whatever” when Penn State joined in 1990, Nebraska in 2011, and even when Rutgers & Maryland were brought in, in 2014, bringing the conference to 14. But now? Hmm. Dunno.
October 5th, 2023 at 2:28 PM ^
When Nebraska joined I thought they announced it would forever be the Big Ten because of "the brand"
October 5th, 2023 at 2:31 PM ^
I believe you're correct on that. And even before then, it seemed to be implied.
October 5th, 2023 at 2:50 PM ^
The writing is already on the wall.
The B1G conference will eventually be known as the BIG conference.
And the Big 12 (XII) will become the X conference. But only after Musk buys it.
October 5th, 2023 at 4:09 PM ^
Just don't let Isiah Thomas buy it. He'll run it into bankruptcy.
October 5th, 2023 at 5:45 PM ^
Brand of slow heavy guys pushing each other for 3 yard gains.
B104lyfe!
October 5th, 2023 at 3:19 PM ^
BIG 10 base 20 when we add a couple more.
October 5th, 2023 at 7:07 PM ^
If that ever happens call it the North Pacific Conference…
Split it into 2 divisions: the Big 10 and the Pac 10, with the NPC Championship Game alternating between Lucas Oil and the Rose Bowl.
October 5th, 2023 at 2:34 PM ^
Maybe we find two more and go with (B1G)2?
October 5th, 2023 at 2:45 PM ^
Big Ten East & Ten West (of Chicago).
October 5th, 2023 at 3:16 PM ^
add two more teams ( I guess it doesn't matter anymore from where) and make it the big ten east and the big ten west or big ten north and the big ten south. Or whatever new division of 10 teams you want to make up. Who gives a shit?
October 5th, 2023 at 5:06 PM ^
or big 10 and pac 10 or embrace relegation and big 10 and little 10
October 5th, 2023 at 7:21 PM ^
UNC, UVA, Clemson, and Florida State come on down.
October 6th, 2023 at 10:14 AM ^
Duke and VT are better academic fits than UNC and UVA and have historically fielded some competitive teams, albeit on an irregular basis.
NGL adding FSU intrigues me.
Clemson can eat my filthy asshole.
October 6th, 2023 at 10:50 AM ^
Now tell us how you really feel about Clemson! 😆
October 5th, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
I think they should rename it the "Big-ass Conference".
October 5th, 2023 at 9:44 PM ^
"a bunch of teams that play each other for a while until the playoffs start"
October 5th, 2023 at 3:23 PM ^
The Big 10 Pac. Let's make a thing....
/s
October 5th, 2023 at 2:30 PM ^
Let's be honest, it should be called The Big Two.
October 5th, 2023 at 2:33 PM ^
but next year the big 6? altho I think PSU deserves more respect than you do.
October 5th, 2023 at 3:18 PM ^
Michigan and USC?
October 5th, 2023 at 2:30 PM ^
Little bro should be off our schedule. They are a mediocre community college, masquerading as a four-year school, populated by thugs. We should give them absolutely no relevance, and no light to shine because of any game with us.
October 5th, 2023 at 2:45 PM ^
we promised mom we'd let 'lil bro play every season.
October 5th, 2023 at 3:30 PM ^
Yeah, well, mom died and so did the promise to protect that little turd…
October 5th, 2023 at 4:10 PM ^
Lil bro killed mom in the tunnel with a helmet to the head.
October 5th, 2023 at 4:15 PM ^
I think it was izzo in the basement with a candle stick
October 5th, 2023 at 8:23 PM ^
Mork arm in arm with his D-line “walked” over her.
October 5th, 2023 at 2:55 PM ^
If we have to have 2 protected rivalry games, I'd rather play for the jug every year.
October 5th, 2023 at 3:00 PM ^
I agree that that shouldn't be a protected rivalry, but it's a good school with a crooked AD and toxic football program. The tunnel assault should have been the trigger for Warde to eliminate this as an annual game.
October 5th, 2023 at 3:16 PM ^
Is that something that Warde can do? Flick of the wrist and be gone with you staee? I think its a little more complicated that that.
October 5th, 2023 at 3:49 PM ^
It's reasonable to assume that ADs had substantial input into the fixed rivalries for their football programs. As the representative for the most valuable program, Warde would likely have outsized influence.
October 5th, 2023 at 11:21 PM ^
it's a good school
There's always the few Michigan fans in these threads who for some reason feels the need to defend MSU's academics. MSU is a fine school at best. You don't need to sugar coat it because one of your buddies or family members goes/went there
October 5th, 2023 at 4:08 PM ^
I agree and have said as much on here before (not for the reasons stated). Can't remember how it was received.
I think it is pretty well understood that there are TWO (current) B1G schools with TWO long running yearly rivalries - Mich/Ohio Mich/MSU Minny/Wisky Minny/Iowa
Iowa having 3 rivals is news to me but the B1G is making this more complicated than it needs to be. Iowa/Nebraska makes sense regionally. Illinois having 2 rivals is news to me (Michigan and Illinois have played 2 less games - 97 than Illinois/Purdue -99).
Mich/Lil Bro can still be played 3 of every 4/5 years. It doesn't need to be permanent.
ONE regional rivaly game is what makes sense. There is no way the B1G is ever gonna fuck with Mich/Ohio. They'd be fools to do so. PSU was an independent for 100 years. MSU/PSU I now pronounce you....
October 5th, 2023 at 5:34 PM ^
We can keep State for our cupcake game.
October 5th, 2023 at 4:37 PM ^
I would rather play PSU every year.
October 5th, 2023 at 5:37 PM ^
But also, that's what we did to ND
October 5th, 2023 at 7:39 PM ^
What in the actual fuck, XM? I get that the recent tunnel accident was criminal at the very least and years of little brother syndrome has led to hostility before, during, and after games. I'm sure you've had shitty run-ins with the MSU fanbase like others but it's comments like this that give UM alumni and fans a "holier than thou" reputation. Maybe I'm a little touched but why are statements like this ok or accepted?
They are a mediocre community college, masquerading as a four-year school
If rankings are your thing, as an academic institution they rank #60 (2024 rankings) in the country along with Penn State, and higher than Syracuse, George Washington, and Villanova. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities.
populated by thugs.
So the actions of football players and some asshole fans represent everyone attending MSU? Again, nobody is going to compare MSU academics to UM or NW but this seems inflammatory at best. Is every MSU student, alum, and fan a thug? C'mon man, that's an MGoBlog equivalent of a RCMB comment. Are you also absolving UM players who have of stoked the fire over the years as well?
We should give them absolutely no relevance, and no light to shine because of any game with us.
Regardless of the past, players and coaches of both teams want to play in this game. Many of them are Michigan born-and-bred kids that have watched the rivalry for years. Hell, since 2008, MSU is 10-5 vs UM so who is stealing who's light here, exactly?
Lastly, I did not attend either school so as lifelong Michigan fan who completed my undergrad at a MWC school and about to complete my MA from a MAC school, please feel free to shit all over my academic accomplishments. I also cannot say what my level of hatred would be towards either rival fanbase but I believe your comment to be shit. People who exemplify Leaders and best would not say this. I still like you though and think you're funny while appreciating your comments on the board.
October 5th, 2023 at 8:09 PM ^
the hate needs to cool for years and years. their hate. remember last year on the field, sparty coaches screaming at their players to hurt JJ and blake. pepperidge farm remembers.
and sparty's entrance % is what, 85%? that's basically a community college level entrance exam: can you fog this mirror? congrats, you are a sparty!
i do realize you can receive a good education there, i personally would be particularly interested in some of the Ag stuff for obvious reasons if i was 100 yrs younger and i, like nearly everybody on this list, have family and friends who are spartys.
still, that rivalry needs to end and be re-shaped. it's unhealthy and nearly all of it is coming from one side.
October 5th, 2023 at 9:23 PM ^
I get it to a degree and I'm not here to change your mind but merely advocate that painting with a broad brush has a tendency to leave everything one color. In other words, calling an entire student-, alumni-, and fan-base thugs seems kinda reductionist, don't ya think? I dunno, maybe your comment was hyperbole in nature but if entrance % is the standard to judge schools, a lot of degrees awarded to some really successful people don't mean shit. Let's face it, just about any degree nowadays is heading in the same direction, be it from UM, MSU, or Oakland CC.
And no, I don't explicitly remember MSU coaches telling their players to injure JJ or BC but it wouldn't surprise me. Just like it wouldn't surprise me if ECU, Purdue, or OSU coaches say it because some people are assholes and assholes exist everywhere, not just EL.
I'll let this die as I've never been one to go back and forth on a thread but you can't change the past and coaches/players tend to have long memories, barring complications to CTE. Should JH, McBurrows, and Gemon Green forget the bullshit MSU players pulled last year in the tunnel? No and they shouldn't. It was a felony crime by most definitions. But removing a rivalry because it "needs to cool" as if it were a plate of cookies implies that teams can't learn from the past and takes away what is fun about rivalry games in the first place. There's going to be scrums, shit-talking, and a few more unsportsmanlike penalties in these games but removing the game to send a message says more about us as a society and less about our ability to move on.
October 5th, 2023 at 10:04 PM ^
i appreciate your responses and FWIW, i'm not the slightest bit offended. i also don't care where you got your degree from. you're a good dude.
desperately trying to not sound like mr. jerk/know-it-all, i would try to convey that there is a huge difference between rivalry and actual screaming about hurting other players from the coaching staff. i blame mork most of all because indeed, i habitually pulled for sparty until his time there when things got out of hand with helmet twisting, really [expletive] comments and dirty play which has obviously not abated.
the problem is that there is so much hate from sparty teams (hockey, nearly killed one of our kids with a brutal cheap shot from behind as an example) that the percentage of truly hateful and out of control sparty's has made it foolish to keep playing them until things reset.
added to that, it is a second rate school with a chip the size of montana on their shoulder and i would send them wandering in the desert for 40 yrs until things changed. bag sparty and the horse they rode in on.
October 5th, 2023 at 10:05 PM ^
Well articulated, I was going to post something similar, but not as well worded.
State is a pretty good school. It's not UM by a long shot, and for some reason I'm still always surprised when I see msu up so high (top 60 vs the 120 ranking I have in my head from my youth, which I may have made up lol). And my bro went there, and he is a cool guy, very measured.
They have a bad contigent, and have done some very shitty things on and off the field, but we don't have to pretend everyone from there is dog shit. For those of us that grew up/live in MI (which I know XM does, I love the guy as a contributor to this site) there are lots of people who we know that are msu fans/alums and are good people.
October 5th, 2023 at 11:22 PM ^
It is not a rivalry when there is violence involved. If it is one time thing, it can be ignored as a blip. Since Dantonio, things have changed for the worse. MSU does not deserve your logic and support. Regardless, nothing is going to change and it is going to continue as a protected game. Let us hope the rivalry stops with words and I don't think Sparty learns from the past. They haven't in the last 10-15 years. It is what it is
October 5th, 2023 at 10:51 PM ^
I can’t stand Sparty. I absolutely hate them and crap on them whenever I can but truth be told they are a perfectly fine school and even an excellent one when placed in the context of the 3,000 or so colleges and universities in the U.S. Admission rates are a measure of exclusivity not academic excellence, which should be measured by outputs. Much as I am loathe to admit it, most Staee alumni I have met over the years have been very sharp and very nice and pleasant, at least the ones in the Northeast. The ones in Michigan and the Midwest OTOH are a little different and some carry an enormous chip on their shoulders. Those are the ones that are insufferable.
October 5th, 2023 at 8:12 PM ^
Critical thinking and/or objectivity (as regards MSU) has long left the window w/ a chunk of the U-M fanbase.
Personally, I'm not overly invested in the U-M/MSU rivalry. But I did grow up in Michigan, both schools are assets to the state. Where this is all going - it's kind of sad to me. Absolute toxicity from way too many folks. Reminds me way too much of our continually deteiorating national political scene. Does a damn statesman ever step up?
October 5th, 2023 at 10:39 PM ^
tl;dr
"lighten up Francis"
October 5th, 2023 at 11:17 PM ^
If you’ve never been on either side of the rivalry, then you can’t understand and don’t get a vote.
October 5th, 2023 at 11:27 PM ^
along with Penn State, and higher than Syracuse, George Washington, and Villanova
Real murderer's row of academic institutions ya got there.
Penn State and Syracuse - the two schools that every dumb rich girl from the Northeast goes to party and get a degree in Comm
George Washington, and Villanova - The 2 schools you go to when you inevitably get rejected from Notre Dame and Georgetown