Why Michigan left the Western Conference

Submitted by Koop on November 9th, 2023 at 6:54 PM

For no particular reason, I was struck this evening with the urge to learn more details about Michigan's decision in 1908 to leave the Western Conference.

For those who aren't familiar--Michigan, the "Champions of the West," decided to leave the Western Conference in 1908 after two years of bitter in-fighting among faculty, administrators, and coaches at several of the powerhouse schools of the conference (including vicious spats between Michigan's own James Angell and Fielding Yost). Michigan remained independent for a decade, returning to the reorganized Big Ten conference in 2017.

I went to the InterWebs to find more details, and found:

No particular reason to revisit this history at this moment. Feel free to discuss for historical interest only, clearly.

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Chuck Norris

November 9th, 2023 at 7:05 PM ^

This is baby shit. We're not leaving the Big Ten to go play South Carolina and Kentucky every year and never play the teams we've been playing for 100 years. Grow up.

Joined: 07/15/2010

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Koop

November 9th, 2023 at 7:15 PM ^

<shrug> This is an historical discussion, friend. I don't know these southern schools of which you speak.

But John U. Bacon offered some interesting observations at the end of his 2010 Michigan Today article:

In hindsight, being dropped by Chicago was a good deal. Michigan lost a rivalry with a school that was fading fast, and three of Michigan’s non-conference replacements—Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame—remain the Wolverine’s biggest rivals to this day.... Since returning to the Big Ten, Michigan has won 36 conference titles and seven national crowns. Stagg’s Chicago teams ... won only two more after Michigan returned, finally dropping football altogether in 1939. ... So, whenever a commentator remarks that Michigan is the nation’s only team with three great rivalries, Wolverine fans should thank Amos Alonzo Stagg, who made it all possible—however unwittingly. And whenever someone says they know exactly how the rumored Big Ten [actions] will play out, remember that the biggest consequences of that conference shake-up long ago were completely unexpected.

(emphasis added)

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brad

November 9th, 2023 at 10:19 PM ^

Yes, please bring me more Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, MAC, Northwestern, Oregon, UCLA, USC and UW.  The history is what keeps us steady, right?

Michigan shouldn't necessarily leave the big ten, but we shouldn't necessarily stay either.  The situation has to be mutually beneficial, like it is for everyone else.

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JacquesStrappe

November 9th, 2023 at 7:56 PM ^

As I understand it, we didn’t leave but got kicked out in 1907 for scheduling more than 5 games a year and providing 3 years of eligibility. At the time a big no-no as there was a fear that too much of an emphasis on football would compromise the academic integrity of member institutions.  Sound familiar?

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M-Dog

November 9th, 2023 at 10:30 PM ^

. . . too much of an emphasis on football would compromise the academic integrity of member institutions

That has been a concerned for 100 years.  And then . . . nothing.  Despite the concern, nothing happened.  Michigan was an elite academic institution then, and it remains one today.  Playing (15 hopefully) games this year.

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growler4

November 9th, 2023 at 8:50 PM ^

The amount of money involved with being a member of the Big Ten Conference is a substantial difference between that and being a member of the Western Conference.

We're not leaving the Big Ten Conference over this.  Cooler heads exist in Michigan's administration than on internet message boards ... thankfully.

Joined: 11/24/2014

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BlueMk1690

November 9th, 2023 at 10:55 PM ^

If you think about this in a real strategic sense, the main potential beneficiary here is ESPN.

They not only are increasing the chances of one of 'their' properties in other conferences making the playoffs, they also drive a wedge between the B1G schools. Hitherto the B1G seemed like the one non-SEC bastion in the conference landscape that could deal with ESPN from a position of strength. And given how many eyeballs those schools could mobilize and how much money that could be made on the back of that, it seemed unlikely that this fortress could be breached in any conceivable timeframe. ESPN had to accept that the B1G is not theirs and here to stay as a major force pushed and promoted by rival corporations.

But now there is animus. If the conference punishes Michigan harshly, it drives Michigan into conflict with the conference. There'd be lawsuits and bitter debates. Many at Michigan no matter what happens would never forgive the conference. Without Michigan in the "100% on board" category, it's a different situation in the conference wars. Alternatively, if the conference goes easy on Michigan, other members will likely feel that the conference is 'rigged' in Michigan's favor. Again, there's gonna be bad vibes. And there's schools, especially among the 'new' Big Ten schools, that might feel like they're getting the short end of the stick in a conference they perceive to be run for the benefit of the Michigan/OSU behemoths.

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