So, how should the conference be re-aligned?

Submitted by ballertim87 on

[Edit - Posted before I saw the new front page post by Brian... Mods, delete if necessary]

This is just for people to share their opinions as to which teams should be divided into each division (and what those divisions should be called).  Maybe we could figure it out for Delany...

At first glance, what is up with all the red?! We could, hypothetically, divide the conference into red (Ohio, Wisc, Neb, Ind, Mary, Rut, Minn--maroon, I know) and not-red (Mich, State, PSU,  Iowa, Pur, Ill, NW).  (We could call them "The Red" and "Panic Prone", for any Chevelle fans out there.)

But SERIOUSLY, I think we could realistically do what could have been done after the Nebraska expansion and just divided them (and named them)  "East" and "West".

East - Mich, OSU, PSU, MSU, Maryland, Rutgers, (Ind or Pur)

West - Neb, Wisc, Iowa, Minn, NW, Ill, (Ind or Purd)

^Obv, there is some power imbalance, but I think many of us agree that you can't do the split solely based on power and prestige because, in the end, you're always going to get the ebbs and flows of success in each program--some more than others.

Unfortunately, I don't have the time to take this any further at the moment ... let the opinions and the speculation, begin...

MGoBoard
Football
Big Ten
division re-alignment

mikegros

November 19th, 2012 at 2:02 PM ^

 

Legends:
Michigan
Nebraska
Michigan State
Northwestern
Iowa
 
Leaders:
Ohio State
Penn State
Wisconsin
Illinois
Purdue
 
Losers:
Minnesota
Indiana
Maryland
Rutgers
 
Winner of Leaders and Legends divisions play for the Big10 title. Top 2 teams in the Losers division move up to the other divisions and the last place team in each of those divisions drops down.
 
Being named the Big Ten then makes sense again as well.

Joined: 01/06/2011

MGoPoints: 437

Indiana Blue

November 19th, 2012 at 2:49 PM ^

with 6 division games, the winner of each division should be the team with the best division record  -  NOT conference record.  Time to throw out the "protected rivalries" in determining a division winner.  I could easily see a time when Michigan wins all division games, but is then upset by ohio & Wisconsin and loses out to a 1 loss Northwestern because they only have 1 loss (to Michigan) and they played IU and Purdue as their non-division games.

Go Blue! 

Joined: 09/19/2010

MGoPoints: 5677

Seth

November 19th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^

Big Ten:

  • Michigan
  • Ohio State
  • Michigan State
  • Northwestern
  • Minnesota
  • Wisconsin
  • Purdue
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Illinois

The Not Big Ten But We Let Them Think They Are Division:

  • Penn State
  • Nebraska
  • Rutgers
  • Maryland
  • ...additional programs?

The nice part about my alignment is it breaks up Ohio State-Michigan and Nebraska-Penn State so that one division doesn't have more traditional big programs than the other does. It maintains all of the traditional rivalries. And it leaves a lot of room for expansion if the conference wants to add, like, Virginia and Pitt and BC and stuff.

The way scheduling works is every team in the Big Ten Division plays 9 games against all of of their division rivals, and the other division does whatever the fuck they want because nobody cares. Only games against your division count, but teams are welcome to schedule non-conference games against the other division.

We'll keep the championship game, but instead of Division winners playing a rematch or useless game in Indianapolis, we'll have Michigan and Ohio State represent "Good" versus "Evil" and switch the venue between Ann Arbor and Columbus every year. This can count as Michigan and Ohio State's respective conference game against each other, but befitting its position it will take place at the end of the conference season.

At the end of the year the winner of the Big Ten Division gets the Rose Bowl bid and the winner of the NBTBWLTTTAD Division gets the Orange Bowl bid.

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