"The Roommate switch" A scheduling solution for large conferences.

Submitted by MMBhorn on

The basic gist of this system is that the divisions shuffle in even and odd years, ensuring that teams play each other more frequently, instead of not seeing teams for 6 year stretches. It's a little odd, but I think I really like the idea.This guy designed it for the SEC, but it seems translatable to the B1G.

 

http://theroommateswitch.wordpress.com/

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WolverineHistorian

August 21st, 2013 at 9:45 PM ^

I know.  But this was an issue many times in the past, not just with Sparty.  For instance, all of Wisconsin's Rose Bowl squads in the 90's missed playing one of the top two teams in conference play every  time (and they would lose to the other top team.)

When Biakabutuka ran wild over OSU in 95 and the camera kept flashing over to Evanston a hundred times to show the players celebrating their first Rose Bowl birth in 50 something years, all I kept thinking was they didn't have to play OSU.  

Now we're in divisions but the problems remain, only now teams miss 4 opponents in conference instead of two.  Looking in our own division, Nebraska and MSU have considerably easier schedules than us. It gets old.

Joined: 08/10/2009

MGoPoints: 55460

West German Judge

August 22nd, 2013 at 12:07 AM ^

This is why pods rule.  My friends and I had been devising a four pod system for when we inevitably add a 15th and 16th team, but that same plan can be modified slightly to accomodate our current setup:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pods with 14 teams:
Minnesota/Nebraska/Wisconsin/Iowa=Pod A
Northwestern/Illinois/Indiana/Purdue=Pod B
Michigan/Ohio State/Michigan State=Pod X
Penn State/Maryland/Rutgers=Pod  Y

8 game conference schedule format:
Pod A would form a division with X on even years and Y on odd years, and cycle through B teams two at a time.
Pod B would form a division with Y on even years and X on odd years, and cycle through A two at a time.
Pod X would form a division with A on even years and B on odd years, and would cycle through Y two teams at a time.
Pod Y would form a division with A on odd years and B on even years, and would cycle through X two teams at a time.
*************************************************************************************************

This isn't every permutation, of course, but it shows how we systematically cycle through the conference with inherent variation:
1 @OSU, MSU, @MInnesota, @Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, @Penn State, Maryland
2 OSU, @MSU, @Northwestern, @Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, @Maryland, Rutgers
3 @OSU, MSU, Minnesota, @Nebraska, @Wisconsin, Iowa, @Rutgers, Penn State
4 OSU, @MSU, Northwestern, @Illinois, @Indiana, Purdue, @Penn State, Maryland
5 @OSU, MSU, Minnesota, Nebraska, @Wisconsin, @Iowa, @Maryland, Rutgers

Every team gets four home games and four away games.  Every team plays every other team in the conference at least once every two years.  Every team has a home and home with every other team in the conference at least once every five years...WITHOUT going to a 9 game schedule!  

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