Should Michigan Move to the Big 10 West Division?

Submitted by justthinking on November 26th, 2018 at 5:58 PM

Since we cannot seem to beat our arch rival OSU on any consistent basis over the last 20 years of "modern day football" (4/20 including only 3/10 on our home field), is it time to finally break with "the unbreakable tradition" and shake up the divisions and schedules and have Michigan move to the West?

1) This would add more needed strength and balance to the West Division.

2) Gasp... we scratch playing OSU as the last regular season game of the year.

If Michigan wins the West division we still end up playing perennial East powerhouse OSU in the Big 10 Championship game (likely this happens 8-9 times out of 10). This would also keep us from playing them "back to back", in the last regular season game and Big 10 Championship game.

10 years ago I would have said no way to this idea, but after the last 10 maybe it is worth some consideration?

FWIW, I'm 50 and grew up with Bo's Michigan since I was nine in 1977. Forever Go Blue.

MGoBoard
Football

mGrowOld

November 27th, 2018 at 9:17 AM ^

Seriously?  Possibly the worst, most self-emasculating thread I've seen here in forever and you admonish me not to be "a dick"?

Read the next 100 comments or so.  You're going to need to repeat that thought about 100 more times cause I dont see ANYBODY who thinks this idea or thread is a good idea.

Joined: 10/04/2010

MGoPoints: 212250

taistreetsmyhero

November 26th, 2018 at 7:01 PM ^

To me, this is worse. It was easy to tell that Rich Rod was a terrible fit and an anomaly. I don't think there was anybody who expected Michigan to have suddenly sunk to the permanent hole of a Kansas or Rutgers football program.

Now, however, it feels like we have hit our ceiling. And the ceiling is a good team. For me, that is way more depressing than a couple terrible seasons. 

Joined: 08/08/2012

MGoPoints: 39396

Sparty Doesn't Know

November 26th, 2018 at 7:07 PM ^

Too rough on Rich Rod.  The records were improving every year and the Clapper took RR's players to an 11-1 record.  Should have let that one play out a little longer in hindsight, I think, however unpopular that opinion may be.

Thanks for the last 3 sentences of your post.  The malaise I feel is that this may be as good as Michigan is ever going to be.  At least in the bad seasons you had hope for more.  Couldn't really put my finger on it until I read this. 

 

 

Joined: 01/11/2018

MGoPoints: 2234

JonnyHintz

November 26th, 2018 at 10:14 PM ^

Stop. Rich Rod was awful. Do you know why Hoke was able to win 11 games (aside from a favorable schedule)? He actually had the team play defense. He didn’t hire a 3-4 DC to run a 3-3-5 defense. Rich Rod at no point in his career gave a rats ass about playing defense. None. That was the death of him. And that’s why he’s never achieved anything more than moderate success anywhere he has been. 

Joined: 01/11/2015

MGoPoints: 48234

MJ14

November 26th, 2018 at 8:46 PM ^

Jim Harbaugh’s teams are better than Lloyd Carr’s overall, except obviously 97. So was Michigan just “good” while Lloyd was coach? Because if so, Michigan has been “good” since the 40s. The difference between now and the last 50 years is that OSU went from “good” to an empire when they decided that they didn’t care about anything but winning. Michigan is stil the same program that they have been since the 40s, except for the blip when RR and Hoke were here. If Jim wins his bowl game he’ll be right on par with Lloyd’s all time record. Was Lloyd just good? The reality is that Lloyd would fare even worse than Harbaugh in this day and age. Harbaugh took over a losing team. 30 years ago college football looked a lot different. Michigan and OSU used to get their pick of players and they could have way more than 85 players on the roster. Now OSU is a factory. They can sleep walk through double digit seasons. Urban home loss record is insane. There are very few coaches that have won as well as him at home. Michigan coaches of the past didn’t have to deal with a coach that elite. Unfortunately Urban will go down as one of the best to ever do it.  

Joined: 01/09/2011

MGoPoints: 16192

MidwestIsBest

November 26th, 2018 at 10:50 PM ^

Thank you. Been saying the same, sad thing the last two days. Granted, Jim could surprise us and hand over the offensive reins .... and Don might realize a defense can’t *always* be in man coverage.... but until both those things happen—IF both those things happen—I suspect this is the new definition of a successful season for our program. Which just sucks.

Joined: 11/12/2016

MGoPoints: 1949

NittanyFan

November 26th, 2018 at 6:14 PM ^

Is the Michigan campus moving to Marquette?

Google tells me that Lafayette, Indiana is further west than New Buffalo - which means I'm pretty certain it's further west than every single point in the Lower Peninsula.

Unless there's some logical geographic reason for a move (there isn't) - I agree with what someone else said - Michigan appealing for something like this would make them a laughingstock.

Joined: 12/04/2012

MGoPoints: 42871

J.

November 26th, 2018 at 6:22 PM ^

OP: Whenever you're going to post something this inane, please remember that fans of other teams read this board.  Some, like NittanyFan, have enough class not to rub it in.  For others, you're just fueling the schadenfreude.  Just.. don't be that guy.

Joined: 03/11/2012

MGoPoints: 13057

titanfan11

November 26th, 2018 at 6:16 PM ^

I say it is time to shake things up...

West - Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Sparty, Iowa (only at home though), Northwestern, Rutgers

East - Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana, Maryland

To hell with geography!

Joined: 10/13/2013

MGoPoints: 3255

dipshit moron

November 26th, 2018 at 6:18 PM ^

how stupid. so you are looking for a way that michigan avoids osu and can be competitive? well shit, move to the mac conference. all problems solved!!!

Joined: 07/04/2008

MGoPoints: -13526

Moonlight Graham

November 26th, 2018 at 6:36 PM ^

Just expand to 20 teams

Big Ten North! Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Montana, Montana State. 

Big Ten South! The rest of ye olde Big Ten. 

Problem solved, chumps! Can alternate Big 10 championship games between Indy and the Fargo Dome!!!

Joined: 09/12/2011

MGoPoints: 7559

rob f

November 26th, 2018 at 6:29 PM ^

If 'just thinking' caused the OP to propose moving Michigan to the West Division, I propose that someone quickly invents and perfects an Imodium™-type medicine for the brain to treat such mental diarrhea.

Joined: 11/11/2010

MGoPoints: 193783