September 1st, 2010 at 12:06 PM ^
Not geography. If it's competitive balance you'd need to swap NW or Minn for Illinois or Indiana. Anyway, The Game on the last week of the season should calm a lot of people down. Ya it's not for the championship/Rose Bowl, but we've always known that. The entire point of expansion was to allow for a formal championship game.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:15 PM ^
But we've got a lot of M's and N's, and they've got a lot of I's and P's. If we could swap Iowa for Wisconsin or OSU it'd be even better, alphabetically.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:20 PM ^
That it was kinda north-south.
(Please ignore that Badger behind the curtain).
September 1st, 2010 at 12:06 PM ^
No Minny, Iowa, or Nebraska
September 1st, 2010 at 12:21 PM ^
as a consolation.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:07 PM ^
I think our division (assuming all this is true***) is overall harder. However, Iove that game remains the last week and that we will be playing for the brown jug every year. I think the other division is more top heavy with OSU, PSU, and Wisconsin being consistently good programs. In ours, Iowa is usually up and down, NW is a pain in the ass but never has been good for a long stretch of time, and minnesota is kind of a debacle which makes our division more balanced, and decent for U-M in the long run. Overall I think its a decent split. No alignment that was possible would be easy for anyone in the Big Ten realistically. Its simple in the end though...if Michigan (or anyone for that matter) is truly the best team in the conference/nation, they will win the games on their schedule regardless of who they are playing (see 1997: the toughest schedule in the nation and beat them all).
September 1st, 2010 at 12:15 PM ^
being in the other division. With the way our team is shaping out for the foreseeable future (hopefully) that is the one team that I really don't want to play every year in division. Our defense really isn't made to stop the huge power backs, IMO, so this works out. I'm definitely in favor of this, Ohio State as the last game in the other division perfect too. I really doubt we'd be playing back to back too often, it will happen certainly, but rarely. Once JoePa is replaced that PSU team will be interesting too, I think we'll see them in the Championship game often. Division 1 is definitely the better division as wel. In short, yay and yes please.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:15 PM ^
I hate this set up. Our division is slightly better then 2 and we play the best team from the other division every year. I want OSU in our division. Sure it's the last game of the season buy it's almost meaningless (never completly meaningless but deputed). If we do play them in the CC the game won't be as hyped as it should be because one already beat the other( unless it was very close like 06). This doesn't happen to often.
I would rather have OSU, Penn State (we usually handle them well even when they are good) MSU Indiana and NW or Illinois.
The game would be worth the chance yo play for the CC. I don't think anyone would argue that the Texas OU game is worthless because thy play in yh middle of the season.
I'm not happy with this at all but it is what it is and hopfully we can become dominate to OSU sooner rather then later.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:21 PM ^
How do you know OSU will be the best team in the other division year in and year out. Yes NW is pretty good right now however by next year they could suck again, we have owned MSU since they started playing football, Minn is our bitch, and I would much rather face Iowa every year than Wisc or Penn st.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^
is the FUTURE play of ALL these teams. ALL of the B10 teams have had their moments the last decade, w. the exception--perhaps--of Minnesota and Indiana. And they have been placed in different divisions. I think we got a fair shake.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:23 PM ^
I don't understand the "omg our division is harder, wtf." What a cop-out load of bullshit.
I'd much rather be able to say "Yeah, we stomped our division, and the best team from the other division in a tough Big Ten as well." Did you all forget how much ragging the Big Ten has gotten in the last, I don't know, decade?
There's a difference between, "[insert any Big Ten team here] got to the BCS championship game, but look at the Big Ten conference they had to get through - it's weak!" and "Look at what a buzzsaw their Big Ten schedule is... make no mistake, this is a damn good team to have made it this far."
edit: oh, that and the fact that the "omg our division is harder wtf" argument is predicated on our division actually being tougher, which is definitely up for considerable debate.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:24 PM ^
...entirely. If you truly have a national contender team, you want to go through a buzzsaw of a schedule because you may have to beat out another one-loss conference championship winning team just to get into the BCS championship game (at one or two). Therefore, strength of schedule is huge.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:21 PM ^
Way, so...Delaney. Is he or is he not still an idiot anti-christ?
Is Brandon still his weak-willed bitch?
Please advice.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:26 PM ^
Because from all their rumblings (and the OSU AD too), they were pretty much ready to move the M-OSU game too (with all that "fans, tv, teams won't like playing twice in a row"). So if we hadn't screamed, we might not even have had that. It's not that this is better than same division. Just a fair compromise. We weren't even getting that if they hadn't gotten bombarded.
I'm not giving anyone credit till it's officially announced. But if it IS like this, I'm giving credit to fanbases that stood up and were heard. Not those guys.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:41 PM ^
It's the soft landing! A few weeks ago everyone was upset that they might not be in the same division, meaning the The Game wasn't an elimination game and they might have a rematch the next week. Now, everyone is apparently forgetting that because The Game isn't moving to October.
September 1st, 2010 at 1:10 PM ^
I'm amazed by this!
As I see it...
If we're in different divisions most of the practical reasons for keeping the game at the end of the season are meaningless... The game itself loses much of its meaning.
I thought the whole point was keeping us in the same division AND at the end of the season?
September 1st, 2010 at 12:21 PM ^
Way, so...Delaney. Is he or is he not still an idiot anti-christ?
Is Brandon still his weak-willed bitch?
Please advice.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:22 PM ^
...from MVictors.com will be ecstatic because the Little Brown Jug game just got a reprieve (it actually makes it an annual game as opposed to an annual game interrupted by when Minn falls off our sked).
September 1st, 2010 at 12:28 PM ^
.....an even bigger, growing dislike for the Cornhuskers. Probably won't be long before they're our #2 rival. ND, MSU, PSU, take one step back.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:29 PM ^
so when they release their crack-influenced divisions we would let it go since we'll just be relieved to have the game last. very crafty jim
September 1st, 2010 at 12:35 PM ^
Neb will be tougher than PSU. Iowa and Wis are a push. NW is tougher than ILL, MSU is tougher than PU, and Minn is tougher than Indiana. Plus we have a guaranteed cross divisional game aginst the toughest team in the conference. Net effect: BAD for M. YAY!
Great job, Dave. NOT.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:46 PM ^
Stop being a pussy. Look to win Big Ten championships(the goal for any Michigan team), we have to be better than all these teams anyway. So what's the difference if the road is slightly harder to get there? And if we want to compete for national championships, a tougher schedule prepares the team better.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:48 PM ^
So, how exactly do we prove we're the leaders and best if we play a "weak" schedule?
forget this, I'm withdrawing until Saturday or my head will asplode.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:34 PM ^
Obviously M-OSU
Probably PSU-Nebraska, Wiscy-Minnesota, Illinois-Northwestern
Then? MSU-IU, Purdue-Iowa?
September 1st, 2010 at 12:39 PM ^
My guess (20-year w/l rank):
DIV1 (37) - DIV2 (41)
------------------------------
UM (3) - OSU (1)
NEB (2) - PSU (4)
IOWA (6) - WISC (5)
MSU (7) - PUR (8)
NW (9) - ILL (11)
MINN (10) - IND (12)
although I might switch IOWA and MINN despite rank disparity - since MINN and WISC have a longstanding rivalry
September 1st, 2010 at 12:44 PM ^
Microcosm of the Big Ten's concerns: a competitive game that lights up the TV sets, or the tradition that makes college football able to light up the tv sets? Especially with Alvarez clamoring for Nebraska, I'm downright surprised to see them split off completely
September 1st, 2010 at 12:51 PM ^
Watch and see Alvarez get his way, and get Nebraska, for abandoning Iowa and Minnesota. The crossovers will be rivalry, not competitive balance. That's how they split the divisions. Then their 3rd point, geography, they'll claim North-South (probably the names), ignoring Wisconsin in the wrong division for that.
September 1st, 2010 at 1:02 PM ^
Also look for MSU's "Rival" PSU for another crossover game. I still think they should have follwed the ESS EEE SEE's model and kept rivals in the same divisions but I don't think they care what I think....
September 1st, 2010 at 1:13 PM ^
If PSU-MSU and UW-NU happen as protected rivalries, it's going to be fun to read the PSU blogs, who are going to go crazy about how the league bends over backward for OSU - Michigan and about how they're being disrespected.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:48 PM ^
We are Michigan.
Act like you've been there before. I say bring it on.
The day Michigan is scared of MSU and NU, we might as well disband the team and use the Big House for competitive dancing.
September 1st, 2010 at 1:06 PM ^
I love your post. Like when Brandon said he wants us to be a program that travels and takes on all comers. That is what Michigan football is.
Nebraska, Ohio State every year. The big state in Chicago every other year. Bring it. Let's get a second tough non conference game too.
September 1st, 2010 at 1:49 PM ^
I am all kinds of excited about Alabama. I say we try and schedule an SEC opponent every year !
September 1st, 2010 at 1:23 PM ^
As long as The Game is played the final Saturday, I'm content. I'm not a fan of U-M/OSU in different divisions, but it seemed inevitable.
September 1st, 2010 at 1:27 PM ^
Does anyone know how much consideration was given other sports in determining the divisional parings?
September 1st, 2010 at 1:29 PM ^
I'm hoping to see something like this
OSU@Home
Iowa@Home
Minn@Home
@Neb
@MSU
@NW
I think that would give us the greatest balance of Home/Away each season.
September 1st, 2010 at 3:54 PM ^
People need to stop worrying about something we have no control over anymore. We are Michigan and if we've stooped to the level as fans that we're scared of what division we're in then something is seriously wrong. we're going to proove a lot of people wrong this year and we're only going to get better as the years go on. I'd rather play at Nebraska and at Iowa then at Penn State or Camp Randall. BIg season ahead, lets focus on that. GO BLUE