B1G Cross-Divisional Matchups
With the recent release of the 2018 & 2019 schedules, we can now compare our cross-divisional matchups over a four year timespan for the first time since moving to a nine game conference schedule last fall.
While this change does acheive the B1G's goal of every team playing each other at least once in a four year block, this also has created a situation where one cross-divisional team shows up on the schedule all four years.
For example, here are the number of times each team from the B1G West shows up on Michigan's schedule from 2016-2019:
Wisconsin: 4 (2016, @2017, 2018, @2019)
Iowa: 2 (@2016, 2019)
Nebraska: 1(2018)
Northwestern: 1 (@2018)
Minnesota: 1 (2017)
Illinois: 2 (2016, @2019)
Purdue: 1 (@2017)
Wisconsin has arguably been the most consistently impressive team from the B1G West, and they are on M's schedule all four years, with Iowa and Illinois both getting two games a piece.
By comparison, let's look the matchups for other notable teams in our division:
OSU vs:
Wisconsin: 2 (@2016, 2019)
Iowa: 1 (@2017)
Nebraska: 4 (2016, @2017, 2018, @2019)
Northwestern: 2 (2016, @2019)
Minnesota: 1(2018)
Illinois: 1 (2017)
Purdue: 1 (@2018)
PSU vs:
Wisconsin: 1 (2018)
Iowa: 4 (2016, @2017, 2018, @2019)
Nebraska: 1 (2017)
Northwestern: 1 (@2017)
Minnesota: 2 (2016, @2019)
Illinois: 1 (@2018)
Purdue: 2 (@2016, 2019)
MSU vs:
Wisconsin: 2 (2016, @2019)
Iowa: 1 (2017)
Nebraska: 1 (@2018)
Northwestern: 4 (2016, @2017, 2018, @2019)
Minnesota: 1 (@2017)
Illinois: 2 (@2016, 2019)
Purdue: 1 (2018)
It seems M has the most difficult cross-divisional scheduling for this four year block (Wisconsin x4, Iowa x2, Illinois x2), followed by OSU (Nebraska x4, Wisconsin x2, Northwestern x2), then PSU (Iowa x4, Minnesota x2, Purdue x2), and Sparty with the easiest (Northwestern x4, Wisconsin x2, Illinois x2).
I would love to see the B1G contract back to 10 teams (or expand to two divisions of 10 each) so teams could play a true round robin, but in the meantime this is the system we've got.
I have this lamp
I do too. Proudly displayed on my credenza at my office. FU Sparties!
John Shaft!
Shafted
On one hand, more interesting games is good. On the other, a more difficult path to a conference title/playoff berth is not (to some).
That said, I think M's cross-divisional schedule is only marginally more difficult than OSU's. If you consider Wisconsin, Iowa, & Nebraska to be the top tier of the West, we both play 7 games against the top tier over this four year span. PSU plays 6 games agains the top tier. So the teams we're mostly competing with in the East are all in the same ballpark at least.
Sparty plays just 4 games against the top tier of the West, which is probably a good thing for them.
Interestingly, everyone has been bemoaning the fact that Warde put us in a position where our three toughest games would be on the road in 2018 -- ND, MSU, and OSU. But, with the way things have been going at ND and MSU lately, and with the reemergence of PSU, our three toughest home games -- Wisc., Neb. and PSU -- might, on balance, be tougher than those three road games (putting venue aside).
In any event, the 2018 home schedule still looks mighty good. Don't give up your season tickets just yet. On the downside, a schedule that includes all six of these teams makes the road to the NC a lot tougher.
and we can start a new rivalry?
You can't view this schedule in a vaccum of just 2016-2019.
The main reason we have Wisconsin 4 years in a row is that we went 5 seasons without playing them once (2011-2015); going into this stretch, that was longest hiatus we had with any West team.
I mean, we've spent the last several years complaining we never play Wisconsin and now we're complaining we play Wisconsin.
We have no idea how good these teams are going to be in 2020. Wisconsin could crater by then; Nebraska could be ascendent.
It's pretty damn good odds that NW will be worse than Wisconsin over any 4 year stretch. One has facilities and history and the other plays at a high school field
The problem i have with 14, especially when it means adding trash like rutgers, is not only do we play Nebraska once in 4 years so it's like why i did get excited when they were added again? But it creates massive imbalance from year to year and over time. This is a big reason Pedo St didn't make the playoff despite being 'conference champion'
One loss to a West team won't prevent us from winning the East. The fact is we need to get back to beating OSU, MSU, and PSU on a regular basis.
We do beat PSU on a regular basis. We beat sparty last year. Really the only one is OSU.
three in a row against PSU is great. But we are 4-4 against them in the last 10 years.
Beating MSU last year is great too. But we have a few more we owe them before I'd say we are beating them on a regular basis again.
And I'd settle for .500 against OSU even though '90s level dominance would be nice.
The schedules were set up such that PSU/OSU/U-M would play Wisky/Iowa/Nebraska 10 times every 18 years, in a structure where they broke those 18 years into 3 6-year segments. In those 6-year segments, you'd see one of those 3 teams 6 times, and the other 2 teams 2 times each.
Maryland/IU/Rutgers/MSU, meanwhile, see each of Wisky/Iowa/Nebraska only 6 times every 18 years.
Arguably, those schools are the biggest benefactors. They're more unlikely to put together an elite team vs. the rest of the B1G East. But if they CAN put together an elite team, things can come together nicely schedule-wise for them.
The B1G conference schedule was set a long time ago. The recent schedule announcement was only the addition of nonconference games filling out the schedule.
The B1G said when making this schedule they were going to try to match teams by historical competitiveness. OSU drew Nebraska for 4-year block. Michigan drew Wisconsin. PSU drew Iowa. My guess if they keep the same scheduling structure, Michigan will probably draw Nebraska or Iowa for the next 4 year block.
Will play Anyone.
Let them worry THEY have to play M.
I wish we played Nebraska and Northwestern more frequently. Nebraska one time in four years is a crime!
Looks like Poor Damn Wisconsin's got a guaranteed L on their schedule for 3 more years.
I miss Purdue. Why did RichRod have to blow our 40-year home win streak against dem Boilers?
Because he didn't know how to defense.