John U. Bacon on The Rivalry

John U. Bacon provides his take on the divisional alignment decision and it's effect on The Rivalry.

...when the Big Ten added Nebraska, everything seemed up in the air, including the Michigan-Ohio State game. Next fall the Big Ten will have 12 teams, playing in two divisions, culminating in a title game -- all new.

So that raised a few possibilities -- not to mention plenty of rumors and fears. If Michigan and Ohio State were placed in the same division, the teams could never meet in the title game. But if they were in different divisions, they might have to play again in the title game just one week later. Big Ten athletic directors considered moving the game to earlier in the season.

Fans, former players and reporters -- including me -- responded with their "usual level of cool maturity," as Dave Barry would say, "similar to the way Moe reacts when he is poked in the eyeballs by Larry and Curly." One Ohio politician even went so far as to introduce a resolution demanding the game never be moved.

Spoiler alert: Bacon likes the decision.