Big Ten Conference Divisions

[MililaniBuckeye]

Rand McNally is a damn poor excuse for making potentially bad long term business decisions.

Not as bad as putting teams in opposition to their locations if you're going to name divisions based on geography. Remember how stupid we though it was when Boise State was supposed to join the Big East?

 

[CincyInterloper]

So...

B1G Western Division:

Michigan State
Nebraska
Iowa
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Illinois

B1G Eastern Division:

Maryland
Rutgers
Penn State
Ohio State
Michigan
Indiana
Purdue

I don't hate it. Certainly seems to work out well for us, though I think Nebraska would have feelings of the old Big XII North with Ohio State/Michigan assuming the roles of Texas/Oklahoma.

It wouldn't be ideal for putting more notches on the IlliBuck, seeing as they wouldn't be guaranteed every year... but I'm willing to trade that for what seems to be pretty decent balance.

I would swap TSUN with Illinois or Michigan St and make them OSU's protected cross-over. This sets up the possibility of an OSU-TSUN rematch in the championship game, which I know is unpopular. But it balances out the divisions better. Plus, is the possibility of beating TSUN twice a year really that awful?

 

[Mike80]

I would swap TSUN with Illinois or Michigan St and make them OSU's protected cross-over. This sets up the possibility of an OSU-TSUN rematch in the championship game, which I know is unpopular. But it balances out the divisions better. Plus, is the possibility of beating TSUN twice a year really that awful?

No but the possibility, however remote, of losing to them twice is unbearable.

Ohio State and scUM need to be in the same division. End of story.

 

[Buckeye Maniac]

I would swap TSUN with Illinois or Michigan St and make them OSU's protected cross-over. This sets up the possibility of an OSU-TSUN rematch in the championship game, which I know is unpopular. But it balances out the divisions better. Plus, is the possibility of beating TSUN twice a year really that awful?

Absolutely it's awful. The Game happens once a year. No more. It is not something with which to be tinkered. If we ever face scUM twice in a year in football, I would seriously consider killing Delaney.

 

[OSU_D/]

Is that the same Gene Smith that didn't think Ohio State would get the one year bowl ban?

Just sayin": his "track record" on predictions is not very good.

He also was a major OK in craptastic new Athletic Logo.

In the end, we need to be in the same division. Though I would definitely send MSU west.

East:
Ohio State
Maryland
Rutgers
Penn State
Michigan
Indiana
Purdue

 

[Abenaki]

I would swap TSUN with Illinois or Michigan St and make them OSU's protected cross-over. This sets up the possibility of an OSU-TSUN rematch in the championship game, which I know is unpopular. But it balances out the divisions better. Plus, is the possibility of beating TSUN twice a year really that awful?

In back-to-back weeks? Effectively rendering the first game meaningless? Yes.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I would swap TSUN with Illinois or Michigan St and make them OSU's protected cross-over. This sets up the possibility of an OSU-TSUN rematch in the championship game, which I know is unpopular. But it balances out the divisions better. Plus, is the possibility of beating TSUN twice a year really that awful?

Aside from being totally fucking stupid, nothing wrong with it...

 

[Buckeyefrankmp]

In back-to-back weeks? Effectively rendering the first game meaningless? Yes.

The Game meaningless? Was The Game meaningless in 2011 when neither team would go to the Championship game if they won or loss? In your scenario where a loss in The Game you could still get to the Rose Bowl, the outcome would not hurt the team. You might want to ask Coach Meyer if that game would be meaningless. Ask Coach Bruce if a loss to that team up north would be alright by him because it is meaningless.

 

[jwinslow]

The Game meaningless? Was The Game meaningless in 2011 when neither team would go to the Championship game if they won or loss? In your scenario where a loss in The Game you could still get to the Rose Bowl, the outcome would not hurt the team. You might want to ask Coach Meyer if that game would be meaningless. Ask Coach Bruce if a loss to that team up north would be alright by him because it is meaningless.

Meaningless? No.
Watered down? Yes.
Idiotic? Yes.
Sacrificing the ONLY premiere game in the entire league just for an infrequent shot at a rematch in the CCG?

In some years, only having to win the second of the two games to reach the Rose Bowl/playoffs, while your opponent has to win both?

OSU & UM would have only met in the CCG 3 times in the last 10 years under the current divisional alignment. Putting aside the very real possibility that a rematch is underwhelming, that is an incredibly low return for sacrificing a game that is great every year, regardless of the record.

If you're worried about league balance, then lean on the rest of the league to start using their enormous revenue stream on premiere coaches and facilities. Or add elite schools like ND, Texas, Georgia Tech (albeit next tier).

 

[exhawg]

Honestly, I see no way ND would join as a member of the B1G "west". They are going to want access to the eastern teams like Rutgers and down the atlantic seaboard. They're not going to join to play the likes of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Illinois every year. They (and I think the B1G too) want the exposure to the East.

If it came to the point that ND joined the B1G there wouldn't be 2 divisions. You would have 4 divisions with 2 divisions playing each other on a rotating basis.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Or add elite schools like ND, Texas, Georgia Tech (albeit next tier).

I would do cartwheels (or try to, anyway) if we were to add Texas and Notre Dame. I'd love to get a little revenge on Texas and to beat the blarney out of NoSuch Dame. Plus, we'd then have the five winningest programs of all time (Michigan, Texas, Nebraska, NoSuch Dame, Ohio State).

 

[MaxBuck]

If it came to the point that ND joined the B1G there wouldn't be 2 divisions. You would have 4 divisions with 2 divisions playing each other on a rotating basis.

There's been a lot of discussion about the B1G having more than two divisions - three or four "pods," for instance. This won't happen until and unless the NCAA revises its rules such that something other than a two-division conference is permitted to add a game to the schedule in the form of a conference championship. Otherwise teams are limited to 12 games per season, plus a bowl if they qualify.

 

[BayBuck]

The Game meaningless? Was The Game meaningless in 2011 when neither team would go to the Championship game if they won or loss? In your scenario where a loss in The Game you could still get to the Rose Bowl, the outcome would not hurt the team. You might want to ask Coach Meyer if that game would be meaningless. Ask Coach Bruce if a loss to that team up north would be alright by him because it is meaningless.

If the division champs are already determined, with a rematch already set, and with the BCS title game not on the line--unfortunately yeah, the first one would be basically meaningless. Do you really think anyone who won the first one and lost the second would feel good about that? Great coaches should have their teams up for every Game on the schedule, but it's hard to call something "The" when there's two of it.

 

[Muck]

There's been a lot of discussion about the B1G having more than two divisions - three or four "pods," for instance. This won't happen until and unless the NCAA revises its rules such that something other than a two-division conference is permitted to add a game to the schedule in the form of a conference championship. Otherwise teams are limited to 12 games per season, plus a bowl if they qualify.

It's already happened as it was used by the WAC when it went to 16 teams & before the MWC split off.

Pod setups don't actually create four divisions with champs for each, there is no additional semi-final game. They're just a convenient scheduling fiction that helps teams within a conference play one another more often. The pods/quads/groups are reshuffled annually or biannually between the two divisions.

A static two division setup with a 9 game conference schedule & no locked cross division rivals....
Eastern - Ohio State, TSUN, PSU, Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers, Maryland, Team A
Western - Nebraska, Wisconsin, Sparty, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois, Team B
...would take eight years to play every team in the opposite division home & home (ie Illinois would only play in Columbus once in every 8 years & only half of Buckeye players would ever see the field at Camp Randall).

Using a pod setup:
Central - Ohio State, TSUN, Purdue, Indiana
East - PSU, Rutgers, Maryland, Team A
West - Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota
North - Sparty, Illinois, Northwestern, Team B

Year 1 & 2 divisons would be:
Leaders: Ohio State, TSUN, Purdue, Indiana, Sparty, Illinois, Northwestern, Team B
Legends: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, PSU, Rutgers, Maryland, Team A

Year 3 & 4 divisions would be:
Leaders: Ohio State, TSUN, Purdue, Indiana, PSU, Rutgers, Maryland, Team A
Legends: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Sparty, Illinois, Northwestern, Team B

Using that setup Ohio State would play each team in the conference twice every four years, twice as often as with static divisions.

 

[Steve19]

I want Woody to be happy.

In their best years, I want those bastards to fear the last game of the regular season. I want Ohio State to break their hearts every f'ing year. I want Ohio State to keep them from the championship game.