16 replies to this topic

[RWB 71]

Well after months of speculation, The Big Ten Athletic Conference formally invited Nebraska to join the big 10. Both Nebraska and the Big Ten aprroved this new membership addition yesterday to become effective July of 2011.

Who else can we expect to "climb aboard" the conference? Maybe Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Missouri, Ucon, Texas????

[Greenwave88]

I feel the Big Ten can settle at 12 until Notre Dame is ready.. Then bring in one other team with them.. But I feel 16 is just to big..

[Duh Huh Dull Sucks]

So let's divide the conference up into what they'll probably be like in 2012:

East - Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue
West - Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska

Wow, I can't wait to hear people roar about how an undefeated Northwestern belongs in the National Championship picture until they get blown out of the water by whoever comes out of the brutal East. The West is just going to be weak traditionally, and the East will be strong. If they could have nabbed Texas or Oklahoma, that would have at least made the West respectable.

At the very least, however, Nebraska has a good fan base and has some past success, so we'll see how that translates to the Big Ten.

[dhsdawg06]

While the power would for sure be in the East with OSU, PSU, MSU, and UM, it's not like the West is horrible. Nebraska is still a national program on their way back up. Wisconsin is solid, Iowa is pretty good.

As long as they keep rivalries intact though I don't care what the divisions are. Mainly they need to keep OSU and UM, UM and MSU, IU and Purdue, and NW and Illinois together. The rest can shifted as needed to keep competitive balance.

[brunowball]

While the power would for sure be in the East with OSU, PSU, MSU, and UM, it's not like the West is horrible. Nebraska is still a national program on their way back up. Wisconsin is solid, Iowa is pretty good.

As long as they keep rivalries intact though I don't care what the divisions are. Mainly they need to keep OSU and UM, UM and MSU, IU and Purdue, and NW and Illinois together. The rest can shifted as needed to keep competitive balance.

Michigan is struggling pretty bad and might be down and out for quite a few years. Especially if RRod gets canned and they have to go through yet another rebuild. Michigan State is garbage. Northwestern and Minnesota have done better than them the in last decade. OSU and Penn State are obviously the powers on the East, but Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Iowa make up a pretty even west in my opinion.

Probably doesn't matter though. The Big 10 already said they would group divisions by competitiveness first and geographically as an afterthought.

[ADog]

I read the same thing where the Big 10 would group by competitiveness...does that mean that if/when they have a championship game that it will be a blowout?..I mean if you stack the deck for north, south, east, or west...or whatever you want to call them...the "more" competitive division should have a cake walk...I would hope that they split them up by region and not by past records etc...

Edited by ADog, 22 June 2010 - 08:13 PM.

[brunowball]

I read the same thing where the Big 10 would group by competitiveness...does that mean that if/when they have a championship game that it will be a blowout?..I mean if you stack the deck for north, south, east, or west...or whatever you want to call them...the "more" competitive division should have a cake walk...I would hope that they split them up by region and not by past records etc...

I think that means they would stack the deck evenly.

maybe have OSU, Michigan, Wisconsin anchoring one and then have Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa anchoring the other.

[dhsdawg06]

I think that means they would stack the deck evenly.

maybe have OSU, Michigan, Wisconsin anchoring one and then have Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa anchoring the other.

If they do stack it evenly then I hope they keep the rivalries intact. Put Penn State with OSU and Michigan and Wisconsin with Iowa. Nebraska can go pretty much anywhere if they aren't looking at geography since they have no rivalries with Big Ten schools. Although I think them and Iowa would be perfect fits as rivals.

Just keeping it East/West is looking better and better to me. It's not like Penn State is a yearly national title threat anymore. Both Michigan schools have great traditions, and Michigan will be back, but neither is all that good right now. And Indiana and Purdue are nothing at all. Meanwhile, all 6 schools that would be in the West have had their moments in the sun in the past decade. Maybe that side wouldn't be as good from the name brand perspective, but a lot of good football is played at Minnesota and Northwestern in recent years, and even Illinois is good from time to time.

[Duh Huh Dull Sucks]

What are the big ten rivalries to keep intact?

Ohio State - Michigan
Indiana - Purdue
Wisconsin - Minnesota
Michigan - Michigan State
Wisconsin - Iowa
Ohio State - Illinois

I would have to say those are the biggest. I think Ohio State - Illinois is the most likely to be separated. Separating Ohio State - Michigan is a no-no, which immediately puts Michigan State in with those two. But now you have segregated Penn State from the rest of the conference, so you have to lump them in with those three just because you can't very well have their nearest Big Ten division rival so far away, can you?

Nebraska - Iowa should become a rivalry game, and I think it will be fostered as such. You have to keep Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin together for rivalries. So basically now all you have left are the two schools in Indiana and Illinois. In the end, geographics is about the only way to shape it.

[dhsdawg06]

OSU-Illinois I'm sure won't be saved. They don't even play each other every season now. OSU's 2 opponents that are on the schedule at all times are Michigan and Penn State(seems the Big Ten really thinks or is really trying for the 3 way OSU-UM-PSU rivalry).

Of the major rivalries in the conference, that list looks good. I'd add Illinois-Northwestern in there, but if that one got broken up oh well. I get the feeling that they're only rivals because they're in the same state. There's also Iowa-Minnesota playing for that pig, seems like that's always the end of the season.

Edited by dhsdawg06, 24 June 2010 - 12:46 AM.

[Duh Huh Dull Sucks]

OSU-Illinois I'm sure won't be saved. They don't even play each other every season now. OSU's 2 opponents that are on the schedule at all times are Michigan and Penn State(seems the Big Ten really thinks or is really trying for the 3 way OSU-UM-PSU rivalry).

Of the major rivalries in the conference, that list looks good. I'd add Illinois-Northwestern in there, but if that one got broken up oh well. I get the feeling that they're only rivals because they're in the same state. There's also Iowa-Minnesota playing for that pig, seems like that's always the end of the season.

I thought about Illinois - Northwestern, but that game has all the makings of a rivalry, but none of the atmosphere or history (that I can think of off the top of my head) to make it huge in the Big Ten.

And I believe OSU - Michigan - Penn State are contractually obligated to play each other every year or it is written into Penn State's agreement to enter the conference or something. Regardless, I am sure they still will be anyway.

[JAB]

you guys forgot about Minn vs mich for the little brown jug

[dhsdawg06]

you guys forgot about Minn vs mich for the little brown jug

The list would become huge if we started talking about every trophy game. Michigan State-Penn State. Penn State-Minnesota. Purdue-Illinois. Seems like almost every school in the Big Ten is rivals with everyone else. Probably because they've been playing each other for over 100 years in most cases.

[brunowball]

ESPN and the Chicago Tribune are reporting that the divisions and schedules should be finalized by late august.

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/...-by-august.html

"Delany said after introducing Nebraska on June 11 that the league's top priority will be "competitive fairness." Second is maintaining rivalries. Third is geography."



I like the idea of having OSU and Michigan in one division and Penn State and Nebraska in the other. There is one big loser in that scenario though. Penn State. The team that is furthest to the east would have to travel to every western divisional opponent. Probably a non-issue though since they would only have to go out there a few times a year and they do that now anyway.

[buckeyefan13]

I don't see how the divisions could be anything but;

PSU, OSU, UofM, MSU, Purdue, IU

&

ILL, NW, WIS, MIN, IOWA, NEB


Yes, Purdue is more of a rival with ILL, than IU, but ILL would have to be with NW & NEB. MIN & Iowa have to be together. Iowa & Neb have to be together. WIS & MIN have to be together. Then, up top, PSU rival with OSU rival with UofM rival with MSU. Keeping it East & West makes the most sense by far in my opinion.

[JAB]

I say no divisions keep it as is and add another conference game to the schedule. Then the true #1 and #2 teams are playing in the conference championship game. Unlike what would happen in the Big 12 when the southern division would have 2 or 3 teams with a better record then the northern division champion.

[dhsdawg06]

I like breaking it into what makes geographic sense. Best bet all around.

Top 3 of OSU, PSU, and UM aren't far ahead(if at all) of Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska. Minnesota/Northwestern are similar to Purdue/Michigan State. Then Illinois and Indiana are both usually terrible. Seems like pretty good competitive balance to me.