NCAA Conference Realignment

[Tracer Bullet]

I absolutely love seeing a Penn State fan sticking up for Michigan. Michigan is on it's way back up for sure.

 

Why does it have to be East and West? How about North and South?

 

North

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Michigan

MSU

Northwestern

Purdue

 

South

Nebraska

Iowa

Penn State

Ohio State

Illinois

Indiana

 

You keep the OSU/Michigan game at the end of they year and call it a day.

 

b/c it doesn't change the disastrous travel schedule for PSU and it makes no sense to split OSU/UM, which both schools won't agree to. In a 6-6 conference, you can't really have 2 schools in each division that play every year - it mucks up everyone else's schedule.

[jersey cubs fan]

Alabama and USC sucked for years. Then they won the National Titles. Powerhouse giants can come back quickly. Michigan will be back, it's one of the four national brands in the Big Ten, so they are able to recruit nationally. I think you are also overlooking the fact Rodriguez had to overhaul his entire roster to play his brand of football. Whether it works or not is a different question, but to declare Michigan football dead because of a few bad seasons is moronic and bordering on insane.

 

Then I guess I'll just say that claiming I declared them dead is idiotic.

 

Seems to me that you were implying it.

 

Then I will repeat, that's idiotic.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Why does it have to be East and West? How about North and South?

Because North and South doesn't make much sense in a league that stretches East to West.

[NeifiIsMyHomeBoy]

I absolutely love seeing a Penn State fan sticking up for Michigan. Michigan is on it's way back up for sure.

 

Why does it have to be East and West? How about North and South?

 

North

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Michigan

MSU

Northwestern

Purdue

 

South

Nebraska

Iowa

Penn State

Ohio State

Illinois

Indiana

 

You keep the OSU/Michigan game at the end of they year and call it a day.

 

OSU/Michigan potentially play in two consecutive weeks year after year? Seems to diminish the rivalry.

[jersey cubs fan]

In a 6-6 conference, you can't really have 2 schools in each division that play every year - it mucks up everyone else's schedule.

 

I really don't see it as that big of a deal.

[Tracer Bullet]

Iowa news making fun of Nebraska for being hicks. Couldn't someone else make this same video about Iowa?

 

http://www.whotv.com/videobeta/5a734dc1-f5b6-4fb8-9e01-500739adc4b8/Sports/A-Cornhusker-Fan-gives-His-Take-on-Big-10-Expansion-6-13-2010-

 

it'd be a tough sell. Iowa from about I-35 east is significantly different than Nebraska (and by different, I mean better). Outside of the CWS and steak, Omaha has almost nothing going for it. It's a [expletive] hole.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

In a 6-6 conference, you can't really have 2 schools in each division that play every year - it mucks up everyone else's schedule.

 

I really don't see it as that big of a deal.

It's also not a big deal to put them in the same division.

[Tracer Bullet]

The western half of Iowa is pretty much identical to the eastern half of Nebraska. Our eastern half kicks their western half's ass so advantage Iowa.

 

Congrats?

Except that Omaha doesn't really have a comp in western Iowa.

Another advantage for Iowa. Omaha isn't a nice place outside of the CWS.

okay

 

Eastern Nebraska has Warren Buffet. Western Iowa has...

 

Principal, Wells Fargo, etc. And Warren Buffet dumped a bunch of time/money into Grinnell, small school in Iowa, to help build its endowment. Even he knows that Nebraska sucks.

[jersey cubs fan]

OSU/Michigan potentially play in two consecutive weeks year after year? Seems to diminish the rivalry.

 

Sure, it's a potential. But it's no guarantee. And any championship game can take place between two teams that have recently played each other. What if Wisconsin beats OSU in the 2nd to last week, then has to play them in the championship and loses? I think all these what if scenarios aren't all that important. When you decide to have a championship game, you open yourself up to all sorts of quirks. But I believe if both UM and OSU are atop their divisions, that game will be huge, and if they have to go play again a week later on neutral ground, it will be huge again.

[jersey cubs fan]

In a 6-6 conference, you can't really have 2 schools in each division that play every year - it mucks up everyone else's schedule.

 

I really don't see it as that big of a deal.

It's also not a big deal to put them in the same division.

 

That's how I would do it. I'm just saying the other option isn't impossible.

[jersey cubs fan]

rincipal, Wells Fargo, etc. And Warren Buffet dumped a bunch of time/money into Grinnell, small school in Iowa, to help build its endowment. Even he knows that Nebraska sucks.

Wells Fargo is in San Fran.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I'm sure Michigan and OSU would also want to be in the same division for fear of losing their annual game for a year or two at a time.

[TruffleShuffle]

I absolutely love seeing a Penn State fan sticking up for Michigan. Michigan is on it's way back up for sure.

 

penn state football, 2000-04: 26-33, 16-24 conference record, 1 bowl appearance.

2005-09: 51-13, 29-11 conference record, 5 bowl appearances

 

people were basically throwing dirt on the psu program and saying they'd never recover until paterno retired and they brought in mostly new staff. the last five years they and ohio st have been the class of the conference. it's hard to keep great college football programs down for long.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

rincipal, Wells Fargo, etc. And Warren Buffet dumped a bunch of time/money into Grinnell, small school in Iowa, to help build its endowment. Even he knows that Nebraska sucks.

Wells Fargo is in San Fran.

Their consumer finance operation is based in Des Moines.

[Tracer Bullet]

Principal, Wells Fargo, etc. And Warren Buffet dumped a bunch of time/money into Grinnell, small school in Iowa, to help build its endowment. Even he knows that Nebraska sucks.

Wells Fargo is in San Fran.

 

Wells Fargo Financial and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage are both HQ'd in Des Moines. I don't know a ton about the company outside of that.

 

Doesn't change the ultimate conclusion.

[Banedon]

okay

 

Eastern Nebraska has Warren Buffet. Western Iowa has...

Council Bluffs, home of Jon Lieber?

 

Having driven I-80 a number of times through both Iowa and Nebraska, I can say with some confidence that Nebraska has you firmly beaten on number of tumbleweeds.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm sure Michigan and OSU would also want to be in the same division for fear of losing their annual game for a year or two at a time.

 

My point is, they don't have to lose it.

[TruffleShuffle]

I'm sure Michigan and OSU would also want to be in the same division for fear of losing their annual game for a year or two at a time.

 

it doesn't have to be like that. you can put michigan and ohio st, illinois and northwestern, etc in different divisions and then make those guaranteed games against the other side. like michigan would play their divisional rivals every year (say, PSU, MSU, wisconsin, minnesota and northwestern) every year, then play ohio st on the other side every year, then rotate two of the other five (indiana, purdue, illinois, nebraska, iowa) on the schedule each year. lest anyone say this is unfair, purdue's "locked" games right now are indiana and northwestern, while ohio st has to play michigan and penn st every year.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I'm sure Michigan and OSU would also want to be in the same division for fear of losing their annual game for a year or two at a time.

 

My point is, they don't have to lose it.

I understand your point. I have doubts those in charge would make radical divisional assignments which will put them in the same division, and I think it should be that way. It would be tremendously silly to screw with geography for 1 game that rarely has significance other than being a good rivalry historically.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm sure Michigan and OSU would also want to be in the same division for fear of losing their annual game for a year or two at a time.

 

it doesn't have to be like that. you can put michigan and ohio st, illinois and northwestern, etc in different divisions and then make those guaranteed games against the other side. like michigan would play their divisional rivals every year (say, PSU, MSU, wisconsin, minnesota and northwestern) every year, then play ohio st on the other side every year, then rotate two of the other five (indiana, purdue, illinois, nebraska, iowa) on the schedule each year. lest anyone say this is unfair, purdue's "locked" games right now are indiana and northwestern, while ohio st has to play michigan and penn st every year.

 

Exactly my point. They already guarantee a game being played without playing everybody else, so I don't see the big deal.

[Tracer Bullet]

I absolutely love seeing a Penn State fan sticking up for Michigan. Michigan is on it's way back up for sure.

 

penn state football, 2000-04: 26-33, 16-24 conference record, 1 bowl appearance.

2005-09: 51-13, 29-11 conference record, 5 bowl appearances

 

people were basically throwing dirt on the psu program and saying they'd never recover until paterno retired and they brought in mostly new staff. the last five years they and ohio st have been the class of the conference. it's hard to keep great college football programs down for long.

 

if, instead of cutting it in half, you start from 2002, is their record significantly different than Iowa's? Iowa had a couple great seasons in the early part of the decade, a rough stretch (aided by injuries) and then a strong finish. Still won about 2/3 of their games since 2002. OSU stands alone in the Big Ten right now. There isn't a clear 2nd.

[Tracer Bullet]

I'm sure Michigan and OSU would also want to be in the same division for fear of losing their annual game for a year or two at a time.

 

it doesn't have to be like that. you can put michigan and ohio st, illinois and northwestern, etc in different divisions and then make those guaranteed games against the other side. like michigan would play their divisional rivals every year (say, PSU, MSU, wisconsin, minnesota and northwestern) every year, then play ohio st on the other side every year, then rotate two of the other five (indiana, purdue, illinois, nebraska, iowa) on the schedule each year. lest anyone say this is unfair, purdue's "locked" games right now are indiana and northwestern, while ohio st has to play michigan and penn st every year.

 

Exactly my point. They already guarantee a game being played without playing everybody else, so I don't see the big deal.

 

b/c there's no reason to force a rivalry between a bunch of schools in the 2 divisions when you don't need to. and making UM fans drive from Ann Arbor (while fun for me) or OSU fans from Ohio drive to Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota every year makes no more sense than it does for PSU.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I'm sure Michigan and OSU would also want to be in the same division for fear of losing their annual game for a year or two at a time.

 

it doesn't have to be like that. you can put michigan and ohio st, illinois and northwestern, etc in different divisions and then make those guaranteed games against the other side. like michigan would play their divisional rivals every year (say, PSU, MSU, wisconsin, minnesota and northwestern) every year, then play ohio st on the other side every year, then rotate two of the other five (indiana, purdue, illinois, nebraska, iowa) on the schedule each year. lest anyone say this is unfair, purdue's "locked" games right now are indiana and northwestern, while ohio st has to play michigan and penn st every year.

 

Exactly my point. They already guarantee a game being played without playing everybody else, so I don't see the big deal.

The problem becomes a team like Nebraska playing OSU once every 5 years because of the addition of a bunch of unnecessary guaranteed games. There is no good reason to base the divisions on anything other than geography.

[TruffleShuffle]

Exactly my point. They already guarantee a game being played without playing everybody else, so I don't see the big deal.

The problem becomes a team like Nebraska playing OSU once every 5 years because of the addition of a bunch of unnecessary guaranteed games. There is no good reason to base the divisions on anything other than geography.

 

that wouldn't happen... if you have 5 division games and 1 guaranteed cross-division game, you'd play 2 out of 5 games against the other teams in the opposite division, or 2 games against each every 5 years. if you divide them by geography with no cross-division games guaranteed, then you'd play 3 times every 5 years. so the difference is that you face each non-divisional (non-rival) team once more every 5 years.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

that wouldn't happen... if you have 5 division games and 1 guaranteed cross-division game, you'd play 2 out of 5 games against the other teams in the opposite division, or 2 games against each every 5 years. if you divide them by geography with no cross-division games guaranteed, then you'd play 3 times every 5 years. so the difference is that you face each non-divisional (non-rival) team once more every 5 years.

I am very much opposed to adding unnecessary guaranteed games, and it absolutely does not need to happen. People seem to think Michigan/OSU HAS to happen every year, and putting them in the same division ensures it will happen.