New Big Ten Divisions- Looks like Northwestern-Ohio State will be the Championship

[Champ]

Nebraska shits on Northwestern you Jersey scum

[Fappin Raptor]

Is this what you want it to be or is this what's it's going to be?

[ryne candy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5519832&campaign=rss&source=NCBHeadlines

[Fappin Raptor]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/...e=NCBHeadlines

I still hate the idea of OSU and Michigan being in different divisions. Greedy bastards.

[Woy]

Michigan/Ohio State in different divisions sucks.

Besides that, I'm fine with the set-up. They didn't really overload one division like I was worried they would.

[CaribbeanJoseph]

I still hate the idea of OSU and Michigan being in different divisions. Greedy bastards.

Co-sign, I don't like OSU and UM being split up.

[KNUBB]

Michigan/Ohio State in different divisions sucks.

Besides that, I'm fine with the set-up. They didn't really overload one division like I was worried they would.

I'm sure they will still play each other and the option for a rematch in the championship is their thought process. They are seeing the prospect of a shit load of money. Michigan is gonna have to start winning again for it to go down, but the ifs of the situation are limitless.

[Fappin Raptor]

Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois are all west of Michigan.

[FirstTimer]

If they were going to put them in seperate divisions they could have at least gone to a North-South Alignment and made it make geographical sense.

Now it just comes off as greedy and that no one in the Big 10 has access to a map.

North
Penn State
Michigan State
Michigan
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Minnesota


South
Iowa
Nebraska
Illinois
Indiana
Purdue
Ohio State

[Fappin Raptor]

I also feel like the East is a little weak. OSU really only has Penn State and Wisconsin to compete with in their division.

On average the weakest team in the West is maybe MSU and they are usually better than Indiana, Purdue, and Illinois.

[Sportsbuck]

Fuck this.

Put OSU/MICH in one division, and NEB/PSU in the other. Fill in the historically 3rd tier Wisconsin and Iowa in either, and then I don't really care after that.

Keep the game at the end of the year and I won't be as upset. But The Game is not meant to be played twice a year. Part of what makes The Game, The Iron Bowl, The Red River Shootout, UF-FSU, etc so special is that they are played ONCE A YEAR. A rematch lessens the importance of the game and undermines the importance of the rivalry. Imagine, OSU plays Michigan the last game of the season and wins convincingly, but then has to strap 'em back up and play again in the CCG game in a week. The first game means nothing. Or, if both teams have their divisions locked up going in, both knowing they will be playing again in a week?

We should be in the same division. Play the last week of the regular season. None of this rematch bullshit. The whole concept behind it was the thought of an Ohio State-Michigan CCG game and how good the ratings would be... a poster on an OSU board looked back at how often that would've happened over the past 20 years:

Let's see how often OSU & UM would actually meet for the CCG, assuming the divisions are as follows (based on the tea leaves)

Woody Div - OSU, PSU, UW, Minn, Pur, IU
Bo Division - UM, MSU, NU, Iow, Ill, NW

09 - OSU - IOW
08 - PSU - MSU (rematch)
07 - OSU - ILL (rematch, ruining ILL's upset)
06 - OSU - UM (rematch, making the first win pointless)
05 - PSU - IOW
04 - WIS - UM
03 - OSU - UM (rematch, rendering first UM win useless, neither in NC hunt)
02 - OSU - IOW
01 - OSU - UM (rematch, and a laughable 7-5 participant)
00 - PUR - UM (rematch, sorry Pur, your first win didn't count)
99 - WIS - UM
98 - OSU - UM (oh coop, you finally beat UM? Too bad, do it again)
97 - OSU - UM (rematch )
96 - OSU - NU
95 - OSU - NU
94 - PSU - UM
93 - OSU - ILL (rematch, and ILL was only the 4th best overall)
92 - OSU - UM (rematch)
91 - IU - UM (rematch with a 7 win IU team? garbage)
90 - MSU - ILL

Yeah, it's worth ruining the game for 2-3 marquee OSU-UM CCGs per decade, which is only if Nebraska doesn't get in the way now.

Even if you do set up a few, you're stuck with some truly awful ones like PSU-MSU & PSU-IOW.

Worth it?

[FirstTimer]

Here's the logic the Big 10 is using to set these divisions:

Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips told the Chicago Tribune on Monday he believes the Wildcats will maintain their annual rivalry with Illinois.
Phillips said he agreed with commissioner Jim Delany's philosophy that "competitive balance" should be the top priority. Protecting rivalries comes second, geography third.

Also from the article in the USA Today:

With both teams in opposite divisions, it would likely mean their annual regular season game would not be played on the final weekend, something that has happened every year since 1943. The possibility of change has inspired an Ohio lawmaker to urge the state to pass a resolution asking the Big Ten to keep the date of the game the same.

[Fappin Raptor]

Competitive balance? They basically set this up so it'll be OSU or PSU vs. any team in the West.

[FirstTimer]

Competitive balance? They basically set this up so it'll be OSU or PSU vs. any team in the West.

I think you're selling Wisconsin a bit short...

And in the West if Michigan ever gets back on track you'll have: Michigan, Nebraska, and Iowa battling in the West and OSU, PSU and Wisconsin battling in the East.

[mgoblue2290]

They want Michigan and OSU to meet in that title game as many times as possible. Thats why this is happening.