Davisions

For the last year I have been preoccupied with the topic of Big Ten expansion and now divisional alignment.  Upon listening to the commissioner’s comments at the introductory news conference announcing Nebraska’s addition to the league and more recently Big Ten media day, I have finally arrived at an alignment that meets all of the Big Ten’s criteria.  They are insistent that competitive balance is the chief aim of divisions.  The next priority is the maintenance of long-standing rivalries and then achieving some geographic contiguity in order to reduce travel expenses for teams and fans.  The newest wrinkles revealed on Monday were that the metric being used to judge the relative strength of division is conference record for the last 17 seasons, which coincides with Penn State’s first year of Big Ten football.  Secondly, Mr. Delany was certain that once schedules could be cleared to eliminate the fourth non-conference game that the league would move back to a nine-game conference slate, which is long overdue in my book.  Nine games is the key to achieving the scheduling fairness while respecting continuous rivalries.  That means each member of a six team division would play the other five teams plus two protected cross-rivals and then rotate the other four teams so they would play twice in a four year span. 

The number of conference wins for each team since 1993 is as follows; tier one Ohio State-106, Nebraska-98, Michigan-94 and Penn State-86, tier two Wisconsin-79, Iowa-71, Michigan State -63 and Purdue-63, tier three Northwestern-59, Illinois-45, Minnesota-44 and Indiana-33.  The consensus though is that the historically strong powers should be divided up; so as Ohio State and Michigan must be in the same division., then Penn State and Nebraska must be in the other.  Next Wisconsin and Iowa would be divided, so Wisconsin and Minnesota go with OSU & UM, while Iowa would be paired with Nebraska.  Michigan State would remain Penn State’s rival (barring future expansion), so Illinois and Northwestern would join the northern contingent while Indiana and Purdue would head south.  The resulting division would be The Great Lakes with Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio State, totaling 427 wins and the Great Plains with Nebraska, Iowa Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State and Penn State totaling 414 wins.   

My assumption is that the current protected games would form the basis of the cross-divisional rivalries.
Wisconsin and Minnesota would always play Nebraska and Iowa, Illinois and Northwestern would square off against Purdue and Indiana, finally Michigan and Ohio State would maintain their association with Michigan Sate and Penn State.  Consequently the typical strength of schedule of the Great Lakes Division would be 2874 wins whereas the Great Plains teams would have a combined S.o.S. of 2924 wins. 

This divisional alignment provides for the continuous play of eleven of the twelve trophy games. 
The longest-lived rivalry in all of college football would still be awarded Paul Bunyan’s Axe to the winner of Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Minnesota would still play for the Little Brown Jug versus Michigan and Floyd of Rosedale versus Iowa.  Wisconsin still has a protected cross rival game with Iowa for the Heartland Trophy.  Michigan State would still continue the blood feud with Michigan for the Paul Bunyan trophy.  The Spartans would maintain the Land Grant game with Penn State and also get the Old Brass Spittoon with Indiana on a regular basis.  Indiana also maintains its finale with Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket.  Most importantly, the Fighting Illini of Illinois get their three trophy games back annually, The Land of Lincoln (formerly the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk) versus Northwestern.  The Cannon game with Purdue and the incomparable wooden turtle Illibuck with Ohio State. 

In conclusion, we have achieved competitive balance by diving the traditional powers equally, maintained geographic integrity with protected cross-rivals and brought trophy games unique to the Big ten back into consideration. 

During Commissioner Jim Delany’s question & answer session at the conclusion of football media day in Chicago, he reiterated his comments from the June announcement in Lincoln, Nebraska, that divisions will be based on competitive fairness, geography and the maintenance of trophy games.  Today he commented that the league is working on models based on football records since 1993, when Penn State started conference play.    Below is the ranking of schools based on overall wins:

168 - Ohio State

165 - Nebraska

146 - Michigan

145 - Penn State

142 - Wisconsin

117 - Iowa

106 - Michigan State

103 - Purdue

95 - Northwestern

92 - Minnesota

75 - Illinois (I knew it was painful watching games, but this is just sad)

68 - Indiana

In total that is 1422 wins, which translates into two 711-win divisions as such:

Blue: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern, Indiana, Michigan & Ohio State

Black: Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State & Penn State.

Although the commissioner strongly suggested that in order to play each other more often that the Big Ten will move towards a nine game schedule as soon as future schedules will allow with three non-conference games and nine home and away games in a two year span in league play. 

So in the near term, each university would play the other five teams in their division and three cross-division games.  Consequently the much ballyhooed East/West geography based divisions will still play each other.  The trio of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Northwestern would play home and home in 2011 & 2012 against Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois.  Whereas, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State would face off against Purdue, Michigan State and Penn State. 

The only hiccup would be the finale weekend before the Championship game (sure to be in Indy’s Lucas Oil Stadium although I prefer Soldier Field)  The best format would be: MSU-Wisconsin, Iowa-Minnesota, Indiana-Purdue, Illinois-N’western, Michigan-Ohio State and the newly minted Nebraska-Penn State tilt.  However, in the Black & Blue line-ups they would likely be: Wisconsin-Minnesota (Paul Bunyan’s Axe), Iowa-Nebraska (for some corn implement)  Indiana-N’western (for the tallest midget)  Illinois-Purdue (the Cannon), Michigan State-Penn State (the Land Grant trophy) and of course ‘the game’ between Michigan and Ohio State. 

In the future, once we move to a nine-game schedule, the following pairs would always play each other: Nebraska & Iowa vs. Minnesota & Wisconsin, Indiana & Northwestern vs. Illinois & Purdue, plus Ohio State & Michigan vs. Michigan State and Penn State.  Teams would then play the other two pairs twice in four years. 

I really wanted to play for Illibuck every year.  I suppose not all rivalries are created equal. 

Big Ten North

Wisconsin: protected: Nebraska & Iowa, rotating: IU, PU & PSU, ILL

Minnesota: protected: Iowa & Indiana, rotating: UNL, PSU & ILL, PU

Northwestern: protected: Purdue & Illinois, rotating: IA, IU & UNL, PSU

Michigan: protected: Indiana & Nebraska, rotating: PSU, ILL & PU, IA

Michigan St: protected: Penn St & Purdue, rotating: ILL, IA & IU, UNL

Ohio St: protected: Illinois & Penn St, rotating: PU, UNL & IA, IU

Big Ten South

Nebraska: protected: Wisconsin & Michigan, rotating: MN, OSU & NW, MSU

Iowa: protected: Minnesota & Wisconsin, rotating: NW, MSU & OSU, UM

ILLINOIS: protected: Ohio St & Northwestern, rotating: MSU, UM & MN, WI

Indiana: protected: Michigan & Minnesota, rotating: WI, NW & MSU, OSU

Purdue: protected: Northwestern & Mich St, rotating: OSU, WI & UM & MN

Penn St: protected: Michigan St & Ohio St, rotating: UM, MN & WI, NW

THIS MUST HAPPEN.

I am a Fighting Illini.  One of the things that gets us all testy on occasion is we are actually rival-less.  Northwestern, although ascendant under Pat Fitzgerald, is a pretty weak in-state rival; with them being a small private school without a large vocal fanbase.  Iowa is too stupid to take seriously, Wisconsin has Minnesota, Indiana has Purdue, Michigan has Ohio St.  In basketball we have the Bragging Rights with Mizzou in St. Louis which we dominate, but they actually hate Kansas.  Therefore, The Illini stand alone, which makes sense because neither the state nor Chicago have any true peer in the midwest.

Now comes word, that the Big Ten after long last is taking a more active role in expanding the conference membership:

http://www.bigten.org/genrel/121509aaa.html

So the Illini can look forward to games against another team (or teams) that will beat on us in football and get crushed by us in basketball in a few years.  The problem I perceive with most expansion speculation is that there is an assumption that the conference is looking for a 12th institution is even out our scheduling and be just like Big XII, SEC and ACC.  No thanks, not good enough.

I want complete realignment with eight 8-team divisions organized regionally.  There are currently 65 team in the six BCS conferences.  I prefer a nice, tidy arrangement rather than the haphazard 8, 12, 12, 12, 10 and 11 set-up we currently live with with a perfect sub-dividable 64.

Atlantic: North: (the former Big East)

UConn, BC, ‘Cuse, Rutgers, Pitt, PENN ST, W.Va & Maryland.

Atlantic: South: (the former ACC)

U.Va, Va Tech, UNC, NC ST, Duke, Wake, Clemson & S. Carolina.

Southern: East: (the former SEC East)

Kentucky, Louisville, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, Florida St & Miami.

Southern: West: (the former SEC West)

Georgia, Ga Tech, ‘Bama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Miss St, Arkansas & LSU

Central: East: (the former BIG TEN)

ILLINOIS, N’WESTERN, WISCONSIN, MICH ST, MICHIGAN, OHIO ST, PURDUE & INDIANA.

Central: West: (the former Big XII North)

MINNESOTA, IOWA, Iowa St, Nebraska, Mizzou, Kansas, Kansas St & Colorado.

Western: Pacific: (the former Pac-10 is once again the Pac-8)

Cal, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wash St, Oregon & Oregon St.

Western: Desert: (the former Big XII South)

Texas, A&M, TX Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma, OK ST, Arizona & Arizona St.

-Wisconsin and Minnesota can still play each other every year in a protected inter-conference match-up.  I do not believe anyone from the remnant Big Ten will miss playing the Hawkeyes consistently.  Penn State has never belonged in the Big Ten and this expansion talk is further proof. Therefore contraction and reorganization among the conference commissioners should be the goal.  The Big Ten Network will grow in viewership by absorbing the Big XII North.

-In football each division would play 7 inter-division games a year, plus a rotation of a linked pair from the larger conference structure along with a protected rivalry.  So there would be 10 conference games leaving 2 or 3 non-conference slots.  The 2 division winners would play a conference championship game as part of playoff system in which the final four would complete in a football playoff.  Everybody wins, except the mid-majors of the world.

-In basketball there would be a 22-game slate with 14 inter-division games and 8 games against the counterparts from the other divison; leaving approximately 8 non-conference slots available for the typical 30 game regular season.  The conference tournaments could comprise the 64-team field.  The conference winners would be the Final Four.

The smaller leagues such as the MVC, MAC and WAC can similarly restructure to from another 64-team field and the NCAA tournament expands in essence to 128.  The basketball-only playing Catholic schools of the Big East could be part of this consortium where you could find the ostracized college from South Bend.