Big Ten Realignment?

I'd go:

Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Northwestern
Purdue
Indiana
Illinois

Wisconsin
Nebraska
Penn State
Iowa
Minnesota
Rutgers
Maryland

If the league keeps the eight-game conference schedule, that saves every major rivalry except the Little Brown Jug and Land Grant. If they eventually go to nine, you could have every rivalry game every year.

 

Note to Big 10: no one cares.

 

Rust Division
More Rust Division


For God's sake, please don't take away the Old Oaken Bucket game.

 

The Land Grant has never been a "major rivalry." Nobody bought it when they tried to force it a decade and a half ago, and nobody is still buying it . It's about as big of a deal as the spittoon Indiana & Michigan State play for.

 

Not SEC 1
Not SEC 2

 

SLOW and SLOWER.

Then, when the absurd B1G absorbs the Ivy League, they'll be pre-positioned to add SLOWEST.

 

Exactly.

 

No way Northwestern should have to endure both Ohio State and Michigan, annually. One or the other.

 

Michigan would have killed for FItzgerald -- but he said "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO".

 

Why does Bielema leaving Wisconsin automatically shift the power balance? Was that said after Alvarez, who built UW into what it is, left?

 

I think the Big Ten screwed themselves by trying to protect rivalries while adding so many new teams. You can't have it both ways. For example, you either have to put Michigan/MSU/OSU/PSU together to protect rivalries and sacrifice competitive balance and lose both.

Funny, the BTN survey even asked fans which rivalries were more important: in-state or just overall rivalries. Personally, I hate the idea of losing rivalries so a school I root for can start playing Rutgers or Maryland.

Until this point, atleast expansion was exciting for the B10. Yes, you may lose a game or two against Iowa or Wisconsin but you gain a game against a Penn State or Nebraska - historically solid programs.

Now it is quite different. Lose traditional rivals and replace them with meaningless games that are further to travel to. I live in Michigan and don't get excited for a 12 hour trip to Maryland or a roadtrip to Jersey to watch a team known for its ineptitude when I was growing up.

 

Because there is no obvious successor. Paul Chryst is going to stay at Pitt. Is Wisconsin going to pony up for a big coach or steal one from another power conference? Doubtful.