Warning:  This post is about Big Ten Conference expansion.  If you are sick of this topic or do not care about this topic stop reading.  This post is not for you.

If you are intrigued by this topic, such as myself, feel free to continue. 

Additionally the ideas in this post are not all that original – the diary’s intention is more to talk these concepts out among Michigan friends who enjoy such conversation.    

Impetus:

In the last couple months there have been some rumors on the internets that conference expansion talks could heat up again.  And specifically that the Big Ten could go to 20 teams.  I am not an advocate for this at all.  I personally enjoyed the conference the most when it was at 11 teams. 

However this concept did spark my imagination – if further expansion was inevitable, and 20! was the number, how the hell would you have a legit conference work like that. 

My proposal for football:

1)   The conference would consist of 4 divisions

2)   All would still play a 12 game season, with two teams playing in the Big ten championship game for a 13^th game.  The conference schedule would have to be expanded to 10 games.  Everyone would lose one of their Non-conference games.

3)   Each team would play their 4 other intra-division opponents every year. 

4)   Each team would play all 5 teams in an opposite division every year.  However, the division versus division match ups would rotate on a yearly basis.  

5)   The tenth game would be played against the equal seed (same standings) of  a predetermined opposite division opponent each year.  For example: There would be two 1 seed v 1 seed games, two 2 seed v 2 seed games, two 3 seed v 3 seed games, and so on.  Everyone would play a tenth game, even the 5 seeds versus the 5 seeds. 

6)   The two wining teams from the 1 seed v 1 seed games would then meet in the conference championship game

Possible schools for addition:

From the rumblings – and it is probably just wishful thinking/talk – the schools most likely to join the conference are as followed –

(Again I don’t think this is going to happen but these are the names thrown out there, presently and it the past)

Texas

Oklahoma

Georgia Tech

University of Virginia

Florida State

The 6^th school is a little trickier.  My belief is if the Big Ten could secure the above schools they’d go after University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill with all they’ve got.  However I think UNC wouldn’t leave Duke behind, and more likely would end up in the SEC. 

Which would mean the Big Ten would fall back on University of Kansas (AAU member, connects Texas/OU to rest of Conference). 

Below I lay out both options, as well as the general concept of the schedule, and what Michigan’s schedule would look like in a 6 year span (when they would have played everyone home/away at least once). 

Thoughts?

Go Blue!

	East	North	West	South
Option 1	Florida ST	Penn ST	Wisc	Texas
	Georgia Tech	Mich	Minn	OU
	UNC	MSU	Iowa	Nebraska
	UVA	Ohio ST	ILL	IU
	Maryland	Rutgers	NW	Pur
	East	North	West	South
Option 2	Florida ST	Mich	Wisc	Texas
	Georgia Tech	MSU	Minn	OU
	UVA	Ohio ST	Iowa	Nebraska
	Maryland	Rutgers	IU	Kansas
	Penn ST	NW	Pur	ILL
	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
East Schedule	North +West 10th game	West + South 10th game	South + North 10th game	South + North 10th game	West + South 10th game	North +West 10th game
North Schedule	East + South 10th game	South +West 10th game	West + East 10th game	West + East 10th game	South +West 10th game	East + South 10th game
West Schedule	South + East 10th game	East + North 10th game	North + South 10th game	North + South 10th game	East + North 10th game	South + East 10th game
South Schedule	West + North 10th game	North + East 10th game	East + West 10th game	East + West 10th game	North + East 10th game	West + North 10th game
	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
	@MSU	MSU	@MSU	MSU	@MSU	MSU
Option 1 UM Sched + 2 Non-Con games	Rutgers	@Rutgers	Rutgers	@Rutgers	Rutgers	@Rutgers
	@FSU	Texas	@Wisc	Wisc	@Texas	FSU
	Ga Tech	@OU	Minn	@Minn	OU	@Ga Tech
	@UNC	Nebraska	@Iowa	Iowa	@Nebraska	UNC
	UVA	@IU	ILL	@ILL	IU	@UVA
	@Maryland	Pur	@NW	NW	@Pur	Maryland
	@Penn ST	Penn St	@Penn ST	Penn St	@Penn ST	Penn St
	OSU	@OSU	OSU	@OSU	OSU	@OSU
	South Seed	@West Seed	East Seed	@East Seed	West Seed	@South Seed
	@MSU	MSU	@MSU	MSU	@MSU	MSU
	Rutgers	@Rutgers	Rutgers	@Rutgers	@Texas	@Rutgers
Option 2 UM Sched + 2 Non-Con games	@FSU	Texas	@Wisc	Wisc	OU	FSU
	Ga Tech	@OU	Minn	@Minn	@Nebraska	@Ga Tech
	@Penn ST	Nebraska	@Iowa	Iowa	Kan	Penn St
	UVA	@Kan	IU	@IU	@ILL	@UVA
	@Maryland	ILL	@Pur	Pur	NW	Maryland
	@NW	NW	@NW	NW	@NW	NW
	OSU	@OSU	OSU	@OSU	OSU	@OSU
	South Seed	@West Seed	East Seed	@East Seed	West Seed	@South Seed
Pros
In a 4 year span play everyone in conference at least once
Regional rivals would continue
Ten games, hence Big 10 (marketing angle)
From a strategic standpoint you have contained or surrounded SEC
Marquee games every weekend
All teams have equal home/away games every year
Academic standards have not been overly diminished.  Institutional cooperation enhanced.
Own huge swath of country/Media Markets
Teams could continue to schedule non-conference rivals if they choose
Winning divisions would be important, seeding would add intrigue
Mich/OSU would take place before Thanksgiving again
Clear/fair conference champion would be crowned
Would be able to easily regionalize Big ten network - instead of 1 network expand to 4.  And possibly allow Big ten to buy out/absorb Longhorn Network
For the most part all States will be connected.  There will be a gap on either the southwest or southeast depending on who joins.
Recruiting territory would be greatly expanded.  Nebraska could hit up Texas again.  East coast teams would have better tools to sell Florida kids.
For basketball.  Everyone plays each other once -- then seeded Tourney for champion
Cons
Besides regional rivals would other teams play each other enough to really be considered conference foes?
Travel at end of season could be difficult on fans
Teams would no longer ever have 8 home games.  Lose a 3rd Non-Conference game/guaranteed gate
UM/OSU would not be last game of year
There is a possibility although not likely that the Big Ten Champion could have a losing or .500 record
Inevitably the division balance could be uneven.  West would need Wisc/Iowa to be a power.