Comparison of B1G East vs West permanent cross overs at the end of the first six year cycle
This season marks the end of the first six year scheduling cycle in the Big Ten since the East and West Divisions were formed. As a reminder, the scheduling formula is that each team plays nine conference games per season made up of the other six teams in their division, one consistent cross division team, and two games against a rotation of the other six teams from the other division. So, at the end of the six years, each team will have played six games against the teams in their division and their constant cross division opponent, and two games each against the other six teams from the other division (one home, one away). The table below shows the matchups for the "permanent" cross over games.
West (record) East
Wisconsin (3-3) Michigan
Nebraska (0-6) Ohio State
Northwestern (3-3) Michigan State
Illinois (4-2) Rutgers
Minnesota (3-3) Maryland
Purdue (2-2) Indiana
Iowa (2-4) Penn State
Total West (17-23) Total East
Indiana and Purdue have only played 4 times because their 2020 game was COVID canceled and 2021 is the last week of the season.
I found it interesting that other than the OSU / Nebraska series, the rest of the games completely equal out. I also didn't expect to see Illinois as the only west team that won its matchup, but it did get to play Rutgers, so maybe that is understandable. I feel like anyone with eyes knows that Ohio State has been on another level compared to the rest of the B1G East over the last 6 years, but it definitely helped that they got a yearly game against a struggling Nebraska program where Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State got tougher matchups. I don't have any grand conclusions, but I thought this was interesting.
If anyone is interested, the next set of matchups for 2022 - 2027 are below. (Assuming the whole model doesn't get blown up)
Michigan - Nebraska
Ohio State - Wisconsin
Michigan State - Minnesota
Maryland - Northwestern
Rutgers - Iowa
Penn State - Illinois
Indiana - Purdue
November 8th, 2021 at 10:27 AM ^
So of course, Nebraska will be resurgent for the next 6 years. And Wisconsin will have its worst string of defenses in 2 decades.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:38 AM ^
The world has screwing Michigan football down to a science.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:00 AM ^
If there is a resurgence at Nebraska it is going to take a while. They are a much easier draw than Wisconsin.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:02 AM ^
Well Martinez has to be gone. Right? Hope they don't stop shooting themselves in the foot.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:21 AM ^
Thanks to Covid, Martinez can come back and start for the fifth straight season next year!
But Frost might be gone.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:30 AM ^
Imho Frost puts too much on Martinez's shoulders because he's the best athlete/player he has. His mistakes all have the hallmark of someone trying to do everything in a team sport, resulting in exactly what you would expect.
It's RichRod all over again with Pat White and Denard Robinson.
His graduating might be addition by subtraction if it forces Frost to diversify the offense. (They might also go to hell in a handbasket too).
November 8th, 2021 at 11:12 AM ^
Yes, but that won't happen because the football god's hate Michigan and OSU always gets the breaks.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:50 AM ^
For sure, but they're no Illinois. Looking side eye at PSU.
November 8th, 2021 at 12:16 PM ^
Yeah, I don’t think this is the right year to talk about Penn State’s easy draw of Illinois. Also, Bert seems to have them moving in the right direction. They still have a shot at a bowl if they can win a couple of sludgefarty games against Iowa and Northwestern.
November 8th, 2021 at 2:55 PM ^
iowa has to be giddy about this set up
November 9th, 2021 at 7:48 PM ^
Agree
Rsther have nebraska than wisconsin
November 8th, 2021 at 11:04 AM ^
Wisconsin is basically Harbaugh-Michigan but is in a division they can win and doesn't have to play Ohio St in the regular season every year (and has far less institutional pressure to beat them - which they don't). I'm interested to see if they win any of these six.
Barry Alvarez's record was somewhat inflated some years by dodging Michigan and/or OSU, so it's good to see them (and Nebraska) possibly having the toughest interdivision draw of any Big 10 team over this 12 year stretch.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:18 AM ^
Barry Alvarez's record was somewhat inflated some years by dodging Michigan and/or OSU
Not to mention their routinely pathetic non-conference slates.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:33 AM ^
They did play LSU in a home and home, and I think they did the same with someone else from the SEC too.
Wisconsin's game planning seem to be much better than ours for those big games though. They win them.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:40 AM ^
I think that they played Alabama...and they did play Notre Dame this year...they usually have one challenging OOC game on their schedule, actually
November 8th, 2021 at 11:59 AM ^
Nah, they beat LSU once by 2 points and they've been bad in OOC otherwise in the past decade.
They lost the other one v LSU and got beat pretty soundly by Alabama in the season between (they went L to LSU in 2014, L to Bama in 2015 and then W v LSU in 2016).
They lost at Arizona State in 2013 (on an admittedly epic officiating error).
They lost at Oregon State in 2012.
They played very weak non conf schedules 2017-2019 and then this year got smashed by ND.
They don't win their difficult non-conference games.
November 8th, 2021 at 2:11 PM ^
As Newton mentioned below, I was more referring to Wisconsin's general OOC scheduling under Alvarez (and Bielema). Even after getting Wisconsin into good program status (after being terrible prior to his arrival), Alvarez (as coach and then as AD) still filled up on nothing but cupcakes in the non-conference slate.
For the longest time, their OOC template was
- mid-level P12 team
- random MWC or WAC team (lot of UNLV and Fresno St)
- random MAC team
- random FCS bottom-feeder
November 8th, 2021 at 12:16 PM ^
The SEC matchups have been more recent, but yeah the Alvarez years had mostly pathetic non-cons. A steady diet of UNLV and Ball State.
I don't blame him a ton, at least early on -- it was the Bill Snyder formula of getting a previously dogshit program into bowl games and going from there.
November 8th, 2021 at 12:55 PM ^
I'd go as far as to say Michigan has been better than Wisconsin in that stretch and would've entered the OSU game / Big Ten title game undefeated a few times under Harbaugh if we were over there. The west sucks
November 8th, 2021 at 1:58 PM ^
Ask Penn State and MSU how much the West sucks this year.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:40 PM ^
yea but since this started in 2014, osu is also 5-0 vs. wisconsin, it's just that 3 of those wins are in indy.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:29 AM ^
This is the dumbest scheduling ever. Please just go back to alternating West teams.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:30 AM ^
Seriously, who decided that every team should be stuck with 1 cross division opponent for 6 years? What was the logic here? Why not rotate all 3 cross division games? Or why not logically pair up certain teams like Michigan-Minnesota? Why is Penn State, ostensibly the 2nd best team in the East on average, playing Illinois of all teams, rather than Nebraska or Minnesota? Ohio State/Wisconsin is the only one that really makes any sense, the whole thing is just so stupid
November 8th, 2021 at 11:40 AM ^
The only reason I can think for this format is that it protects the IU - Purdue rivalry. When they split IU/Purdue in East/West, I imagine this was a point of contention. This format allows them to play every year, as evidenced by them being the only matchup repeat between the first six years and next six.
November 8th, 2021 at 12:01 PM ^
But they could do that anyway. Plus, that's not even on the six year rotation (since it's permanent).
November 8th, 2021 at 1:41 PM ^
IU-PU is a protected rivalry game.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:34 AM ^
This scheduling format is so bad.
November 8th, 2021 at 1:38 PM ^
Or go back to TEN teams and play everyone so you can actually decide the true conference champion!
November 8th, 2021 at 10:35 AM ^
This is the dumbest way to do it. Either rotate every 2 years so teams play a home and away with schools or at least have some good reason to lock matchups for 6 years.
I guess Michigan playing Minnesota for the oldest rivalry trophy in the history of the sport makes too much damn sense.
On the bright side, think of how many OTs we get to see over the next 6 years with PSU/Illinois.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:00 AM ^
B1G at its finest. LOL.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:36 AM ^
Feel like we should be playing Illinois given they're our biggest rival.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:38 AM ^
Playing our two biggest rivals every year in Illinois and Rutger? No thanks, too much pressure.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:24 AM ^
When’s the last time we played Illinois? It seems like they were last on the schedule when Rich Rod was our coach.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:29 AM ^
We played in Champaign in October of 2019- they had just started selling beer at the stadium and I went there with some U of I buddies. Almost blew a huge lead but held on to win like 28-25 or something.
November 8th, 2021 at 12:42 PM ^
Michigan won 42-25, although it was 28-25 at one point, after Michigan had a 28-7 lead.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:40 AM ^
November 8th, 2021 at 11:39 PM ^
I remember it well, too, what a beautiful October day it was for a college football game.
It's the only time I've ever been to a Michigan game @Illinois, and being that I make it a point to do a self-guided walking tour of every venue I can, I was delighted to get some photos pre- and post-game of the most historic stuff, especially of the Red Grange memorabilia and his statue.
(Midnight Edit) Looking back, that was a game we almost blew despite having two runners over 100 yards each. Hassan Haskins had his first career 100 yd game:125 yards in a dozen carries, Zach Charbonet had another 110+, and Tru Wilson (he's still playing with Northern Colorado) added about 50 more. Problem was Shea Patterson with another mediocre start, just 11-of-22 passing.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
The only positive thing about having a regular Michigan-Nebraska over the next six years is that it gives more Michigan fans an opportunity to do a Nebraska road game.
I plan on making that trip in two years. Having attended games at all 9 of the pre-expansion road venues (many of them multiple times), I now plan on visiting Nebraska, Rutgers, Maryland, and Penn State over the next couple seasons. I'm looking today and tomorrow into maybe making last-minute plans to attend the Penn State game or possibly Maryland the following week.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:58 AM ^
I went to Lincoln this year for the game. Definitely worth it (especially since we came out with the W).
November 8th, 2021 at 11:00 AM ^
I went to the 1997 PSU game and can report having an excellent time. I did not encounter a bad PSU fan despite being there with a group of 9 that I mostly didn't know (went with a co-worker). On the town before the game was a hoot, and after the game was filled with congrats, admiration, and condolences about Nebraska's bullshit kicked TD. OF course, YMMV... (BTW, the stadium itself is hideous.)
While I haven't been to a Nebraska game, the actual people of Nebraska like that outsiders are willing to visit them, so I would expect a good time.
November 8th, 2021 at 2:12 PM ^
I had the same experience with PSU fans. Incredibly congenial and accommodating.
Unfortunately that seemed to change after the Sandusky revelations. Now they're touchy, insular and nowhere near as gracious.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:16 AM ^
NO....just NO!!! Other than losing, I loved going to Madison for 2 games. No way in heck am I driving 13hrs to see Nebraska game. I'd like to see a game at Iowa, but don't want to lose there 3 times (damn hospital kids).
November 8th, 2021 at 10:44 AM ^
Rutgers - Iowa
Once again, look who gets a scheduling break.
Penn State - Illinois
This is why Franklin will run to USC. His personal hell of looking across the sideline at smelly big Bert for an eternity of overtimes
November 8th, 2021 at 10:59 AM ^
USC is going to take Fickell. The only people spreading rumors of Franklin to USC are Franklin’s agents.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:08 AM ^
Yeah, I raised an eyebrow at all that news. Franklin is 9-10 in his last 19 Big 10 games and is 17-17 on the road at Penn St (Harbaugh, who gets more attention for road losses, is 19-11 at UM). He also has a losing record against Michigan and MSU, and is 1-7 against OSU despite some competitive performances. That one blocked FG five years ago is doing a lot of work for his reputation.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:53 AM ^
lol, Penn State - Illiniois
November 8th, 2021 at 11:05 AM ^
You barely feel like you're in the same conference with certain teams
November 8th, 2021 at 12:06 PM ^
That's part of the problem of having 14 teams in a conference.
There was a point where we played Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug 80 consecutive seasons. Now we will go 4 of the last 6 years without playing.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:08 AM ^
Do you really think that NW is a tougher cross division matchup than Nebraska? Maybe NW has been "good" because they played MSU.