Hot take: B1G East/West divisions must be scrapped
Trying to change the topic and move on from yesterday, Iowa bulldozed Northwestern 40-10 yesterday.
Here's their remaining schedule-
- 10/31- vs Maryland (2-4)
- 11/7- at Indiana (4-3)
- 11/14- vs Minnesota (4-3)
- 11/21- vs Purdue (1-6)
- 11/28- at Nebraska (3-4)
Their cross-division games this year are against Maryland and Indiana. They do not play Michigan, PSU, OSU or MSU.
The divisions are hilariously unbalanced. This was clear from day 1.
Non-geographic divisions are the way to go, but this time, let's not have stupid names.
Here's my proposal-
| Lakes Division | Plains Division |
| Michigan | Michigan State |
| Ohio State | Penn State |
| Wisconsin | Nebraska |
| Minnesota | Iowa |
| Rutgers | Maryland |
| Indiana | Purdue |
| Illinois | Northwestern |
The teams that are put next to each other are protected cross-divsion games. So, you'll have Michigan-MSU, OSU-PSU, Minnesota-Iowa etc on a yearly basis.
With this alignment, The Game is preserved and the divisions are balanced.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:23 PM ^
They will be unbalanced at times but Wisconsin and Nebraska are not so great this year but they will be fine eventually. Leave them the way they are.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:24 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 3:25 PM ^
He won at Oregon State which isn 't an easy to place to win at. Their four losses have all been of the excruciating variety.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:31 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 3:37 PM ^
because he did. Twice in fact.
By winning I meant have success commiserate with the expectations of the program.
October 18th, 2015 at 4:15 PM ^
Question for you: when the Lions fire Caldwell after this year are you going to calm them racist for not giving him enough time?
October 18th, 2015 at 4:55 PM ^
So, what you're saying is that the expectation is for the position?
October 18th, 2015 at 4:00 PM ^
In his two stints at Oregon State (for he left for the NFL for a few years and came back), he ended up 93-80 and just below .500 in conference play, which while not stellar when you consider what others have achieved elsewhere, is pretty good for the most frugal athletic department in the Pac-12 and a program with very relaxed expectations. Mike Riley's first go at Oregon State actually is considered the foundation for their relative success (key word being "relative", of course) into the present.
October 18th, 2015 at 11:17 PM ^
second stint: 8-5, 7-5, 5-6, 10-4, 9-4, 9-4, 8-5, 5-7, 3-9, 9-4, 7-5, 5-7.
Considering Oregon St had 4 winning seasons from 1971 through 2002 I'd say Riley did a pretty good job.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:26 PM ^
Hoke went 11-2 in his first season at Michigan with a win in the Sugar Bowl. Mike Riley will be somewhat less successful in his first season at Nebraska.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:31 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 7:19 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 9:09 PM ^
True, but historically and looking into the future, it doesn't look good for the West. Nebraska is the only program that can hang with M, OSU, and PSU, and even then Nebraska's future doesn't look very bright. It's hard to see them become a regular powerhouse again. Also, Wisconsin has been solid for a long, long time but come on, they've really never been major national players even with their runs. They've already hit peak Wisconsin. All the recruiting grounds are in the East as well. I like WD's alignment. We'd get the Brown Jug game back. Seems it keeps all the worthwhile rivalries and would work pretty well in the long run. Of course things will be uneven at times, but it seems it'd be as good as it gets. We really needed ND to save the West, but it looks like that ship has sailed.
I see a lot of people talking about how the power of balance shifts a lot, but I can't imagine the West ever being better than the East overall in any given year. The SEC is replete with talent and history across the board, so it's not really comparable.
October 18th, 2015 at 7:49 PM ^
I know we say this every year, but I truly believe this is the last year State is at this level. Imagine that team we just played, minus Connor Cook and Shilique Calhoun, They are very much pedestrian. Even with their current run of success, Hoke/Harbaugh, Kelly, and Urbz have all continued to eat their lunch recruiting. They've had an incredible run of finding and developing diamonds in the rough, but the cracks are starting to show a bit, especially with Narduzzi gone. Dantonio is a great coach and he'll keep them competitive, but I think they fall back to a best of the rest standing with the Wisconsins, Nebraskas, and Iowas.
Also, from a Michigan-centric perspective, you want State and Ohio in the same division since you have to play them anyway. Otherwise you would play them in the regular season and may have to play them again in the Championship game.
October 18th, 2015 at 8:56 PM ^
OSU is in our division in WD's scenario though. And yeah, we might have to play State again but we might have to play anyone again. At least State comes earlier in the conference so we're not playing some stupid back to back game like we might have with OSU. I wouldn't mind facing State again in the championship game.
October 18th, 2015 at 10:30 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 5:47 PM ^
Oh...my lord. They're 7-0 dude. They're recruiting better than they ever have. Connor Cook isn't anything special. You probably said the same thing after Cousins and Bullough left. They have Damien Terry for next year and he will do very well.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:23 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 8:37 AM ^
Yes.
Not sure who Iowa plays, but Wisconsin will finally be punished after years of easy schedules as it must play at MSU, at U of M, and OSU at home (three games in a row, nonetheless) next year.
Having 3 crossover games is absolutely essential to making it fair.
I know we just talked about it being unfairly easy for Wisconsin and Iowa, but on the other hand, Minnesota drew Ohio State and Michigan. Talk about a disparity between the schedules of "rivals" Minn and Wis (who drew Maryland and Rutgers).
October 18th, 2015 at 3:24 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 3:24 PM ^
Wow, that's hideous. They were up 19 in the game.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:26 PM ^
Lost in the shuffle yesterday. Rutgers won 55-52.
Great win for Eddie Jordan's team over Tom Crean.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:35 PM ^
I remember that joke from yesterday!
October 18th, 2015 at 3:42 PM ^
late in the 3d quarter. Rutgers missed a two point conversion and an extra point during the comeback, so they actually scored 4 TDs and a FG as time expired to get the win.
As an IU alum, this was a brutal loss, but not that unusual - the Hoosiers choked away a 25 point lead against Northwestern 4 or 5 years ago.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:25 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 3:27 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 3:32 PM ^
Why couldn't we? It's certainly possible.
October 18th, 2015 at 8:59 PM ^
If Nebraska returned to what they used to do and MSU reverted to average, the East would still be looking better with M, OSU, and PSU in it.
October 18th, 2015 at 11:22 PM ^
When the Big 12 formed in the mid-90's, the north was the dominant division with Nebraska, Colorado and KState. Both Texas and OU were in down periods. By the early/mid 2000's, the script had changed and the south was the dominant division.
There was a time when the SEC East was the dominant division when Florida and Tennessee were Top 10 progarms and most of the programs in the west were average. Over the last 7-8 years, the SEC has done a 180. The west is easly the tougher division now.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:26 PM ^
The west division is clearly inferior to the east. That definitely reduces the east division's playoff hopes.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:28 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 3:26 PM ^
That's not all that different from Legends and Leaders. No one will be able to remember which division they're in. Programs rise and fall. You can't realign the divisions every year obsessing about "fairness."
The Big 10 has too many bad teams. That's the main problem to be addressed.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:47 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 3:28 PM ^
Trying to engineer perfect divisions is never gonna work. I mean look at the ACC. They tried to create balanced divisions, and instead just have a hodgepodge mess
These things fluctuate
October 18th, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^
The key thing with this alignment is the number of rivalries preserved.
Michigan will be guaranteed to play 3 every year and up to 5 charter members of the B1G in some years.
It's a damn shame Michigan will be playing Rutgers and Maryland more than teams we've been playing since 1896. Michigan is the only charter member of the B1G in the East Division.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^
Who cares about playing "charter teams?" All I want is OSU and MSU every year, the rest can rotate.
October 18th, 2015 at 9:00 PM ^
I care.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:31 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 3:38 PM ^
Sure, but you still need to determine who plays whom each year. Divisions serve that purpose well.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^
This can actually happen as the NCAA has deregulated conference title games.
However, what happens if OSU is 8-0 in the B1G and Michigan is 7-1, Michigan beats OSU and they both finish 8-1?
Rematch. Which doesn't preserve The Game. That problem is still there.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:49 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 8:37 PM ^
Until Rashan Gary commits because his mom likes that we play in the local area every year.
October 18th, 2015 at 4:03 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 3:32 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 9:16 PM ^
I LOVE the Big Ten East. It is rapidly becoming one of the top glamour divisions in all of college football.
If I'm an elite recruit . . . I'm interested. I don't automatically think I need to go to the SEC to play (and be seen playing) football at the top level.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^
On this one.
And that's a fact.
Question for you: How might one determine the identity of:
TheEricTaylor1 and jaaake_f1
On Twitter? These of two of the dipshits that posted ugly threats to Jake ONeill, who was one of the stars yesterday until that one fateful moment.
October 18th, 2015 at 4:18 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 4:33 PM ^
I appreciate that........
October 18th, 2015 at 5:34 PM ^
That they have already deleted their accounts.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:41 PM ^
Are the best programs right now. Iowa has a solid team this year but who have they faced that's so impressive? Pitt? Honestly, I think they have to have one of the three I listed in the other conference and throw one of the fodder teams over into this one.