Alvarez says MN and UW in same division

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If so, who will get the protected rivalry with Iowa? Wisconsin sportwriters say Wisc, but I would say MN, since OSU gets MI. Then again, maybe we're all reading the tea leaves incorrectly.

Link
 

I would be very surprised if we don't get the protected rivalry with Iowa, and I imagine that Iowa's administration will push to keep their rivalry with us as well.

Go Gophers!!
 

Speculation is making me care less and less. Until I see it finalized, I could care less. Minnesota has no say in the matter cause we have no pull in the Big 10. I just roll with the punches that TOSU and Michigan errrr...the Big 10 throw at us.
 

Alvarez did not say UM and UW were in the ame division. The author said it "seems certain," which is still pure speculation.

Why is Alvarez giving this info away anyway? Something seems weird about that.
 

If MN/WI are indeed together it would seem that Iowa would be split off. If that is the case I can definitely see a Big Ten North/South alignment.

North
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Northwestern
Penn State
Wisconsin

South
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Nebraska
Ohio State
Purdue
 


The North/South division makes more sense than some of the splits I have seen.

I agree with a previous poster who said the names should; Michigan division and Ohio State division. I would prefer the NAGURSKI division and the GRANGE division, but it would probably end up being the BO division and the WOODY division.
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
Alvarez did not say UM and UW were in the ame division. The author said it "seems certain," which is still pure speculation.

Why is Alvarez giving this info away anyway? Something seems weird about that.
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Alvarez, other ADs, and Delaney are all leaking small bits of the plan to the press to gauge public reaction. If there is any point that causes lynch mobs and riots, then they'll change it.

Why does Maturi still seem to know nothing? You got me...
 

drunkenMNgopher said:
Speculation is making me care less and less. Until I see it finalized, I could care less. Minnesota has no say in the matter cause we have no pull in the Big 10. I just roll with the punches that TOSU and Michigan errrr...the Big 10 throw at us.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:

Obviously you have no idea how the Big Ten has functioned throughout its history. It is perhaps the most equitable conference in terms of how it operates. Each team has an equal vote and the tendency in the past has been for everyone to make the decision that's best for the conference as a whole.
 

station19 said:
The North/South division makes more sense than some of the splits I have seen.

I agree with a previous poster who said the names should; Michigan division and Ohio State division. I would prefer the NAGURSKI division and the GRANGE division, but it would probably end up being the BO division and the WOODY division.
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I just don't see the rest of the conference agreeing to names that solidify the Big 2/Little 10 stereotype. Also, I don't see the conference branding themselves that way. It'd be stupid. The only thing you'd know about each division is whether OSU or Michigan are in it.
 



GoAUpher said:
I just don't see the rest of the conference agreeing to names that solidify the Big 2/Little 10 stereotype. Also, I don't see the conference branding themselves that way. It'd be stupid. The only thing you'd know about each division is whether OSU or Michigan are in it.
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;)
 







MrGopher said:
Rittenberg says:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/14936/division-dominoes-wisconsin-iowa-to-split

He predicts divisions will be...

Division 1
Michigan Michigan State Iowa Nebraska Illinois Northwestern
Division 2
Ohio State Penn State Wisconsin Minnesota Purdue Indiana

Oh hell no!! That is nearly the worst of all possible alignments for the Gophers!
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That's an awful division for us. Basically we're stuck with four teams with whom we have absolutely no rivalry. They are making a huge mistake.
 

MrGopher said:
Rittenberg says:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/14936/division-dominoes-wisconsin-iowa-to-split

He predicts divisions will be...

Division 1
Michigan Michigan State Iowa Nebraska Illinois Northwestern
Division 2
Ohio State Penn State Wisconsin Minnesota Purdue Indiana

Oh hell no!! That is nearly the worst of all possible alignments for the Gophers!
Click to expand...

I agree, in that scenario I think program expectations would have to be adjusted a bit. Being bowl eligible would be an achievement.
 

That alignment assumes Michigan is as good as Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. Michigan may return to that level again but by the time they do, the Big 10 will probably expand again and will again be looking at a different division alignment. Meanwhile, the Gophers get screwed. Iowa would be in pig heaven with this alignment.
 

I hate that alignment. Other than Wisconsin it's like placing us with teams that are the farthest away from us in a group. East/West makes sense....this does not.
 

I truly think that i prefer to have every other team in our division over PSU, OSU, Purdue, and Indiana. Those are the bottom four big ten teams I care about. Sorry, MNBoiler; of those 4, i would most like to have Purdue, if that comforts you. :)
 

Per Rittenberg's scenario, he thinks the cross-over to be preserved is WI and IA. This means IA would not preserve the rivalry with MN. And, IA fans for the last 10 years have wanted to play PSU every year. They would rather have PSU-IA as their protected cross-over. If this played out, IA-WI protected, who would MN have a protected rivalry with? Michigan, or no one?
 

MrGopher said:
Rittenberg says:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/14936/division-dominoes-wisconsin-iowa-to-split

He predicts divisions will be...

Division 1
Michigan Michigan State Iowa Nebraska Illinois Northwestern
Division 2
Ohio State Penn State Wisconsin Minnesota Purdue Indiana

Oh hell no!! That is nearly the worst of all possible alignments for the Gophers!
Click to expand...

Someone please post Maturi's email. It's time to weigh in. If Minnesota is in a division with OSU and PSU this will be a disaster. We've played Nebraska more than OSU and PSU and the whole state of Indiana bores me.
 

Flip Minnesota with Illinois, preserve Ill-NU and Minny-Becky. Then at least we're paired with Nebraska, Iowa, and Michigan, three teams we have some sort of rivalry with and and then NU is closer, plus Michigan State. Illinois then has OSU in their division still, plus Indiana schools which are closer to them. Does that make sense?
 

gopherfield said:
Per Rittenberg's scenario, he thinks the cross-over to be preserved is WI and IA. This means IA would not preserve the rivalry with MN. And, IA fans for the last 10 years have wanted to play PSU every year. They would rather have PSU-IA as their protected cross-over. If this played out, IA-WI protected, who would MN have a protected rivalry with? Michigan, or no one?
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Michigan would be with Ohio State.

If Iowa & Wisconsin are together, you're looking at either Nebraska or Michigan State (possibly Northwestern, but probably not). Signs point to Michigan State, because knowing that they're doing this alignment this way in the first place, they'd want to have Penn State-Nebraska as a meal ticket while us & Michigan State mix the Wyler's in case they get thirsty.

Looks like we're not only losing Iowa & won't play Nebraska every year, but get to go through Ohio State & Penn State. Please jam a fork into the side of my head, if there isn't one there already after another play-by-play call by the "Award Winning Dave Lee."
 

Rittenberg's suggestion is the worst scenario for the Gophs. Time to write a note.
 

gopherfield said:
Per Rittenberg's scenario, he thinks the cross-over to be preserved is WI and IA. This means IA would not preserve the rivalry with MN. And, IA fans for the last 10 years have wanted to play PSU every year. They would rather have PSU-IA as their protected cross-over. If this played out, IA-WI protected, who would MN have a protected rivalry with? Michigan, or no one?
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My suspicion, should something this BS come to pass, is that they Iowa rivalry would be resumed as a 2nd protected game once they go to a 9 game conference schedule.
 

I think this will be it

Division #1 Division #2
Michigan Ohio State
Nebraska Penn State
Minnesota Wisconsin
Iowa Illinois
Mich St. Northwestern
Purdue Indiana

Protected rivals are across from eachother and last game of the season will be rotated within division.
 

Under Rittenberg's scenario, assuming Iowa-Wisconsin protected along with Michigan-Ohio State, wouldn't the other ones be:

Michigan State-Penn State (Land Grant Trophy sort of a rivalry)
Minnesota-Nebraska (they've played a lot in the past)
Illinois-Purdue (not really a rivalry)
Indiana-Northwestern (ditto)

However they do this, it's going to be difficult (if not impossible) to have the protected cross-overs all be true or even partial rivalries.
 

Guys, I'm not gonna fret over this anymore.....

I'm operating under the assumption that we're gonna get screwed, and that the
most logical East-West split will NOT occur.
 

I think the western schools ought to hold the line, and vote NO on anything but an east-west split. If that means no divisions for 2012, then so be it. The schools do get an equal vote, it's just a matter of whether they have the balls to use it. Or would Michigan and OSU threaten to leave the conference?
 

SelectionSunday said:
Under Rittenberg's scenario, assuming Iowa-Wisconsin protected along with Michigan-Ohio State, wouldn't the other ones be:

Michigan State-Penn State (Land Grant Trophy sort of a rivalry)
Minnesota-Nebraska (they've played a lot in the past)
Illinois-Purdue (not really a rivalry)
Indiana-Northwestern (ditto)

However they do this, it's going to difficult (if not impossible) to have the protected cross-overs all be true or even partial rivalries.
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I'd say PSU gets Nebraska and MSU gets the Gophers. PSU and MSU don't really care about the Land Grant Trophy and the Neb/PSU matchup is TV gold.
 

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