Big Ten Discussing Removing Divisions

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We can't continually manipulate the divisions to get the desired championship game. What if Nebraska rediscovers it's dominance? Do we move it around again if they are in OSU's division and we want them in championship game?
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Depending on schedule still may not get “best” teams. Best records doesn’t really count, as we’ve seen.
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I agree. I am just stating how they could do it, not that it would be the best method.
 


What a terrible idea! Absolutely atrocious. In a few years Nebraska will be as good, year to year, as any team in the East - plus Ohio State has a new coach and may not be at the same level. Penn State's coach could move on - you never know what may happen vis-a-vis the relative strength of the two divisions. Purdue is coming up, Minnesota may, also, etc.
 

I'm against anything that makes Michigan feel better about being 2nd tier and not making it to CG.

Divisions keep things interesting for the whole season.
 


Why not just give every team a participation ribbon and call it a successful season. Is Delaney some kind of "helicopter" commissioner or something? Let's not lose integrity in trying to game our system to try to influence the playoff system. Sports is about competition. Part of what fans truly love is the chance for upsets. I'd much rather see OSU have to play a perfect season to win it all than F up the way the conference is managed just to try to ease their path to the national title game.
 

goldenboy said:
Why not just give every team a participation ribbon and call it a successful season. Is Delaney some kind of "helicopter" commissioner or something? Let's not lose integrity in trying to game our system to try to influence the playoff system. Sports is about competition. Part of what fans truly love is the chance for upsets. I'd much rather see OSU have to play a perfect season to win it all than F up the way the conference is managed just to try to ease their path to the national title game.
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They do, but it's in College Basketball.
 

If you look at the history of the game going it, by ranking the game has been clise until this year with the west having the better ranking 3 out of the last 5 years. They just haven't won with a couple games being close.
 

Otis said:
East:
Ohio State
Penn State
Michigan
Michigan State
Rutgers
Maryland
Indiana

West:
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Iowa
Nebraska
Illinois
Northwestern
Purdue

How could you possibly divide the conference any better. This cuts down on travel costs considerably and provides for the main rivalries as best able. The problem is that OSU, PSU and Michigan will never be as insignificant as the Gophers have been for the past 45+ years.

Don't tell me Michigan-Minnesota is a rivalry. We are a long way from getting that jug back.
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The thing is, playing regional rivals doesn't have to change. The U would probably still play IA, wi, NE, and perhaps NW and IL every year. Then rotate 4 other teams yearly. Eliminating divisions does not necessarily change that.
 



Get rid of the divisions, have teams play 9 conf. games by rotating teams with 1 rival being played each year. The tOSU vs scUM game would be the rivalry game for those two schools and it would be played on Conf. Champ weekend as the Pseudo BIG title game. Those two can have a bye week the week before to build up even more hype for them and we can return the BIG back into the big 2 little 12 (instead of 8) like days gone by for those two elite programs. :p
 


The Pod type scheduling would work well if the conference expanded to 16. Play the 3 Pod/rival teams every year, then alternate every other year with the other 12 teams. That way you never go more than a year without playing someone.
 

Removing divisions would be terrible. This is obviously based on the desire for Big Ten representation in the CFB Playoff. The obvious solution is that the Playoff should have 8 teams, not 4. Keep the West-East divisions. Variety in the Championship is far better than a Mich-OSU contest a week after they just played.
 



They want to (potentially) solve one problem by creating fifteen new ones. Do not let better be the enemy of good.
 

14 schools, 12 game season, why not scrap Non-Conf games and just play a round-robin (minus one school, rotating) and let the first place team be the champ as traditionally done? No need for a playoff game. Playoffs are meant for teams not traditionally playing each other, such as best in the West vs best in the East. One game, who's really the best in the country? Playoffs are too gimmicky now. I still say, take the five P5 Champs, plus the 3 best remaining other Conf Champs (and Ind considered), and have an 8 team Nat'l bracket. But noooo.... cause $$$$$. This is why sports are dropping in attendance: $$$ >> sport.
 

magpie said:
14 schools, 12 game season, why not scrap Non-Conf games and just play a round-robin (minus one school, rotating) and let the first place team be the champ as traditionally done? No need for a playoff game. Playoffs are meant for teams not traditionally playing each other, such as best in the West vs best in the East. One game, who's really the best in the country? Playoffs are too gimmicky now. I still say, take the five P5 Champs, plus the 3 best remaining other Conf Champs (and Ind considered), and have an 8 team Nat'l bracket. But noooo.... cause $$$$$. This is why sports are dropping in attendance: $$$ >> sport.
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If they go this route (8 team playoff), this is the way to do it. Scrap non-conference and P5 conference champ gets an autobid.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
If they go this route (8 team playoff), this is the way to do it. Scrap non-conference and P5 conference champ gets an autobid.
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If P5 champs don’t get an auto bid though it would be absolutely stupid to do this
 

P5 autobids can be done with a 6 team playoff. And none of the conferences are going to voluntarily give up the money generated by their conference championship games. Unless the expanded playoff throws each P5 an extra $50M (or whatever the right number is), on top of everything else (including whatever bump is expected for going from 4 to 6), it won't even be on the table.
 

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