BleedGopher
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per J.P.:
There was a time not so long ago — less than a year ago, actually — when college football media and fans pondered whether or not another Big Ten divisional realignment was needed. Since moving away from the "Legends" and "Leaders" divisions back in 2013 to the more geographically-pleasing setup the conference has now, the Big Ten East champion has rattled off six straight conference titles. Ohio State has four titles, with Penn State and Michigan State winning one apiece.
Things have slowly been evolving on both sides of the conference in recent years. The East has grown increasingly top-heavy, with Ohio State, Penn State and either Michigan or Michigan State all battling it out in the top three of the standings. Indiana has fielded some competitive teams, while Rutgers and Maryland routinely hang out in the division's basement.
In the West, Wisconsin is king, but there have been some heated four-way battles for the division title in recent years — including 2018 — when Northwestern won the West. Iowa has had consistent success, and last season, the Minnesota Golden Gophers were knocking on the door of a Big Ten Championship Game appearance.
Heading into 2020, one can easily make the argument the Big Ten West — for the first time since the East-West realignment — is the better division from top to bottom.
Ohio State is a perennial top-five program, and it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon. After the Buckeyes, however, things appear to get very competitive between the two divisions.
Penn State has climbed its way back to national relevance, but Wisconsin has been right there for the better part of a decade. Michigan has a blue-blood name, but its on-field performance and projected finish by most experts in 2020 is anything but. Meanwhile in the West, Kirk Ferentz has built one of the more consistent winners in Power 5 football at Iowa, and his 2020 team looks to have an offense unlike anything we've seen from the Hawkeyes in a very long time.
Michigan State — after a nice run as a top-10 program that included a College Football Playoff berth — has hit a few bumps in the road as of late. The departure of Mark Dantonio is far and away the biggest bump of them all, and the program is trending downward by most accounts. Over in the West, P.J. Fleck appears to have something big brewing in the Twin Cities. His Gophers won 11 games in 2019, including some program-defining triumphs over Penn State and Auburn. There are no signs of the Minnesota program falling off under Fleck's guidance anytime soon.
athlonsports.com
Go Gophers!!
There was a time not so long ago — less than a year ago, actually — when college football media and fans pondered whether or not another Big Ten divisional realignment was needed. Since moving away from the "Legends" and "Leaders" divisions back in 2013 to the more geographically-pleasing setup the conference has now, the Big Ten East champion has rattled off six straight conference titles. Ohio State has four titles, with Penn State and Michigan State winning one apiece.
Things have slowly been evolving on both sides of the conference in recent years. The East has grown increasingly top-heavy, with Ohio State, Penn State and either Michigan or Michigan State all battling it out in the top three of the standings. Indiana has fielded some competitive teams, while Rutgers and Maryland routinely hang out in the division's basement.
In the West, Wisconsin is king, but there have been some heated four-way battles for the division title in recent years — including 2018 — when Northwestern won the West. Iowa has had consistent success, and last season, the Minnesota Golden Gophers were knocking on the door of a Big Ten Championship Game appearance.
Heading into 2020, one can easily make the argument the Big Ten West — for the first time since the East-West realignment — is the better division from top to bottom.
Ohio State is a perennial top-five program, and it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon. After the Buckeyes, however, things appear to get very competitive between the two divisions.
Penn State has climbed its way back to national relevance, but Wisconsin has been right there for the better part of a decade. Michigan has a blue-blood name, but its on-field performance and projected finish by most experts in 2020 is anything but. Meanwhile in the West, Kirk Ferentz has built one of the more consistent winners in Power 5 football at Iowa, and his 2020 team looks to have an offense unlike anything we've seen from the Hawkeyes in a very long time.
Michigan State — after a nice run as a top-10 program that included a College Football Playoff berth — has hit a few bumps in the road as of late. The departure of Mark Dantonio is far and away the biggest bump of them all, and the program is trending downward by most accounts. Over in the West, P.J. Fleck appears to have something big brewing in the Twin Cities. His Gophers won 11 games in 2019, including some program-defining triumphs over Penn State and Auburn. There are no signs of the Minnesota program falling off under Fleck's guidance anytime soon.
Big Ten Football: Has the West Division Finally Caught Up with the East?
There was a time not so long ago — less than a year ago, actually — when college football media and fans pondered whether or not another Big Ten divisional
athlonsports.com
Go Gophers!!
