Purdue and Indiana and nine team schedule question

[Mick Turition]

Has it been finalized that the Big 10 is going to a nine team conference schedule in 2015?

Do Purdue and Indiana get to keep their rivalry game with or without a nine game schedule?

Great deal for Purdue as they get twice as long to rotate through the opposite division, playing teams like OSU and Michigan half as often as the Gophers will play those same teams. Add to that the Gophers would only play Indiana half as often as they play teams like OSU and Michigan. Purdue looks like they get a huge leg up on the Big 10 Bowl Game heirarchy. Works the same way for Indiana. Playing Purdue every year means playing teams like Nebraska and Wisconsin half as often as the rest of the East will play them. Plus teams like Rutgers and Maryland will only play Purdue half as often as they will go up against the rest of the West. Again a big leg up on the bowl game heirarchy.

Will it be more decade from now before the Gophers go back to play at Indiana?

Makes me think the Gophers need to start a must-have rivalry game with the hated Terrapins!

 

[gopherguy05]

I am pretty sure Purdue and Indiana do get to keep this rivalry when we go to 9 games. However, don't forget that starting in 2015/16 the similar records based scheduling will begin, so that bottom teams will more often play bottom teams, and upper teams more often will play upper teams from the other division and so on...there there will be a decent amount of irregularity in the schedule strength from top to bottom in the Big 10.

 

[highwayman]

Purdue and Indiana will be the only set crossover rivalry game.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

Let's hope Indiana's rise ends soon and Purdue keeps trending downward.