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Big Ten considering 8-game conference schedule and dropping divisions

Conference is already too big.

should have been left at 10 and you play everybody.

for teams in the west, your “success” is largely based on how many of these teams you avoid: Michigan Michigan St. Penn Stste Ohio State.

money already ruined a lot.

now some want 4 divisions ? Gee, let’s avoid playing anybody good and pretend making it to a 4 team conference playoff is an accomplishment.

lets say one division is illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa. Christ North Dakota State could win that some years.

talk about soiling the name Big Ten.
 
5:30am obsessed with Iowa clown fan is now on his 8th id in the last 3 days. Today’s first ID is SickKidsNeed_A_Wave.

Thanks for proving another of my points, clown fans are so obsessed with big bro Iowa there is nothing they won’t do.

Somewhere CyTwit is applauding your effort to carry the flag for clown fans everywhere.

We want more. We want more. We want more. Clown fan will show who the boss is.
 
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5:30am obsessed with Iowa clown fan is now on his 8th id in the last 3 days. Today’s first ID is SickKidsNeed_A_Wave.

Thanks for proving another of my points, clown fans are so obsessed with big bro Iowa there is nothing they won’t do.

Somewhere CyTwit is applauding your effort to carry the flag for clown fans everywhere.

We want more. We want more. We want more. Clown fan will show who the boss is.
So tell us SickKidsNeed_A_Wave, how many times have you been banned this week?

That will show us who the boss is.
 
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Iowa is my team
Then why vote for no divisions? The divisions give Iowa a better shot at the CCG, and you have to BE in THE GAME to win the conference! At some point we'll win one, but without it we're stuck hoping we have a better regular season record then OSU, or we get 2002 all over again. Go 8-0 and everyone still acts like we didn't win shit because we didn't play OSU.
 
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Then why vote for no divisions? The divisions give Iowa a better shot at the CCG, and you have to BE in THE GAME to win the conference! At some point we'll win one, but without it we're stuck hoping we have a better regular season record then OSU, or we get 2002 all over again. Go 8-0 and everyone still acts like we didn't win shit because we didn't play OSU.
Id rather play the big boys every other year than have an easy route to a loss in Indy every 6 years. Keep the CCG using the B12 method and you won't have a repeat of 2002
 
I think it has been floated to have 3 protected games for each B1G.
MI would play MSU OSU plus TBD
Iowa would play WI MN and UNL (or NW)

That would let Iowa play 5 other B1G home and away and then the other 5 home and away over a 4 year stretch.

Each B1G would play in every stadium in a player's (hypothetical) 4 year career.

As it is now I do not think any current player has ever played OSU and the last time we played at the Horseshoe was 2013.
 
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Then why vote for no divisions? The divisions give Iowa a better shot at the CCG, and you have to BE in THE GAME to win the conference! At some point we'll win one, but without it we're stuck hoping we have a better regular season record then OSU, or we get 2002 all over again. Go 8-0 and everyone still acts like we didn't win shit because we didn't play OSU.
I will never root for Iowa to have an "easier path" to the conference championship over having a respectable B1G schedule.

The B1G's top football schools that are now in the B1G East are MI, MSU, OSU, PSU. Of Iowa's best years in the KF era, only 2015 involved only playing only one of those teams. All of the other 10+ win seasons involved games against at least 2, sometimes 3 or all 4:

2002 - MI, MSU, PSU
2003 - MI, MSU, PSU, OSU
2004 - MI, MSU, PSU, OSU
2009 - MI, MSU, PSU, OSU
2015 - MSU
2019 - MI, PSU
2021 - MI, PSU

Although those last 3 seasons were certainly exciting, I much prefer the schedules played in those first 4, and as a result, those first 4 were true conference champion competitors compared to the last 3.

On the flip side of the coin, Iowa has had some pretty easy schedules and still turned out lousy records or extremely disappointing seasons (2005, 2006, 2007 & 2016 only involved 2 of the marquee opponents, and 2014 involved ZERO).

So, my point is that when Iowa is good and worthy of competing for the B1G championship, they are good enough to beat multiple really good teams. Rarely does the schedule itself indicate how good the season is going to be, so we might as well play the teams I'd like to see them play a lot more than they have in the division era. Anyone who is happy about Iowa's B1G lineup currently slated for 2024 (crossovers with Rutgers/Maryland/Indiana) needs to start rooting for a G-5 program.
 
Going to too many team in the conference made this a very difficult decision whether to go back to one conference and do divisions. You will have some pretty big disparities in SOS and the tie breaking process could be real interesting as well. Playing only 8 BT games as one conference just falls way short to me. If we were still at 10 teams I am in! You could win 8 games, be crowned champion and will not have played 5 teams. Without divisions thats a potential huge gap every year.
 
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Do not want divisions eliminated or 8 game conference slate.
Reduces Iowa's chances to win league and 8 game slate makes schedule s even more unbalanced and unfair.
I like playing league schools more often,not less.
Trial balloon falls flat.
We haven't played OSU for 4 years. Scheduling right now is all jacked up anyways
 
Michigan lost how many in a row to OSU?
Put OSU in the West and the West dominates.
Iowa and Purdue have beaten OSU as many times as anyone in the East.
The West has matched up vs the East the last 5 years.
Just cannot beat OSU, like everyone else in the league.
Michigan? They had a losing record and ducked Iowa in 2020.
One year wonder.
Yeah and Iowa "ducked" OSU in 2020 when they redid the schedule and Mich was just an add on game in the chaos of covid so not sure if I'd call it ducking. I bet Kirk is just fine getting OSU only 2x in a decade. No way he and Gary will approve of getting rid of their btwest sanctuary most years
 
I want Iowa to play the big boys annually even if it lowers the chances of a championship. That makes the championships that much better when we do get one. Dump the divisions
Thats still the problem though. If we go to an 8 game schedule, we'll play one LESS conference game every year. We have no better of a chance of playing "the big boys " with that schedule. And lets be honest here and sweep away all the BS okay. There's only ONE "big boy" in the east as well, and thats OSU, period. On a yearly basis Iowa is right there with Michigan, MSU and PSU. Just look at the records the last ten to 15 times we've played each. This whole "the east is so much better" is a mirage backed up by OSU winning every year. Yes Michigan won this year for the first time in 10 years. Watch OSU destroy them next season. Frankly we have a better shot of playing another really good important conference game IF we play in the CCG.......
 
Thats still the problem though. If we go to an 8 game schedule, we'll play one LESS conference game every year. We have no better of a chance of playing "the big boys " with that schedule. And lets be honest here and sweep away all the BS okay. There's only ONE "big boy" in the east as well, and thats OSU, period. On a yearly basis Iowa is right there with Michigan, MSU and PSU. Just look at the records the last ten to 15 times we've played each. This whole "the east is so much better" is a mirage backed up by OSU winning every year. Yes Michigan won this year for the first time in 10 years. Watch OSU destroy them next season. Frankly we have a better shot of playing another really good important conference game IF we play in the CCG.......
The proposal is play three teams every year and rotate the other 10 with the final 5 spots. At the minimum we would play in columbus every four years instead of 10+ with the current schedule. I would much rather watch iowa play in columbus than west lafayette
 
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Thats still the problem though. If we go to an 8 game schedule, we'll play one LESS conference game every year. We have no better of a chance of playing "the big boys " with that schedule. And lets be honest here and sweep away all the BS okay. There's only ONE "big boy" in the east as well, and thats OSU, period. On a yearly basis Iowa is right there with Michigan, MSU and PSU. Just look at the records the last ten to 15 times we've played each. This whole "the east is so much better" is a mirage backed up by OSU winning every year. Yes Michigan won this year for the first time in 10 years. Watch OSU destroy them next season. Frankly we have a better shot of playing another really good important conference game IF we play in the CCG.......
Going to 8 conference because iowa will play a pac12/acc team every year in non conference. I want to watch iowa play good exciting teams even if it means they go 7-5
 
The proposal is play three teams every year and rotate the other 10 with the final 5 spots. At the minimum we would play in columbus every four years instead of 10+ with the current schedule. I would much rather watch iowa play in columbus than west lafayette
Of course. We lose more to Purdue then anybody.... :oops:
 
Nice piece from Dochterman.

Dropping divisions would be good. I'd prefer more conference games, but the one upside to 8 games would be another OOC spot for a P5 other than ISU.


The future College Football Playoff format could have a major impact on whether the Big Ten eliminates divisions or changes the number of its annual conference games, Iowa athletics director Gary Barta told The Athletic.



The Big Ten currently has East and West divisions and plays a nine-game conference schedule that includes three cross-divisional games. Big Ten administrators have discussed dropping to eight games beginning in 2023 so it can create matchups with teams from the Pac-12 and ACC conferences, with which the trio has a working arrangement called The Alliance.



There also are serious discussions about the Big Ten ending divisional play with schools playing three opponents annually and cycling through the other 10 teams either every other year or two years on, two years off.



"We've had several conversations," Barta said. "One of the things that we're watching is whether it's related to The Alliance, which we're talking through and/or, what gives us the best opportunity to have the most success in the College Football Playoff format?



"We’re wondering if we're going to know what the format is before we have to make that decision. So, we're kind of waiting to see where that lands. But we have had active conversations about the schedule beyond 2022."



The Big Ten released a revised schedule for 2022 earlier in January, accommodating six location switches and balancing and dispersing its marquee matchups throughout the season.
Then eliminate the conference championship game.
 
Obviously this view is being put forth by the folks on the East side of the conference. However, that said ... I'm sure that folks on the West side of the conference don't want to be associated with any weakness either.

In fact, if you actually go by play on the field ... the disparity between the east and west side of the conference relates more to recruiting that actual product on the field.

Look at Ohio State ... they trailed Minnesota in the 3rd quarter ... and, even through much of the 4th quarter Minnesota was in a 1-score game against the perceived conference elite!

Even against lowly Nebraska ... Ohio State was embroiled in a 1-score affair through most of the game!

Most years Wisconsin can stand toe-to-toe against the best of the East. Prior to the emergence of Braelon Allen ... Wisconsin's O was floundering. Even still ... Wisconsin was playing Michigan close until turnovers blew the game open.

Michigan State got one of its few losses from a foe from the West division ... and it was really close to being 2 losses (with the second loss being at the hands of lowly Nebraska).

Freaking Penn State lost to Illinois. Does much else need to be said there? It took an implosion on O for Wisconsin to lost to Penn State in the opener ... they were THAT close to losing EACH game to their West division cross-overs!

The top 4 of the East and the top 4 of the West stack up a lot more closely than any person could objectively counter - at least if you go off of play on the field.

This year ... the worst in the West was Northwestern ... a program that is usually near the top.

Frankly I don't care how things shake out ... however, it irks me to no end when people spew empty-headed hyperbole about the perceived weakness of the B1G West.
 
I'm not against cross-conference games with the ACC or PAC-12, but could that hurt us? Does that make it even easier for SEC teams to get to the National Championship game? Think about it, while teams in the SEC, like Alabama who played Mercer and New Mexico State or Georgia who played UAB and Charleston for the non-conference games, Iowa could back at Kinnick playing Clemson or Oregon..
 
I'm not against cross-conference games with the ACC or PAC-12, but could that hurt us? Does that make it even easier for SEC teams to get to the National Championship game? Think about it, while teams in the SEC, like Alabama who played Mercer and New Mexico State or Georgia who played UAB and Charleston for the non-conference games, Iowa could back at Kinnick playing Clemson or Oregon..
Meh we shouldn't schedule based on the secfp
 
I'm not against cross-conference games with the ACC or PAC-12, but could that hurt us? Does that make it even easier for SEC teams to get to the National Championship game? Think about it, while teams in the SEC, like Alabama who played Mercer and New Mexico State or Georgia who played UAB and Charleston for the non-conference games, Iowa could back at Kinnick playing Clemson or Oregon..
Playing oregon or clemson in kinnick sounds awesome. I would take that every year.
 
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I'm not against cross-conference games with the ACC or PAC-12, but could that hurt us? Does that make it even easier for SEC teams to get to the National Championship game? Think about it, while teams in the SEC, like Alabama who played Mercer and New Mexico State or Georgia who played UAB and Charleston for the non-conference games, Iowa could back at Kinnick playing Clemson or Oregon..
Hurt us for what?

Sorry, but I dont want to go see Charlotte or Mercer or New Mexico State play in Kinnick.I do want to see Oregon or Clemson or Florida State though.

Maybe it's just me, but I hate the fact we have played Ohio State only 4 times in the past 13 years.
 
The Alliance is a loose affiliation at best. Don't bet on Iowa playing one P12/one ACC any time soon.

Iowa is going to continue playing ISU every year. It is a financial home run. If the B10 drops to 8 conference games, I think Iowa's new schedule opening will focus on P12/ACC. Look for Pitt/BC/Ariz/AzSU/WVU on future schedules, not Oregon or Clemson.
 
The Alliance is a loose affiliation at best. Don't bet on Iowa playing one P12/one ACC any time soon.

Iowa is going to continue playing ISU every year. It is a financial home run. If the B10 drops to 8 conference games, I think Iowa's new schedule opening will focus on P12/ACC. Look for Pitt/BC/Ariz/AzSU/WVU on future schedules, not Oregon or Clemson.
West Virginia?

I think there is a better chance of Oregon or Clemson.
 
Iowa is going to continue playing ISU every year.
This is a possibility that would assist in minimizing the mathematical inequities of the available matchups between the conferences. Iowa could possibly play only one of ACC/Pac-12 on a rotating basis.

The PAC-12 have fewer teams and they have multiple teams with yearly ND games.

The ACC also has multiple ND games and SEC rivalry games.
 
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