Divisions - is the BIG missing an opportunity?

[ShonnDeereGreene]

Does eliminating divisions reduce interest earlier in the season? For all intents and purposes, the Iowa season has ended - at least in terms of playing for anything meaningful beyond a mediocre bowl game. And same can be said for a lot of teams now. So it got me thinking, has the BIG unintentionally lessened interest and intrigue as the season goes on by eliminating divisions?

Not saying the BIG should have kept the prior divisions given the west was so underwhelming. But for argument sake, what if the BIG would have created a new west division by adding the PAC teams with the western most legacy BIG teams.

Iowa (for example) would still be looking up at Oregon and not likely to catch them, but Iowa would also be playing Oregon in that scenario with chance to make up one game and hopes that Oregon drops another.

Given that most teams will not play a common schedule, it’s hard to argue that the top two teams are necessarily the best two teams anyway. Every major sport has divisions because it breads intrigue and ratings (and competitive balance) all year long. That, along with some form of salary cap are two things the BIG needs to in some fashion implement imo to keep growing the product.

What say you?

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

Elimination of divisions happening at the same time as expanded CFP is not a coincidence. And the top 2 teams in the B1G meeting in the championship game is a heck of a lot more likely now than it’s been the previous 10 seasons.

 

[spiderland]

Hmmmm. Fewer folks in Iowa City, Minneapolis, Evanston, and West Lafayette with October dreams of a punt fest at Lucas Oil in December. Good odds at having the best B1G Championship Game in years. Sounds like a win-win in my book.

 

[HawksRule73]

I’ve said this numerous times, but I still think the B1G should add 2 more teams and then split into 4 five-team divisions. Each team would play every team in their division and all the teams from one other division. That gives you 9 conference games. Each year, swap out a division with a different one so every team would play every other team once every 3 years. Then, make a mini playoff among the 4 division winners….a semi final and a final. The amount of interest would stay high and the amount of money the B1G would make for its 3 championship games (2 semi final games and a final) would be off the charts. Imagine divisions that looked like:

West
Oregon
Washington
USC
UCLA
Nebraska

Midwest
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Notre Dame

Plains
OSU
Michigan
Michigan St
Northwestern
Purdue

East
Penn State
Miami
Rutgers
Maryland
Indiana

That’d be fun!

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Overall, you wonder what the interest level is going to be from this point forward in relation to past years in college football as a whole. We are halfway through the regular season and there are only about 30 teams max that have anything to play for and those are the ones in the mathematical category. The real number is around 20 for those 12 spots. And bowl games don't count, they are a joke. A team like Iowa is a perfect example because there is absolutely nothing they can do at this point. They could magically turn it around and truck everyone on their schedule by 60 the rest of the way and they wouldn't get a sniff at the playoff, and honestly, nobody would care. I predict a whole lot of empty seats in lots of places, not just Iowa, and a lot of people doing something else with their Saturdays. This is akin to playing the NCAA basketball tournament in the middle of the season and then the losers have to still play out the rest of their games.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

I’ve said this numerous times, but I still think the B1G should add 2 more teams and then split into 4 five-team divisions. Each team would play every team in their division and all the teams from one other division. That gives you 9 conference games. Each year, swap out a division with a different one so every team would play every other team once every 3 years. Then, make a mini playoff among the 4 division winners….a semi final and a final. The amount of interest would stay high and the amount of money the B1G would make for its 3 championship games (2 semi final games and a final) would be off the charts. Imagine divisions that looked like:

West
Oregon
Washington
USC
UCLA
Nebraska

Midwest
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Notre Dame

Plains
OSU
Michigan
Michigan St
Northwestern
Purdue

East
Penn State
Miami
Rutgers
Maryland
Indiana

That’d be fun!

That is a cool idea and much much better than what we have now.

 

[Dr. Phil Seuss]

Plains
OSU
Michigan
Michigan St
Northwestern
Purdue

That’d be fun!

Just when you thought legends and leaders made no sense.

 

[HawksRule73]

Just when you thought legends and leaders made no sense.

Fine, call it the Rust Belt division. I couldn’t think up a different one on short notice! 😃

 

[amahawk]

The B1G west would be competitive with Oregon in it.

 

[CeMar_Clone]

Does eliminating divisions reduce interest earlier in the season? For all intents and purposes, the Iowa season has ended - at least in terms of playing for anything meaningful beyond a mediocre bowl game. And same can be said for a lot of teams now. So it got me thinking, has the BIG unintentionally lessened interest and intrigue as the season goes on by eliminating divisions?

Not saying the BIG should have kept the prior divisions given the west was so underwhelming. But for argument sake, what if the BIG would have created a new west division by adding the PAC teams with the western most legacy BIG teams.

Iowa (for example) would still be looking up at Oregon and not likely to catch them, but Iowa would also be playing Oregon in that scenario with chance to make up one game and hopes that Oregon drops another.

Given that most teams will not play a common schedule, it’s hard to argue that the top two teams are necessarily the best two teams anyway. Every major sport has divisions because it breads intrigue and ratings (and competitive balance) all year long. That, along with some form of salary cap are two things the BIG needs to in some fashion implement imo to keep growing the product.

What say you?

The Big 10 mega conference has made a situation where teams like Iowa are probably never going to make the Big 10 championship. When there were divisions, there was plenty of chance in the Big 10 west for a less than blue blood team to make the conference championship. But with the new Big 10, not likely to happen anymore. I will predict that the next 10 championships in the Big 10, which is 2o teams total, will have almost every single team selected coming from a very limited pool of teams: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Oregon. In fact , I would bet that at least 17 of these selected teams will come from this pool, potentially all 20 teams that get selected. It will take almost perfection to pass these teams up and make it to the championship. We won't know for 10 years, but I think your all going to get tired of seeing these same big programs dominating your championship, while 13 other teams literally have almost no shot at making the championship. That is the problem with these mega leagues.

 

[dtripp26]

I’ve said this numerous times, but I still think the B1G should add 2 more teams and then split into 4 five-team divisions. Each team would play every team in their division and all the teams from one other division. That gives you 9 conference games. Each year, swap out a division with a different one so every team would play every other team once every 3 years. Then, make a mini playoff among the 4 division winners….a semi final and a final. The amount of interest would stay high and the amount of money the B1G would make for its 3 championship games (2 semi final games and a final) would be off the charts. Imagine divisions that looked like:

West
Oregon
Washington
USC
UCLA
Nebraska

Midwest
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Notre Dame

Plains
OSU
Michigan
Michigan St
Northwestern
Purdue

East
Penn State
Miami
Rutgers
Maryland
Indiana

That’d be fun!

No conference is going to set up a format that causes their higher teams to potentially take extra losses.

It's all about getting teams in the playoffs, not having a fun conference championship format.

 

[swagsurfer02]

No conference is going to set up a format that causes their higher teams to potentially take extra losses.

It's all about getting teams in the playoffs, not having a fun conference championship format.

And…..not just to give teams like Iowa, Wisconsin, and Northwestern a shot in the conference championship game. Those days are gone.

 

[HawksRule73]

No conference is going to set up a format that causes their higher teams to potentially take extra losses.

It's all about getting teams in the playoffs, not having a fun conference championship format.

No, it’s about money.

 

[JerseyCityHawki]

Overall, you wonder what the interest level is going to be from this point forward in relation to past years in college football as a whole. We are halfway through the regular season and there are only about 30 teams max that have anything to play for and those are the ones in the mathematical category. The real number is around 20 for those 12 spots. And bowl games don't count, they are a joke. A team like Iowa is a perfect example because there is absolutely nothing they can do at this point. They could magically turn it around and truck everyone on their schedule by 60 the rest of the way and they wouldn't get a sniff at the playoff, and honestly, nobody would care. I predict a whole lot of empty seats in lots of places, not just Iowa, and a lot of people doing something else with their Saturdays. This is akin to playing the NCAA basketball tournament in the middle of the season and then the losers have to still play out the rest of their games.

Very well said- the air slipped out of the balloon when Iowa lost to ISU… no margin for error with this new setup… now the season is boring and have absolutely nothing to play for besides a shit ass game in the Pinstripe Bowl in which is in my backyard I won’t even go to

 

[amahawk]

No conference is going to set up a format that causes their higher teams to potentially take extra losses.

It's all about getting teams in the playoffs, not having a fun conference championship format.

Time to ditch the conference championship games.

 

[dtripp26]

Time to ditch the conference championship games.

Poster above is right. Conf championship games are cash cows! In a 12 team scenario losing a CCG won't hurt too much and the conference gets a guaranteed payday.

The money generated by having multiple teams in the CFP will far surpass CCG. That is the goal of the Big10 and SEC.

 

[TXHCHawk]

The Big 10 mega conference has made a situation where teams like Iowa are probably never going to make the Big 10 championship. When there were divisions, there was plenty of chance in the Big 10 west for a less than blue blood team to make the conference championship. But with the new Big 10, not likely to happen anymore. I will predict that the next 10 championships in the Big 10, which is 2o teams total, will have almost every single team selected coming from a very limited pool of teams: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Oregon. In fact , I would bet that at least 17 of these selected teams will come from this pool, potentially all 20 teams that get selected. It will take almost perfection to pass these teams up and make it to the championship. We won't know for 10 years, but I think your all going to get tired of seeing these same big programs dominating your championship, while 13 other teams literally have almost no shot at making the championship. That is the problem with these mega leagues.

And I would imagine, in the future, the same sentiment with non-P2 teams: on the outside, looking in.

 

[IowaHawk1994]

Does eliminating divisions reduce interest earlier in the season? For all intents and purposes, the Iowa season has ended - at least in terms of playing for anything meaningful beyond a mediocre bowl game. And same can be said for a lot of teams now. So it got me thinking, has the BIG unintentionally lessened interest and intrigue as the season goes on by eliminating divisions?

Not saying the BIG should have kept the prior divisions given the west was so underwhelming. But for argument sake, what if the BIG would have created a new west division by adding the PAC teams with the western most legacy BIG teams.

Iowa (for example) would still be looking up at Oregon and not likely to catch them, but Iowa would also be playing Oregon in that scenario with chance to make up one game and hopes that Oregon drops another.

Given that most teams will not play a common schedule, it’s hard to argue that the top two teams are necessarily the best two teams anyway. Every major sport has divisions because it breads intrigue and ratings (and competitive balance) all year long. That, along with some form of salary cap are two things the BIG needs to in some fashion implement imo to keep growing the product.

What say you?

Those west teams are not going to keep traveling back and forth ike this while east teams go west once. No way this lasts. Look at Washington's schedule or UCLA's, just stupid really.

 

[mrcyfan]

Those west teams are not going to keep traveling back and forth ike this while east teams go west once. No way this lasts. Look at Washington's schedule or UCLA's, just stupid really.

That’s what they signed up for. And had no other choice due to the fact that their conference was crumbling.

 

[Beattheohiostate]

Just when you thought legends and leaders made no sense.

Thanks for your brilliant observation. But I think I missed what name you would use instead? We're waiting, smart guy . . .

 

[squeezebox]

I actually like the 5 team pod idea with a 20 team conference. Leaves the conference with 9 games, and then shifts divisions every year. Not a fan of adding a Florida school though.

 

[Beattheohiostate]

Very well said- the air slipped out of the balloon when Iowa lost to ISU… no margin for error with this new setup… now the season is boring and have absolutely nothing to play for besides a shit ass game in the Pinstripe Bowl in which is in my backyard I won’t even go to

The Pinstripe Bowl is a travesty. If Iowa were selected, they should turn it down--or at least let the players have a secret vote whether they would be willing to play in it or not. You remember the time Iowa did play there . . . Yankee Stadium was an ice rink. It was ridiculous. These outdoor bowl games in the north should be abolished. Anyone concerned about player safety? LOL

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

No conference is going to set up a format that causes their higher teams to potentially take extra losses.

It's all about getting teams in the playoffs, not having a fun conference championship format.

While I like the idea, getting the max number of teams to the playoffs is the singular goal of the New Big Ten.

 

[hexumhawk]

Time to ditch the conference championship games.

This

Add an extra round of the CFB Playoff

 

[onlyTheObvious]

I doubt Ohio St Michigan and Penn St we’re thrilled watching an inferior team from the West get into the title game every year.

I think keeping the final weekend of the big ten schedule open for seeded games the final week would be interesting. Like a semi final.

What’s going to reduce interest eventually is fan bases realizing they have no shot at ever making playoff. Sort of like Indiana, Maryland, and Rutgers when they were in the East. Add to that players opting out of increasingly meaningless bowl games

 

[squeezebox]

I doubt Ohio St Michigan and Penn St we’re thrilled watching an inferior team from the West get into the title game every year.

I think keeping the final weekend of the big ten schedule open for seeded games the final week would be interesting. Like a semi final.

How does this work though for home games? It is all about money after all.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

How does this work though for home games? It is all about money after all.

That’s the rub but TV money might trump that.

 

[squeezebox]

That’s the rub but TV money might trump that.

I totally dig the idea, I just don't see it happening because of that scenario.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

One other thing that needs to happen is that all the P4 conferences need to agree on how many conference games they play. Totally not fair that the SEC and ACC play 8 and the B1G and B12 play 9 because that is a guaranteed loss for half of the B1G/B12 teams that the SEC/ACC won't have. And no way a 9-3 B1G team gets in the playoff over a 10-2 SEC team.

 

[squeezebox]

One other thing that needs to happen is that all the P4 conferences need to agree on how many conference games they play. Totally not fair that the SEC and ACC play 8 and the B1G and B12 play 9 because that is a guaranteed loss for half of the B1G/B12 teams that the SEC/ACC won't have. And no way a 9-3 B1G team gets in the playoff over a 10-2 SEC team.

IMO Notre dame is really the #1 problem, they have a shit schedule and a general media bias. They will consistently wiggle their way into the playoff.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

And…..not just to give teams like Iowa, Wisconsin, and Northwestern a shot in the conference championship game. Those days are gone.

Several teams in the East say “Welcome to the little kids table”.

 

[mvhomerl]

Plains? When I hear plains I'm thinking Dances With Wolves. Not the state of Michigan or downtown Chicago!

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

The last thing we need is to go back to unbalanced divisions. This is one of the big reasons KF is still deemed a god by so many idiot fans, he thrived in a sh*tty division with a proven legacy of winning close, low-scoring games against crappy opponents, and then when we get into a game vs. someone with a pulse we get destroyed.

 

[helicopters in the sewer]

I'd much rather play real teams like Oregon, USC, Ohio State, Michigan, and PSU than playing pussy teams and automatically winning (meaningless) Garbage West division titles every year by default. If you go undefeated playing teams that belong in D2, but shit the bed against real teams, you're a fraud.

 

[iahawks10]

I actually like the 5 team pod idea with a 20 team conference. Leaves the conference with 9 games, and then shifts divisions every year. Not a fan of adding a Florida school though.

Ideally it would be the best, most profitable school in the west and then Notre Dame.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

Wasn’t enough when Iowa wanted yearly games against Wisky Nebraska and Minny?

 

[Ronman]

Maybe after you earn your third loss, effectively eliminating you from any meaningful post season, you should just pack it up and call it a season. Hawk fans could still gather for the tailgating, but then just head home and avoid the heartbreak and frustration of the actual game.

 

[Mr. Smee]

The Big 10 mega conference has made a situation where teams like Iowa are probably never going to make the Big 10 championship. When there were divisions, there was plenty of chance in the Big 10 west for a less than blue blood team to make the conference championship. But with the new Big 10, not likely to happen anymore. I will predict that the next 10 championships in the Big 10, which is 2o teams total, will have almost every single team selected coming from a very limited pool of teams: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Oregon. In fact , I would bet that at least 17 of these selected teams will come from this pool, potentially all 20 teams that get selected. It will take almost perfection to pass these teams up and make it to the championship. We won't know for 10 years, but I think your all going to get tired of seeing these same big programs dominating your championship, while 13 other teams literally have almost no shot at making the championship. That is the problem with these mega leagues.

The two best teams in the conference should play for the championship. Take participation trophies and shove them. No one should make a CCG because of a technicality. The solution to not making it is to be one of the two best teams. Anyone who thinks the dumbass in charge is capable of getting back there without the help of a handicap or technicality is huffing gas pumps.

 

[swihawk]

Does eliminating divisions reduce interest earlier in the season? For all intents and purposes, the Iowa season has ended - at least in terms of playing for anything meaningful beyond a mediocre bowl game. And same can be said for a lot of teams now. So it got me thinking, has the BIG unintentionally lessened interest and intrigue as the season goes on by eliminating divisions?

Not saying the BIG should have kept the prior divisions given the west was so underwhelming. But for argument sake, what if the BIG would have created a new west division by adding the PAC teams with the western most legacy BIG teams.

Iowa (for example) would still be looking up at Oregon and not likely to catch them, but Iowa would also be playing Oregon in that scenario with chance to make up one game and hopes that Oregon drops another.

Given that most teams will not play a common schedule, it’s hard to argue that the top two teams are necessarily the best two teams anyway. Every major sport has divisions because it breads intrigue and ratings (and competitive balance) all year long. That, along with some form of salary cap are two things the BIG needs to in some fashion implement imo to keep growing the product.

What say you?

No.

 

[uihawk82]

Does eliminating divisions reduce interest earlier in the season? For all intents and purposes, the Iowa season has ended - at least in terms of playing for anything meaningful beyond a mediocre bowl game. And same can be said for a lot of teams now. So it got me thinking, has the BIG unintentionally lessened interest and intrigue as the season goes on by eliminating divisions?

Not saying the BIG should have kept the prior divisions given the west was so underwhelming. But for argument sake, what if the BIG would have created a new west division by adding the PAC teams with the western most legacy BIG teams.

Iowa (for example) would still be looking up at Oregon and not likely to catch them, but Iowa would also be playing Oregon in that scenario with chance to make up one game and hopes that Oregon drops another.

Given that most teams will not play a common schedule, it’s hard to argue that the top two teams are necessarily the best two teams anyway. Every major sport has divisions because it breads intrigue and ratings (and competitive balance) all year long. That, along with some form of salary cap are two things the BIG needs to in some fashion implement imo to keep growing the product.

What say you?

It wasnt long after the Pac 12 Four joined the Big 10 to make it an 18 team conf that I thought the Big would soon add 2 more teams to make 4 divisions. Four divisions means 2 Big Ten semi-final playoff games leading to the Big Champ game and more money.

And to get back to your main point 4 five team divisions will keep more fans involved in until later in the year as to whether their team might win a division and get is a semifinal game