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Pac 12 eliminating Divisions - will the big ten follow?

Anyone that thinks the current system works at getting the best 2 teams in Indy is kidding themselves.
I looked and I can't find ONE example where the west champ had a win vs either of the east top 2 teams. Nothing but losses to one or both every single year! That's pathetic and clearly an issue....
 
If they get rid of divisions then just get rid of the Big Ten Championship game as well. I don't need to see a rematch of Ohio State vs Michigan every damn year. Even though the West had not won a BTC yet it still felt like a true championship game, the best of the West vs the best of the East and now it will turn into the top 2 teams in the conference playing each other.

If you get rid of the divisions then just reward the team that was able to survive and finish 1st place. I would hate to see (for example) Ohio State beat Michigan to win the regular season and then something stupid happens and Michigan happens to win the "Championship game" to take the crown. To me if you can manage to get through a regular season and finish with the best record in the conference then that's our champion.
So if the east west champs play in reg season, you feel championship game should be cancelled?
 
Leave it the way it is with the east/west divisions. Maybe, it will be Iowa who pulls the upset and wins the B1G championship game. No one thought Iowa would win the B1G tourney in basketball but we did. It could happen in football too.
 
Wow, I must be in the minority here, but I am in favor of getting rid of the divisions. I’m sick of going 6+ years without seeing Ohio State or Michigan in Kinnick. That’s what Big 10 football is. Why people are in favor of a weaker and more boring schedule every year is a mystery to me. When Iowa has a team worthy of competing for the conference championship, they will, just like they did in 2009, 2004, 2002 and all the other pre-division seasons when Iowa had great teams AND played a great schedule. Hoping to skate by through a typical B1G West schedule to get one shot at a powerhouse for the conference championship is weak sauce, and the results would frequently be similar to what we saw last year.
Because it doesn't solve the parity issue, especially when conference schedules are made years in advance. All it does is change the method of HOW the schedules can be ****ed up. Except in this case, it can lead to even more favorable schedules for other schools.

It's entirely possible (possible, mind you, not likely) that the next time Iowa has OSU, UM, and PSU, they all miss a bowl game. It's also possible that under a divisionless setup the teams that would end up in the CCG would play the bottom 9 of the conference and miss out on the top 6. It doesn't solve the issue, just changes its appearance, AND makes it more likely to have repeat matchups (which should be avoided imo)
 
Anyone that thinks the current system works at getting the best 2 teams in Indy is kidding themselves.
I looked and I can't find ONE example where the west champ had a win vs either of the east top 2 teams. Nothing but losses to one or both every single year! That's pathetic and clearly an issue....
Penn State lost to Minnesota in 2019
6-7 Purdue beat OSU in 2018
Iowa curbstomping OSU in 2017
5-7 Nebraska beat MSU in 2015

You didn't even look that hard...

The west vs east issue is an OSU problem more than anything, considering no team NOT named OSU has ever represented the East more than once. That's not solved by blowing up divisions.
 
Wow, I must be in the minority here, but I am in favor of getting rid of the divisions. I’m sick of going 6+ years without seeing Ohio State or Michigan in Kinnick. (Meh....they got enough wins against us.) That’s what Big 10 football is. Why people are in favor of a weaker and more boring schedule every year is a mystery to me. When Iowa has a team worthy of competing for the conference championship, they will, just like they did in 2009, 2004, 2002 and all the other pre-division seasons when Iowa had great teams AND played a great schedule. Hoping to skate by through a typical B1G West schedule to get one shot at a powerhouse for the conference championship is weak sauce, and the results would frequently be similar to what we saw last year.
No. And because you want divisions to end, then we're gonna keep them around. Enjoy! :D
 
I guess it will give B10 fans something new to bitch about. Instead of unbalanced divisions we can lament the yearly schedule and SOS disparities.

Let's just expand our schedules to 13 games and play every B10 team every season.
This is the ONLY way it works out every year. Otherwise there will always be something to 'complain' about. But I hate the Big 12 where the top 2 teams play AGAIN at the end of the year even though everyone already played everyone.
 
If you get rid of the divisions then just reward the team that was able to survive and finish 1st place. I would hate to see (for example) Ohio State beat Michigan to win the regular season and then something stupid happens and Michigan happens to win the "Championship game" to take the crown. To me if you can manage to get through a regular season and finish with the best record in the conference then that's our champion.

That exact thing happened last season in the Big 12 - Baylor lost to OSU in the regular season, and won in the Big 12 champ game. That said, both games were very close and the Big 12 championship game might have had one of the most exciting endings I've ever seen to a football game. I was completely fine with it and if we could get more games like that CFB would be better off.
 
Times played Ohio St in regular season since the 'new' B10. Wisconsin is the only team to ever win the West and had to play them during the year (lost both times). Ohio St is 80-5 the past 10 years in conf play...

Nebraska 8
Illinois 6
Purdue 5
Wisconsin 5
Minnesota 4
Northwestern 3
Iowa 2
 
For all the constant talk of the East being superior to the West, the reality in the current format is that Ohio State is superior to everyone. The combined W/L record is actually quite close, and the West actually has a better record if you exclude Ohio State.
Win loss vs the whole conf or the opposite div?
 
The perceived disparity is 90% due to tOSU being far better than everyone else. As long as they continue to dominate recruiting, I don't see that changing regarless of whether we drop divisions or not.
 
Times played Ohio St in regular season since the 'new' B10. Wisconsin is the only team to ever win the West and had to play them during the year (lost both times). Ohio St is 80-5 the past 10 years in conf play...

Nebraska 8
Illinois 6
Purdue 5
Wisconsin 5
Minnesota 4
Northwestern 3
Iowa 2
always good to have Nebraska on your schedule for the easy W
 
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I kind of hate that conferences are getting so big that you can't do round robin scheduling anymore. Even though that benefited us last year by not playing OSU or Michigan in reg season, there are year's where it's the opposite and we've lost the division because of drawing tougher hands. There's nothing you can do about road/home draws, but there is something you can do about conference size and OOC scheduling.
 
I believe the divisions will be eliminated with 2 or 3 "protected games.
For Iowa I think the B1G will link one of the Protected games with Nebraska and continue the Black Friday match up. ( I am not sure Iowa fans will have a voice in this matchup) protected games will be MN and/or WI.

Time will tell if I am right.
 
I guess it will give B10 fans something new to bitch about. Instead of unbalanced divisions we can lament the yearly schedule and SOS disparities.

Let's just expand our schedules to 13 games and play every B10 team every season.
You are a good poster and I say this respectfully,...but not gonna happen. Zero chance of a round robin. Maybe when there were ten teams, but not with 14.

I like the idea of no divisions so we can play old traditional rivals like Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State more often. I miss those games and it's more fair fore everybody. Back in the 11-game schedule we played eight conference games, Sometimes you dodged a very good team, like Ohio State. Now, with 14 teams, nothing is going to be perfect.

Three protected teams would likely be Minnesota (Floyd) Wisconsin and Nebraska. Since the divisions were formed I've enjoyed playing Illinois every year. I recall the 1980s-90s when Iowa-Illinois was a heated rivalry. If you were from Eastern Iowa at that time you know what I mean.

I will miss that but no divisions is probably the way to go. I understand many Iowa fans will miss the every-other-year to Chicago and play Northwestern. It's okay, the subway and el will still be there the next time the Hawkeyes play in Evanston.
 
You are a good poster and I say this respectfully,...but not gonna happen. Zero chance of a round robin. Maybe when there were ten teams, but not with 14.

I like the idea of no divisions so we can play old traditional rivals like Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State more often. I miss those games and it's more fair fore everybody. Back in the 11-game schedule we played eight conference games, Sometimes you dodged a very good team, like Ohio State. Now, with 14 teams, nothing is going to be perfect.

Three protected teams would likely be Minnesota (Floyd) Wisconsin and Nebraska. Since the divisions were formed I've enjoyed playing Illinois every year. I recall the 1980s-90s when Iowa-Illinois was a heated rivalry. If you were from Eastern Iowa at that time you know what I mean.

I will miss that but no divisions is probably the way to go. I understand many Iowa fans will miss the every-other-year to Chicago and play Northwestern. It's okay, the subway and el will still be there the next time the Hawkeyes play in Evanston.
I appreciate your kind words, and just know that I was actually kidding about that proposition. I'd love it though!
 
Penn State lost to Minnesota in 2019
6-7 Purdue beat OSU in 2018
Iowa curbstomping OSU in 2017
5-7 Nebraska beat MSU in 2015

You didn't even look that hard...

The west vs east issue is an OSU problem more than anything, considering no team NOT named OSU has ever represented the East more than once. That's not solved by blowing up divisions.
Um none of those teams won the west those years.

I see you still can't read....back to ignore lol
Btw I believe 4 different east teams have won since realignment...0 west teams. Hardly just an OSU thing.
 
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Because it doesn't solve the parity issue, especially when conference schedules are made years in advance. All it does is change the method of HOW the schedules can be ****ed up. Except in this case, it can lead to even more favorable schedules for other schools.

It's entirely possible (possible, mind you, not likely) that the next time Iowa has OSU, UM, and PSU, they all miss a bowl game. It's also possible that under a divisionless setup the teams that would end up in the CCG would play the bottom 9 of the conference and miss out on the top 6. It doesn't solve the issue, just changes its appearance, AND makes it more likely to have repeat matchups (which should be avoided imo)
The chances of there being a lopsided CCG because of the scenario you suggested is extremely small compared to the chances of continued lopsided games with the E vs. W format (East is 8-0, for crying out loud). Like I said above, I'm sick of Iowa missing out on Mich and OSU most years. If Iowa is a championship contender, then they'll win those games, just like they have in the past.

Also, the chances of the Big Ten having their two best teams play each other in the CCG is a heck of a lot better with a divisionless format than the way it is now. The more conference games the better chance of that happening, too, which is why I'm in favor of a 13-game season with 10 conference games. That would give Iowa a chance to play more interesting non-conference games, too.
 
The chances of there being a lopsided CCG because of the scenario you suggested is extremely small compared to the chances of continued lopsided games with the E vs. W format (East is 8-0, for crying out loud). Like I said above, I'm sick of Iowa missing out on Mich and OSU most years. If Iowa is a championship contender, then they'll win those games, just like they have in the past.

Also, the chances of the Big Ten having their two best teams play each other in the CCG is a heck of a lot better with a divisionless format than the way it is now. The more conference games the better chance of that happening, too, which is why I'm in favor of a 13-game season with 10 conference games. That would give Iowa a chance to play more interesting non-conference games, too.
It's just as small as the CCG being lopsided under the current setup. Throw around the 8-0 number all you want, it still makes little sense considering OSU is 5 of those. That's not fixed by scrapping divisions.

Iowa missing out on Mich and OSU has very little to do with the divisonal format, and more to do with the fact that we scrapped Legends and Leaders after just 3 years and adding another two teams. We'll miss out on games with them under a pod or rotational format just the same. All with the added (and likely) risk of back to back games, which is a terrible outcome imo. We should absolutely not be using the Big 12 of all conferences as a role model.

Also, 13-game seasons and 10-game conference seasons aren't happening any time soon, if at all.
 
Iowa missing out on Mich and OSU has very little to do with the divisonal format,
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You are a good poster and I say this respectfully,...but not gonna happen. Zero chance of a round robin. Maybe when there were ten teams, but not with 14.

I like the idea of no divisions so we can play old traditional rivals like Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State more often. I miss those games and it's more fair fore everybody. Back in the 11-game schedule we played eight conference games, Sometimes you dodged a very good team, like Ohio State. Now, with 14 teams, nothing is going to be perfect.

Three protected teams would likely be Minnesota (Floyd) Wisconsin and Nebraska. Since the divisions were formed I've enjoyed playing Illinois every year. I recall the 1980s-90s when Iowa-Illinois was a heated rivalry. If you were from Eastern Iowa at that time you know what I mean.

I will miss that but no divisions is probably the way to go. I understand many Iowa fans will miss the every-other-year to Chicago and play Northwestern. It's okay, the subway and el will still be there the next time the Hawkeyes play in Evanston.
I've pushed that the best option is 10-team conferences with a 9 game schedule.

If they still wanna do a CCG, that's up to the conference, but at least this way there's no hiding, everyone plays everyone and you get the opportunity, at least, to reshape the conferences back to a more-regionally focused look.

But as you know, it makes too much sense, so it'll never happen.
 
The last time I looked it up ( a couple of years ago) East vs West was almost dead even, although the East continues to win the Championship games, due mainly to Ohio States resurgence. Prior to the East/West divide wasn't Wisconsin the team to beat? I'm too lazy to sift through all of the data again, but would be interested to know the record of East vs West teams again minus the Championship game.
 
The last time I looked it up ( a couple of years ago) East vs West was almost dead even, although the East continues to win the Championship games, due mainly to Ohio States resurgence. Prior to the East/West divide wasn't Wisconsin the team to beat? I'm too lazy to sift through all of the data again, but would be interested to know the record of East vs West teams again minus the Championship game.
The majority of East teams have won a championship(in the east west era), zero west teams. It's not just an OSU difference. But yes they're clearly the best b1g team the past decade or so
 
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