Appearing live on the Big Ten Network, commissioner Jim Delany revealed how the conference’s 12 schools will be aligned in two six-team divisions when Nebraska comes on board in 2011.
And, given the leaks prior to the announcement, it turned out to be somewhat anticlimactic.
As previously reported, the two divisions, which have yet to be named, will look as follows:
• Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota.
• Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois.
In addition to the divisions, Delany also announced protected cross-over rivalry games that are guaranteed to be contested annually:
Illinois-Northwestern Indiana-Michigan StateOhio State-MichiganPenn State-NebraskaPurdue-IowaWisconsin-Minnesota
Delany confirmed that the Ohio State-Michigan game will be played the last weekend of the regular season for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. After that, the issue of scheduling involving the entire league will be revisited.
(For the complete 2011 and 2012 Big Ten schedule, click HERE.)
Between 2011 and 2014, the schedule will consist of eight conference games and be divvied up as follows: Each school will play the other five schools within its division and will also face three teams from the other division, including one cross-division matchup guaranteed on an annual basis.
The conference is expected to go to nine league games for the 2015 season, a fact reiterated by OSU athletic director Gene Smith on the Big Ten Network.
Finally, here’s Delany’s official statement released by the conference.
“Over the past several months, Big Ten staff and directors of athletics have met on several occasions to discuss and finalize division alignments,” Delany said. “We focused on competitive equality, traditional rivalries and geography. We considered multiple models and countless permutations in an effort to achieve the most competitively balanced divisions while at the same time respecting our traditions, preserving existing rivalries, and creating opportunities for the establishment and growth of new rivalries. We have listened to the feedback from our institutions, alumni and fans, and while we understand that no final alignments could possibly satisfy all of our constituents, we believe that we have achieved a very exciting result.”
Indiana vs Michigan State annually?
Wow! That’s a doooooozie!
Big 10 Network referring to the divisions as:
Bo Division & Wood Division.
Like that a lot. Let’s make that stick.
Iowa vs. Purdue and Michigan State vs. Indiana emphasize, bold, italicize, and underline how ridiculous it is to have these protected crossover rivalry games for every team.
As an alumnus of one of these schools, with my friend who is an alumnus of their supposed rival… we can’t come up with any sort of “rivalry” between those schools other than “occasionally they play football against each other.”
I bet Iowa is pretty annoyed that Wisconsin got the annual crack at Minnesota to contest Paul Bunyan’s Axe, while Iowa and Minnesota only play for Floyd of Rosedale only infrequently. Having lived in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin I’m not really clear on why Bucky vs. Goldie is considered that much more intense a rivalry than Goldie vs. Herky.
Why didn’t they go with Minnesota and Purdue in the other divisions with Minnesota taking on Michigan State and Purdue taking on Indiana?
Oops. Meant Indiana-Purdue, Michigan State-Wisconsin and Iowa-Minnesota.
Hey Cabbage Iowa and Minnesota are in the same division which means they will play for the Pig every year! And Iowa got their wish for “Farmageddon” against the Huskers at the end of the year so stop whining for no good reason!
I hope the Big Ten presidents get what they deserve. In their haste to get bigger and grab more money, they are sacrificing the tradition of their own conference – the once proud Big Ten.
This is a disgrace.
I don’t know. I kind of like this. It’s much more progressive than what the Big 12 did to OU-NU.
The Big 10 is at least pro-active instead of reactive…like the Texas 10.
This will be great, without compromising a single tradition.
Lax – what drug r you on?
If Nebraska survives the 2011-12 schedule, they would have to be considered the top BCS contender. Holy Cow, what a nasty schedule!!
Bo? Woody Divisions? Insult to the two better coaches, still alive, JoePa, and Tom Osborne.
Looks like the Big Ten did a good job with their divisions. Unfortunately, you have teams like
Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota who are seldom
a big game for anyone but every conference has these types of teams. The addition of Nebraska
drops all of the bottom dwellers one spot!
Looks like the Big Ten did a good job with their divisions. Unfortunately, you have teams like
Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota who are seldom
a big game for anyone but every conference has these types of teams. The addition of Nebraska
drops all of the bottom dwellers one spot!
It looks like they did a good job of splitting up the “power” within the conference. The only thing they could have done different, switch Northwestern with one of the bottom dwelling patsy teams (Indiana/Illinois) so that they could compete in an annual crossover toilet bowl game.
Then at least you could have a good game to watch and turn into a rivalry with Michigan State and Northwestern.