APThough it’s been circulating through the rumor mill over the past several weeks, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany confirmed during conference meetings on Monday that his league would move to at least nine conference games, possibly even 10.
And this time he means it. The Big Ten approved a nine-game conference schedule in August 2011, but moved back to eight games.
Delany added that keeping an eight-game conference schedule is “not even on the table” right now.
Exactly when a nine or 10-game schedule will be put into place isn’t clear yet — possibly 2015 or 2017 once Maryland and Rutgers have been added — but an official decision should be coming later this spring.
“There’s real recognition that we now live in two regions of the country, and we want to make sure those are bound together as best we can, so more games [makes sense],” Delany said. “Eight games is not on the table. It’s nine or 10.”
Your turn SEC.
I buy this… as long as the other games aren’t just cream puffs.
I want to see mixed division games against POWERHOUSES… BEFORE the supposed National Title Game… which frankly still… IS NOT.
B1G, SEC, PACwhatever, BigTexas, ACC – if you CLAIM to have the balls, then be willing to put those bad boys on the line DURING the season.
If they get cut off early… then you know what you have, and the NAT game means more down the line.
This way, they only have 2 or 3 out of conference games to embarass themselves in.
Every conference should follow suit. I liked when the PAC-12 was only ten teams & they played every team in their conference. IMO, it’s a better way to decide who the best team is in a given conference. I’d love for the conference championship games to go away. They were devised for one reason….money. Just my opinion, but they’ve done more harm than good. Unfortunately, the genie is out of the bottle so we will see more conference championship games.
10 conference games would be just asinine
10 conference games would be just about as(much as)(i)nine
couldn’t resist
Oh, the Big Ten lowers its number of out of conference games. Why not really play hard ball with the rest of the country and add Temple and Western Michigan in addition to Rutgers and Maryland. My, how powerful the Big Ten is becoming. Maybe next year they’ll have a conference champion with only five losses instead of six! The sky is the limit!
Your move, SEC.
It’s getting harder and harder for ND to put together a schedule worthy of playoff inclusion. … And that’s Delanys intent (make them join).
ND will join the ACC for football at some point. Too much bad blood between the blue bloods of the B1G & ND.
@drummerhoff
The Big Ten schedule isn’t making it harder for ND to make schedules — it’s only making it harder for Notre Dame to schedule Big Ten opponents.
This is actually an instance where Notre Dame’s independence helps. While the Big Ten is choosing to play more within its conference, the elite talent of players comes from the South. That’s why ND chose to align itself with the ACC, so it can have more games in places like Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Not sure if you knew this, but there are conferences outside of the Big Ten. And they’re playing better football, too.
9 is the only logical number.
@spreadthecheese, irishdodger:
I am not a B1G guy … I’m just looking at the big picture. Delany is hell-bent on scheduling-alliances and more conference games.
The Big12, Pac12 already have 9 conference games and the Big12 is a discussing scheduling-alliances just like the B1G (re)announced yesterday. If this is the new direction, ND will have a very hard time maintaining any strength of schedule needed to receive a bid to the 4 team playoff … and if the SEC partners with the Big12, B1G or Pac12, the ACC is in the same boat as ND.
This tactic employeed by Delany reminds me of the way law firms get rid of attorneys. They don’t fire them, they just stop giving them a workload. After awhile, the handwriting is on the wall and the guy/gal leave the firm.
This is a prelude to UVA joining the BIG10.