Big Ten Seems Ready For Move to East/West Divisions With Michigan and Ohio State Together
By Ty Duffy
The Big Ten is soliciting popular opinion on new division formats with the additions of Maryland and Rutgers. This seems to be a mere prelude to moving to an East/West alignment with Michigan and Ohio State together in the East.
The conference offered three possible formats in its public poll.
Option 1: Keep the present “Legends and Leaders” while adding Maryland and Rutgers.
Option 2: Move to an East/West alignment.
East: Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana
West: Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue
Option 3: Move to an Inner/Outer alignment.
Inner: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue
Outer: Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota
No inside knowledge here, but Option 2 is the only one that makes sense. Keeping the Legends/Leaders makes little sense logistically. It keeps the Michigan/Ohio State replay possibility intact (no one wants to see this). Having a public debate would only inflame criticism of the current alignment. There’s no point opening that can unless greasing the wheels for change.
The inner/outer alignment is convoluted and makes no sense from a business perspective. The whole purpose of expansion is to extend the Big Ten brand into the I-95 cable market. It would be silly to do that and then set up a division alignment where the conference’s two biggest programs, Michigan and Ohio State, only play there every few years.
Option 2, East/West, is the alignment the best option logistically and geographically. The one concern would be competitive balance – Michigan State could be screwed if Penn State rose again – though that could be rectified by swapping Purdue and Michigan State (with Michigan and Michigan State playing a fixed inter-division game).
While the winds of change are blowing, it’s worth noting one of the most high-profile opponents of the nine-game conference schedule just left. More valuable television inventory. Just saying.
[Photo via Getty]