Big10 Divisional alignment to be announced Wed night primetime on Big10 Network?

I'm certain that they've decided by now, so this is probably accurate. Get it out of the way prior to the season kicking off. My guess:

PSU, OSU, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana
Neb, Mich, Mich St, Iowa, NW, Illinios

over 1 year ago boston_zenos 11 comments 0 recs |

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But I think the splitting OSU-Michigan scuttlebutt was simply an experiment to test fan reaction; given how horribly negative the reaction was, I would be shocked to see it at this point. So, I think you’ll see:

PSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin, MSU, Purdue, Indiana

OSU, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, NU, Illinois

Every single current year-end rivalry is protected within conference, and Wisconsin—who hasn’t had a year-end rival for a long time—gets paired up with Nebraska. Cross-division protected rivalries are PSU-OSU, Michigan-MSU, Iowa-Nebraska, and Wisconsin-Minnesota (You can pair up the last 4 either way). This works as perfectly as it can—with only one protected crossover, one of the games in the Iowa-Wisconsin-Minnesota triangle has to get left out. I’m sure Iowa and Wisconsin fans will be sad to see the series miss some years, but the annual addition of Nebraska to both their schedules should more than make up for it.

Competitive balance is quite good; the Michigan state-Purdue division might be a little bit on the strong side, but the preservation of rivalries and tradition achieved by this alignment is just too good to pass up.

by newenglandnittanylion on Sep 1, 2010 1:23 AM EDT reply actions

I think you'll see an Illinois school swap with an Indiana school and you're set.

IF the OSU/scUM division was just bogus. I’m not so sure about that. If it wasn’t, my pick is:

PSU, OSU, Wisconsin, and an Indiana and an Illinois team (one of those states will send both teams here) – I’ll say Purdue, Indiana and Illinois

Mich, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, MSU, and the remaining I-state program (here, NW)

"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."

-J.V.Pa.

by psume06 on Sep 1, 2010 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions