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Big Ten Divisions taking shape
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Posted: 2/12/2013 8:34 AM
Big Ten Divisions taking shape
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten...e-b1g-divisionsSo if Indiana and Purdue stay in the east, and we can choose a protected cross over (not sure about any of this), who would we pick? IU has been our protected rival for some time although it isn't much of a rivalry. Purdue, if they stay in the east is a trophy game, as is tOSU. tOSU will have all of its traditional rivals in its own division. Illnois/tOSU as a protected crossover?
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Posted: 2/12/2013 9:26 AM
RE: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
Who cares ?
If the B1G goes as now envisioned by our leaders, we will be playing a 13 game schedule. 10 lg games and 3 non - conf games - our best record can be expected to be 7 - 6 on a good season. We will be so far down on the list of boring teams we won't even be recognizable any longer.
All this while OSU, Mich, Wisc, Mich St and PSU thrive. Maybe even Rutgers thrives while Maryland exists just above the Illinois level.
Big Bob in Brandon
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Posted: 2/12/2013 9:36 AM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
It's gotta be one of the good teams going west. Adding Purdue or Indiana would just make it way too unbalanced.
If Gary Andersen isn't a fantastic hire, that west division would become the next Big 12 North. Which would be fantastic for Illinois, but terrible for the conference.
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Posted: 2/12/2013 9:37 AM
RE: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
I was hoping for a discussion on divisions not how bad people think our program is. Nevertheless, I disagree with you here. No question tOSU and scUM will be elite for the indefinite future, but with the right leadership and support, programs come out of nowhere (VaTech, KSU, Wisky and others). Programs can falter (see Iowa and maybe Wisky, MSU). Whether TB is the right guy remains to be seen, but there is no reason Illinois can't or won't get to the Wisky level at some point.
I think these divisions will work well for us as we have a real chance to move up in a division not headed by tOSU and scUM. |
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Posted: 2/13/2013 5:27 AM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
IMO - it has to be Michigan or Michigan State going to the west for competitive balance purposes.
It will probably be Michigan State since the Big Ten will likely favor preserving the annual Ohio State-Michigan game over the possibility that those two would meet in the Big Ten Championship game if they were in different divisions.
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Posted: 2/13/2013 8:43 AM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
I think MSU will be the choice as well for all the reasons stated. Then if we go to 16 and presumedly add two more East Coast teams, do you then shift PU or IU to the West?
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Posted: 2/13/2013 8:53 AM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
BZuppke wrote: I think MSU will be the choice as well for all the reasons stated. Then if we go to 16 and presumedly add two more East Coast teams, do you then shift PU or IU to the West? without a doubt. flip a coin as to which one
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Posted: 2/13/2013 10:17 AM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
UIEightyThree wrote:
BZuppke wrote: I think MSU will be the choice as well for all the reasons stated. Then if we go to 16 and presumedly add two more East Coast teams, do you then shift PU or IU to the West?
without a doubt. flip a coin as to which one You've also got the flexibility then to flip Michigan if it becomes clear that the West is a wasteland. |
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Posted: 2/13/2013 10:52 AM
RE: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
buglebob wrote: Who cares ?
If the B1G goes as now envisioned by our leaders, we will be playing a 13 game schedule. 10 lg games and 3 non - conf games - our best record can be expected to be 7 - 6 on a good season. We will be so far down on the list of boring teams we won't even be recognizable any longer.
All this while OSU, Mich, Wisc, Mich St and PSU thrive. Maybe even Rutgers thrives while Maryland exists just above the Illinois level.
Big Bob in Brandon Dang Bob.....you are quite the cynic. Is there no hope for the Illini? Ever? Memorial Stadium Concessions : Proudly serving the finest food since 1923!
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Posted: 2/13/2013 10:55 AM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
BZuppke wrote: I think MSU will be the choice as well for all the reasons stated. Then if we go to 16 and presumedly add two more East Coast teams, do you then shift PU or IU to the West? Yes. I think one of the Indiana teams shifts west when the Big Ten rounds out to 16 teams. |
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Posted: 2/13/2013 11:12 AM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
Thank you BZ. It is amazing that a thread starts and in a short time it turns into an anti TB or anti UI football. It will either be PU or In. Central time zone will be a consideraton for the teams. I thought PU and IU are on central time zone. As often as I have driven from Louisville to the famous Sin City Calumet City time changes around Lebanon, In. I might be wrong.
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Posted: 2/13/2013 12:05 PM
RE: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
Yes, In 5 years I predict we'll be near the top of the divisions. We have to many built in advantages to not be better. LloydCarrIsSmegma wrote:
buglebob wrote: Who cares ?
If the B1G goes as now envisioned by our leaders, we will be playing a 13 game schedule. 10 lg games and 3 non - conf games - our best record can be expected to be 7 - 6 on a good season. We will be so far down on the list of boring teams we won't even be recognizable any longer.
All this while OSU, Mich, Wisc, Mich St and PSU thrive. Maybe even Rutgers thrives while Maryland exists just above the Illinois level.
Big Bob in Brandon Dang Bob.....you are quite the cynic. Is there no hope for the Illini? Ever? -Fortunately Chief free since 2007
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Posted: 2/13/2013 1:53 PM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
CalumetCityIllini wrote: Thank you BZ. It is amazing that a thread starts and in a short time it turns into an anti TB or anti UI football. It will either be PU or In. Central time zone will be a consideraton for the teams. I thought PU and IU are on central time zone. As often as I have driven from Louisville to the famous Sin City Calumet City time changes around Lebanon, In. I might be wrong. I have a daughter that recently graduate from IU . only the 6 northwestern most counties are on Central time , along with the 6 southwestern mnost counties near Evansville are on Central . PU and IU campuses both follow Eastern. my guess is if this re-alignment goes thru as is with MSU in the west, then they will move PU over to the west when Md & Rutgers come in.
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Posted: 2/13/2013 2:58 PM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
Straight East-West with Purdue in the west will work fine. I think the comeptitive balance thing is getting way too overblown.
I realize OSU has and will dominate going forward and Mich is "back" but Wisky has won the last 3 Big Ten Titles. There were unusual circumstance last year but it is what it is.
Wisky/Nebraska in the West and OSU/MSU in the East is pretty even at the top in my opinon and no one wants to see a OSU-Mich rematch a week later in the title game(I don't like the title game period).
I realize MSU is on the upswing but PSU is on the downswing. Would you bet your house that MSU or PSU will have more wins than Iowa over the next 5-10 years? I wouldn't. Northwestern was top 25 last year....MSU and PSU weren't. I don't believe in Rutgers. Let's see how they do in the Big Ten.
With 9-10 BT games now in play you will play the other division 3/4 tiems a year. The schedules will balance themselves randomly on an annual basis anyway.
Also, with the new selection committee, 2 losses doesn't disqualify you from making the playoffs(not that it did before... but you get the point), so no one should complain about their schedule. 4 best teams should get in.
Straight EAST-WEST Jim Delaney!!!......don't needlessly confuse the fans.
Last edited 2/13/2013 2:59 PM by VittumIllini
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Posted: 2/13/2013 3:58 PM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
I think the competitive balance is hard to discern once you get past scUM and tOSU. Other than IU and Minn, everyone else has had varying degrees of success and have won Big Ten titles (maybe MSU hasn't for a long while as well). Pre-Alvarez Wisky was terrible (can Anderson sustain things?) Iowa has been up and down. PU had a good run in the Tiller years. We've been spectacularly up and down, NW has done very well since Barnett was there. When the SEC divisions were first made, the East had all the power. Recently you've had Alabama and LSU in the West as the stronger teams. Straight geographical with MSU going west seems to make the most sense.
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Posted: 2/13/2013 4:36 PM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
BZuppke wrote:
I think the competitive balance is hard to discern once you get past scUM and tOSU. Other than IU and Minn, everyone else has had varying degrees of success and have won Big Ten titles (maybe MSU hasn't for a long while as well). Pre-Alvarez Wisky was terrible (can Anderson sustain things?) Iowa has been up and down. PU had a good run in the Tiller years. We've been spectacularly up and down, NW has done very well since Barnett was there. When the SEC divisions were first made, the East had all the power. Recently you've had Alabama and LSU in the West as the stronger teams. Straight geographical with MSU going west seems to make the most sense. Mostly agree.
Some other notes:
Minn has been to 10 bowls in the last 14 years. Better than most people probably think.
Rutgers had been to one bowl before 2005, but now have been to a bowl 7 of the last 8 years.
Programs aren't always as they seem and sometimes bad programs turn into good ones(Rutgers) amd sometimes great ones(Wisky).
Go geographical. Make winning your division mean something to the region.
Last edited 2/13/2013 4:36 PM by VittumIllini
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Posted: 2/13/2013 11:11 PM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
BZuppke wrote: I think the competitive balance is hard to discern once you get past scUM and tOSU. Other than IU and Minn, everyone else has had varying degrees of success and have won Big Ten titles (maybe MSU hasn't for a long while as well). Pre-Alvarez Wisky was terrible (can Anderson sustain things?) Iowa has been up and down. PU had a good run in the Tiller years. We've been spectacularly up and down, NW has done very well since Barnett was there. When the SEC divisions were first made, the East had all the power. Recently you've had Alabama and LSU in the West as the stronger teams. Straight geographical with MSU going west seems to make the most sense. And while the Big 12 North problem would have proven at least semi-permanent, you could have never ever guessed it would have happened back in 1994 when those divisions were picked. Texas and Oklahoma were both in long-term sputters, Colorado was a power program, and Nebraska was the Bama of that era. |
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Posted: 2/14/2013 2:25 PM
Re: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
I am all for the geographic breakdown because who knows how all of these programs will be 20 years from now. I agree that the only 2 you can count on is OSU and Michigan (though Michigan had a few down years here recently). Nebraska was down for a bit (by their standards) as well and I think Wisconsin may be heading for a fall over the next 3-4 years. The one thing I would do though is hold off on a decision until the dust settles on who is #15-16. We expect both to come from the East but stranger things have happened. Once the 16 are determined, then do the 8/8 geographic breakdown. EAST - Michigan, Michigan St, Ohio St, Penn St, Rutgers, Maryland, North Carolina(?), Virginia(?)
WEST - Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana
On paper, right now, that looks like its top heavy for the EAST but the pendulum could swing in the future... |
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Posted: 2/14/2013 5:13 PM
RE: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
LloydCarrIsSmegma wrote:
buglebob wrote: Who cares ?
If the B1G goes as now envisioned by our leaders, we will be playing a 13 game schedule. 10 lg games and 3 non - conf games - our best record can be expected to be 7 - 6 on a good season. We will be so far down on the list of boring teams we won't even be recognizable any longer.
All this while OSU, Mich, Wisc, Mich St and PSU thrive. Maybe even Rutgers thrives while Maryland exists just above the Illinois level.
Big Bob in Brandon Dang Bob.....you are quite the cynic. Is there no hope for the Illini? Ever? I've been around all most forever and have seen very little to inspire hope for the Illini football program in well over half a century. The one brief period when things were looking up - we completely fell on our own sword and dismantled a winning approach at the hands of our own leadership. Nope - maybe a "nice" season once every ten years but no hope to become elite in any of our foreseeable futures. We should have had a Big Ten championship competetor in 2008, for sure. How did that work out. I'll be lucky to see one more winning season at Illinois. Two would be sublime. That's one big reason I'm so disappointed with the terrible coaching staff we put together last year. It's like "wtf is this now" ! Big Bob in Brandon |
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Posted: 2/15/2013 9:44 AM
RE: Big Ten Divisions taking shape
I understand your disappointment. I have suffered through the same since my Illini grad Dad indoctrinated me as a fan in early childhood. I am 57. The task of making Illini football a consistent winner has proven very difficult indeed but not it's not impossible. If it can be done in Iowa and Wisconsin, it can be done here, with the right guy to lead us. Do we have that guy? I have doubts because last year was so very disappointing, but I want to give him a fair chance. One year is not a fair chance, imo. Go Illini! buglebob wrote:
LloydCarrIsSmegma wrote:
buglebob wrote: Who cares ?
If the B1G goes as now envisioned by our leaders, we will be playing a 13 game schedule. 10 lg games and 3 non - conf games - our best record can be expected to be 7 - 6 on a good season. We will be so far down on the list of boring teams we won't even be recognizable any longer.
All this while OSU, Mich, Wisc, Mich St and PSU thrive. Maybe even Rutgers thrives while Maryland exists just above the Illinois level.
Big Bob in Brandon Dang Bob.....you are quite the cynic. Is there no hope for the Illini? Ever? I've been around all most forever and have seen very little to inspire hope for the Illini football program in well over half a century.
The one brief period when things were looking up - we completely fell on our own sword and dismantled a winning approach at the hands of our own leadership.
Nope - maybe a "nice" season once every ten years but no hope to become elite in any of our foreseeable futures. We should have had a Big Ten championship competetor in 2008, for sure. How did that work out.
I'll be lucky to see one more winning season at Illinois. Two would be sublime. That's one big reason I'm so disappointed with the terrible coaching staff we put together last year. It's like "wtf is this now" !
Big Bob in Brandon |
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