(01-25-2016 10:24 PM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  I prefer Virginia Tech and North Carolina State. Both schools fit the Big 10 academic profile. The former has an established track record of success, trading up to a better conference from the BE to the ACC. The latter, otoh, has potential that's been unrealized primarily because it competes against too many ACC schools in North Carolina.

Ok so when we move to four divisions of four. Which school out of the following five gets left out of the Eastern Division? Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, Virginia Tech and North Carolina state...one of them will have to go be in a division with some old core schools of The Big Ten instead of with their more Eastern brethren.

(01-26-2016 12:57 AM)He1nousOne Wrote:  

(01-25-2016 10:24 PM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  I prefer Virginia Tech and North Carolina State. Both schools fit the Big 10 academic profile. The former has an established track record of success, trading up to a better conference from the BE to the ACC. The latter, otoh, has potential that's been unrealized primarily because it competes against too many ACC schools in North Carolina.

Ok so when we move to four divisions of four. Which school out of the following five gets left out of the Eastern Division? Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, Virginia Tech and North Carolina state...one of them will have to go be in a division with some old core schools of The Big Ten instead of with their more Eastern brethren.

Other than OSU-Michigan, I'm not familiar with the other historic Big Ten conference rivalries. So please forgive my ignorance. That said, a 16-school conference could be divided along east-west lines as follows:

East
Pod 1:
Rutgers
Penn State
Maryland
NC State

Pod 2:
Virginia Tech
Ohio State
Michigan State
Indiana

West
Pod 3:
Michigan
Wisconsin
Purdue
Northwestern

Pod 4:
Illinois
Minnesota
Iowa
Nebraska

If the long-term goal is to expand beyond 16, than I have no issues with adding Kansas and Oklahoma.

I'd go a little different.

Pod 1
PSU, UMD, VT, NC ST

Pod 2
OSU, UMich, MSU Rutgers

Pod 3
IndyU, Purdue, UIlln, NwU

Pod 4
UWisc, UMinny, Iowa, UNeb

(01-26-2016 06:08 AM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  I'd go a little different.

Pod 1
PSU, UMD, VT, NC ST

Pod 2
OSU, UM, MSU RU

Pod 3
IU, PU, UI, NC

Pod 4
UW, UMinny, Iowa, UNeb

Poor Rutgers

PSU would make more geographic sense but it would be to strong. Can't have everyone knocking each other off and out of the playoff.

(01-26-2016 08:04 AM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  PSU would make more geographic sense but it would be to strong. Can't have everyone knocking each other off and out of the playoff.

But the conference already has evidence of a potential future rivalry in the making between Penn State and Rutgers. Rutgers needs to build that program up some more but fan interest is there. Splitting Penn State and Rutgers isn't going to be looked upon favorably in my opinion.

(01-26-2016 08:17 AM)He1nousOne Wrote:  

(01-26-2016 08:04 AM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  PSU would make more geographic sense but it would be to strong. Can't have everyone knocking each other off and out of the playoff.

But the conference already has evidence of a potential future rivalry in the making between Penn State and Rutgers. Rutgers needs to build that program up some more but fan interest is there. Splitting Penn State and Rutgers isn't going to be looked upon favorably in my opinion.

There's history between Penn State and NC State. And I'm sure they'd rather play in the South.

(01-26-2016 06:08 AM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  I'd go a little different.

Pod 1
PSU, UMD, VT, NC ST

Pod 2
OSU, UMich, MSU Rutgers

Pod 3
IndyU, Purdue, UIlln, NwU

Pod 4
UWisc, UMinny, Iowa, UNeb

That's not a bad arrangement.

(01-26-2016 11:44 AM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  

(01-26-2016 08:17 AM)He1nousOne Wrote:  

(01-26-2016 08:04 AM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  PSU would make more geographic sense but it would be to strong. Can't have everyone knocking each other off and out of the playoff.

But the conference already has evidence of a potential future rivalry in the making between Penn State and Rutgers. Rutgers needs to build that program up some more but fan interest is there. Splitting Penn State and Rutgers isn't going to be looked upon favorably in my opinion.

There's history between Penn State and NC State. And I'm sure they'd rather play in the South.

It's easier to just have four in the East. I don't know about this history, it certainly isn't well known history or obvious to everyone history. Penn State and Rutgers? That is an obvious match up of the future. Penn State historically has raided the State of New Jersey for talent while Rutgers has had to take the leftovers in their own State.

Now they have a chance to fight on equal footing for the first time in quite awhile. That is a local/regional rivalry in the making as is Penn State and Maryland. Virginia Tech fits into that threesome quite well. NC State? Not so much. They are the odd one out and that would be the opinion of most folks in The Big Ten.

(01-26-2016 11:46 AM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  

(01-26-2016 06:08 AM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  I'd go a little different.

Pod 1
PSU, UMD, VT, NC ST

Pod 2
OSU, UMich, MSU Rutgers

Pod 3
IndyU, Purdue, UIlln, NwU

Pod 4
UWisc, UMinny, Iowa, UNeb

That's not a bad arrangement.

That pod 3 is pretty weak. I wouldn't be surprised to see The Big Ten take a small step away from geography if they were to do something similar to that by swapping Illinois and Michigan State and then swapping Wisconsin and Northwestern in regard to your set ups.

(01-26-2016 05:48 PM)He1nousOne Wrote:  

(01-26-2016 11:46 AM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  

(01-26-2016 06:08 AM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  I'd go a little different.

Pod 1
PSU, UMD, VT, NC ST

Pod 2
OSU, UMich, MSU Rutgers

Pod 3
IndyU, Purdue, UIlln, NwU

Pod 4
UWisc, UMinny, Iowa, UNeb

That's not a bad arrangement.

That pod 3 is pretty weak. I wouldn't be surprised to see The Big Ten take a small step away from geography if they were to do something similar to that by swapping Illinois and Michigan State and then swapping Wisconsin and Northwestern in regard to your set ups.

My proposal above (#22) would've put PSU, OSU, Michigan and Nebraska in separate pods, with the first two representing the East and latter two representing the West. Rutgers would be assigned to Pod 1 and Virginia Tech would be placed in Pod 2.

So how would KU and OU fit into pods? They'd have to be with UNeb and Iowa right?

Something like

1. Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa

2. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Northwestern

3. Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Michigan

4. Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland.

I know this is geographically based and H1 said he thought they'd move away from this, at least a little. So, I'm interested in seeing what yall think .

If the Big Ten were to move to 16 and to pods, I'd see a 1 western and 1 eastern addition situation. It makes everything easier. Let's say its Oklahoma and Virginia Tech for argument's sake.
Atlantic Pod: PSU, VT, UMD, Rutgers
Northern Pod: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana
Central Pod: Purdue, Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin
Western Pod: Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma

That being said I just don't see pods forming. I still think that the next level of CCG deregulation would happen where divisions would get dropped. Then something similar to the pods might emerge in who plays who annually.

For instance let's say you get 3 opponents annually, Penn State is gonna get VT, UMD and Rutgers. Michigan is going to get Minnesota, Michigan State and Ohio State. Nebraska is going to get Iowa, Oklahoma and someone else.

I had came up with an, in my own opinion, awesome pod system that protected cross division rivalries and plan for playing cross divisions.

Gonna take me a couple years of digging to find it to share.

So how are the pods going to be divided up. Mostly geographic will a bit of brand/strength mixed in?

As a Penn State guy, Penn State HAS to play Ohio State yearly. Penn State should play Rutgers and Maryland yearly. Split the pods/divisions however you like but those are definite opponents for Penn State even with a Virginia Tech.

(01-27-2016 06:29 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  As a Penn State guy, Penn State HAS to play Ohio State yearly. Penn State should play Rutgers and Maryland yearly. Split the pods/divisions however you like but those are definite opponents for Penn State even with a Virginia Tech.

Seems reasonable to me, so perhaps a scheduling setup with say:
Penn State: Ohio State, Rutgers, Maryland
Rutgers: Penn State, Virginia Tech, Maryland
Maryland: Penn State, Rutgers, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech: Maryland, Rutgers, ?
so forth and so on...

(01-27-2016 03:41 PM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  So how are the pods going to be divided up. Mostly geographic will a bit of brand/strength mixed in?

Never ever. Pods are not ever going to be a thing. I really don't understand the obsession with it. If/when they go to 16, they will just go to 9 conference games and drop the permanent cross division games (by moving Indiana/Purdue).

(01-28-2016 10:19 AM)5thTiger Wrote:  

(01-27-2016 03:41 PM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  So how are the pods going to be divided up. Mostly geographic will a bit of brand/strength mixed in?

Never ever. Pods are not ever going to be a thing. I really don't understand the obsession with it. If/when they go to 16, they will just go to 9 conference games and drop the permanent cross division games (by moving Indiana/Purdue).

Actually, we've moved to 9 conference games already starting this season. I can't see moving to 10 conference games as it would all but ensure no one had 7 home games with any regularity anymore unless we move to a 13 game season. (Which I'm ok with provided we back the start of the football season up a week so that it starts before classes do at many schools.)