The West needs some more heat. I suggest
B1G East
Rutgers
Maryland
Penn State
Ohio State
Indiana
Purdue
Illinois
B1G West
Michigan
Michigan State
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Iowa
Nebraska

Some drawbacks as well as some benefits to this approach.
Drawbacks: 1. Ohio State & Penn State will likely run the east for the foreseeable future. 2. Possible rematch of Ohio State v Michigan or Illinois v Northwestern.
Benefits: 1. The West becomes much deeper with much better tv matchups. 2. Programs in the East not named Ohio State or Penn State have an opportunity to grow especially Maryland and Rutgers who have an abundance of local talent, and replace Michigan and Michigan State with Illinois & Purdue.

Might as well call them North and South.

But there's a problem, the North would be way better than the South, in terms of conference records 2014-2019.

https://csnbbs.com/thread-897963.html

South:
1. Ohio State: 48-4 (.923)
4. Penn State: 34-18 (.654)
10. Indiana: 16-36 (.308)
11. Purdue: 15-37 (.288)
12. Maryland: 14-38 (.269)
13. Illinois: 13-39 (.250)
14. Rutgers: 7-45 (.135)

Total South: 147-217 (.404)

2. Wisconsin: 41-11 (.788)
3. Michigan: 35-17 (.673)
5. Iowa: 33-19 (.635)
6. Michigan State: 31-21 (.596)
7. Northwestern: 30-22 (.577)
8. Minnesota: 24-28 (.462)
9. Nebraska: 23-29 (.442)

Total North: 217-147 (.596)

By contrast, East vs. West.

1. Ohio State: 48-4 (.923)
3. Michigan: 35-17 (.673)
4. Penn State: 34-18 (.654)
7. Michigan State: 31-21 (.596)
10. Indiana: 16-36 (.308)
12. Maryland: 14-38 (.269)
14. Rutgers: 7-45 (.135)

Total East: 185-179 (.508)

2. Wisconsin: 41-11 (.788)
5. Iowa: 33-19 (.635)
6. Northwestern: 30-22 (.577)
8. Minnesota: 24-28 (.462)
9. Nebraska: 23-29 (.442)
11. Purdue: 15-37 (.288)
13. Illinois: 13-39 (.250)

Total West: 179-185 (.492)

The West really needs something to shake the division up.

Personally, here’s my solution: add Kansas and Oklahoma

Then divide the cross divisional schedule so that in an 8 yr cycle your schedule is:

Yr 1: @1, vs 8
Yr 2: vs 2 @ 7
Yr 3: @3, vs 6
Yr 4: vs 4 @5
Yr 5: vs 1 @8
Yr 6 @2, vs 7
Yr 7 vs 3 @6
Yr 8: @4, vs 5

this insures that you play everyone home and away from the other division once an 8 yr cycle and once every 4 years.

after 8 yrs, reset.

Right now I’d rank them:

East West
1 Ohio St Oklahoma
2 Michigan Wisconsin
3 Penn St Iowa
4 Mich St Northwestern
5 Indiana Nebraska
6 Purdue Minnesota
7 Maryland Illinois
8 Rutgers Kansas

1) Deregulate CCGs
2) Get rid of divisions.
3) Name 2 or 3 permanent Rival games (like Michigan vs Ohio State/Michigan State)
4) Other games rotate.

Leaders / Legends

Penn State / Ohio State
Rutgers / Northwestern
Maryland / Indiana
Wisconsin / Illinois
Minnesota / Michigan
Iowa / Purdue
Nebraska / Michigan State

Something like that for a locked cross-division opponent. Maybe none other than PSU-OSU.

Both divisions get split recruiting areas. Both divisions get split "kings". I prefer the status quo but if a change had to happen, this is what I would be in favor of.

(07-16-2021 09:50 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  Leaders / Legends

Penn State / Ohio State
Rutgers / Northwestern
Maryland / Indiana
Wisconsin / Illinois
Minnesota / Michigan
Iowa / Purdue
Nebraska / Michigan State

Something like that for a locked cross-division opponent. Maybe none other than PSU-OSU.

Both divisions get split recruiting areas. Both divisions get split "kings". I prefer the status quo but if a change had to happen, this is what I would be in favor of.

In reality, it's an "Inner/Outer" divisional alignment. The inners won't mind but the outers will bear a ton of increased travel. For all practical purposes, you're sticking Penn State in the "West" Division with Nebraska and Iowa and away from Ohio State and Michigan, the teams I would think Penn State would most want to play. I'd be dead set against it.

(07-17-2021 06:03 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(07-16-2021 09:50 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  Leaders / Legends

Penn State / Ohio State
Rutgers / Northwestern
Maryland / Indiana
Wisconsin / Illinois
Minnesota / Michigan
Iowa / Purdue
Nebraska / Michigan State

Something like that for a locked cross-division opponent. Maybe none other than PSU-OSU.

Both divisions get split recruiting areas. Both divisions get split "kings". I prefer the status quo but if a change had to happen, this is what I would be in favor of.

In reality, it's an "Inner/Outer" divisional alignment. The inners won't mind but the outers will bear a ton of increased travel. For all practical purposes, you're sticking Penn State in the "West" Division with Nebraska and Iowa and away from Ohio State and Michigan, the teams I would think Penn State would most want to play. I'd be dead set against it.

The Big 10 really has 8 schools in its Center, plus 3 to the East, and 3 to the West:

Central: Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Ohio St, Michigan, Michigan St

East: Penn St, Maryland, Rutgers

West: Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska

Maybe the solution is to group the wings by geography, and then split the center for competitive balance w/ protected crossovers.

(07-15-2021 06:40 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  1) Deregulate CCGs
2) Get rid of divisions.
3) Name 2 or 3 permanent Rival games (like Michigan vs Ohio State/Michigan State)
4) Other games rotate.

(07-16-2021 09:50 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  Leaders / Legends

Penn State / Ohio State
Rutgers / Northwestern
Maryland / Indiana
Wisconsin / Illinois
Minnesota / Michigan
Iowa / Purdue
Nebraska / Michigan State

Something like that for a locked cross-division opponent. Maybe none other than PSU-OSU.

Both divisions get split recruiting areas. Both divisions get split "kings". I prefer the status quo but if a change had to happen, this is what I would be in favor of.

I strongly think you go to one division and lock in 3 games and rotate around the rest. I also think if leagues get to 16 or more teams the teams you don't play every year are played at different frequencies for example some teams you play on avg. 4 out of 6 years, some 3 out of 6 years and some 2 out of 6 years.

BUT... if you divided the B1G these are the divisions I would go with. PSU gets its regional games in NJ & Maryland they want which has bolstered their recruiting since those schools were added to the league and schools like Nebraska/Iowa & Wisconsin would get more access to some of the states with recruits.

I think the current setup for Nebraska is not good. They are the western most team in a western division where there are not a lot of recruits, maybe outside of Illinois. It was very understandable why Nebraska joined the B1G at the time and financially its great but I don't think it has helped their program in terms of results on the field and recruiting.

I think Iowa would like a locked in crossover game with Illinois or Northwestern.