By Matt Vachlon
The Big Ten announced its new divisional alignment last week and Michigan and Ohio State were placed in separate divisions.
Yet there was no rioting here in Big Ten country. No people with torches on a march to Park Ridge, Ill., home of the Big Ten Conference Headquarters.
After all, Ohio State and Michigan will still be playing each other the last game of the season.
Thus, the fans won!
But really it was Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany who emerged victorious, simply for holding his ground.
You see, logic definitely dictated that the league’s four premier programs: Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State and Penn State needed to be split. It’s always a big event in college football when two bluebloods share the field, so they rightfully were spread evenly across divisions.
And splitting the Michigan and Ohio State was absolutely the right move.
Big Ten championships have historically been on the line when these two meet, so while playing for a division title sounds nice as a concept, it’s just not the same. The only way to keep these high stakes was to leave the opportunity open for Michigan and Ohio State to meet in the Big Ten Championship Game.
And while I probably would’ve moved the game to a date earlier in November, those who worry that “The Game” might lose some of its luster by being played at the end of the season, with a potential repeat matchup in the championship game a week later, are being foolish. Remember, the credo of the BCS is that the whole season is a playoff. If anything, there’s now less room for error since the game will be played so close to the end of the season.
As for the rest of the divisional make up, I was a little disappointed. I think Delaney over thought the process.
Competitive balance should not have been the main priority after dealing with the four aforementioned programs. Rivalries, after all, are what make college football special, and, for the most part, they go hand in hand with geography. Having those games have implications on the divisional standings when it doesn’t involve tradition-rich programs also doesn’t hurt.
Consider that in-state rivals Illinois and Northwestern are now split up. Over 100 years of history between Wisconsin and Minnesota has been banished to opposite divisions. And worst of all, since a protected crossover game will at least assure that the first two aforementioned matchups will still occur on an annual basis, Iowa and Wisconsin won’t be protected.
Sorry, I’m just not convinced that Wisconsin and Iowa are so elite that they had to be separated. Check how their all-time records stack up against their Big Ten brethren if you don’t believe me.
And while I know that Delany looked at data from 1993 to the present to determine balance, the move is still short-sighted. Iowa and Wisconsin have indeed ranked up with the big boys during that time frame, however, Northwestern, Illinois and Purdue have all made Rose Bowl appearances since then, as well. What’s to stop one of them from forming the next dynasty?
Add in the fact that the ACC has been criticized for a very similar format and I would’ve done a geographical North-South split.
To do so, I would’ve flip-flopped Northwestern and Wisconsin. The move appears minor as it only preserves one more trophy game than was previously protected, but Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota should be in the same division. It also allows for an annual Nebraska-Wisconsin game which is what both schools reportedly wanted and puts Illinois and Northwestern back in the same division.
Now I know my divisions appear unbalanced, but name one school (besides Michigan and Ohio State) that is missing any of its traditional rivals. And happiness is what really matters anyway.
Just ask Nebraska.
Showing posts with label Big Ten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Ten. Show all posts
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
“Scarlet fever" may come back to haunt Big Ten
By Matt Vachlon
The symptoms were already there: great academics, the "Birthplace of Intercollegiate Football" and a close proximity to New York City for a league looking to expand the presence of its cable network. All we were waiting for was a diagnosis.
Fast forward to Monday when Big Ten expansion took another step toward becoming a reality as Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune reported that Rutgers was the early favorite in the much anticipated Big Ten expansion plans. The Scarlet Knights' potential to be a home run acquisition was cited as the primary cause.
But that potential is exactly why I have Rutgers at the bottom of my list of candidates. When you’re the Big Ten, why expand based on potential?
You're the most profitable conference in collegiate athletics; you don't NEED to be blinded by dollar signs. Instead, you should be picky.
And that's the main problem with Rutgers. There's a lot to pick apart.
For starters, they bring nothing to the table athletically. Even in the most positive light, the athletic history of the school leaves something to be desired. In football, the Scarlet Knights didn’t appear in their first bowl game until 1978 and it didn’t appear in its next one again until 2005. Although Rutgers has now appeared in five consecutive bowl games and finished 2006 ranked 12th in the country, this sudden upswing under one head coach is not enough to overlook its previous century of futility. The same goes for basketball, in which Rutgers did advance to the NCAA Final Four in 1976, but has, overall, made a grand total of only six NCAA Tournament appearances.
Then there's the issue of New York's perception as a pro sports town first and likely a Big East basketball town second. I don't buy Greenstein's argument about New York's support of the 2006 football team because anyone can support a winner. In 2005, the Illinois basketball team captured Chicago's hearts during its run to the NCAA Tournament championship game, but hasn't since. Thus, the question remains, does New York care enough about Rutgers for the Big Ten to get the leverage necessary with the cable companies to insure their network's inclusion on their packages? Even if they succeed, can it be guaranteed that viewers will watch year round? Advertisers will want to know this and with Rutgers history of toiling at the bottom of the Big East, it's doubtful the school can draw interest away from Big East basketball during the winter.
Finally, there is the issue of the Big Ten footprint. Is it really worth only establishing a token presence in the Northeast when you could strengthen your Midwest presence instead? Schools like Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas have all been mentioned as candidates at one time or another, but the addition of one (or even all three?) could significantly weaken the league's closest geographic rival, the Big XII. The populations of each of those states are limited, but surely with a higher proportion of viewers watching in those states, as well as no major competition, would offset the small fraction of viewers that might watch in New York and New Jersey.
Look, I think Rutgers is a great school and it certainly brings a lot to the table. But I just don't see what seperates it so definitively from all the other candidates that would make taking a risk on them worthwhile.
Hopefully this fever, like all the others, will pass.
The symptoms were already there: great academics, the "Birthplace of Intercollegiate Football" and a close proximity to New York City for a league looking to expand the presence of its cable network. All we were waiting for was a diagnosis.
Fast forward to Monday when Big Ten expansion took another step toward becoming a reality as Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune reported that Rutgers was the early favorite in the much anticipated Big Ten expansion plans. The Scarlet Knights' potential to be a home run acquisition was cited as the primary cause.
But that potential is exactly why I have Rutgers at the bottom of my list of candidates. When you’re the Big Ten, why expand based on potential?
You're the most profitable conference in collegiate athletics; you don't NEED to be blinded by dollar signs. Instead, you should be picky.
And that's the main problem with Rutgers. There's a lot to pick apart.
For starters, they bring nothing to the table athletically. Even in the most positive light, the athletic history of the school leaves something to be desired. In football, the Scarlet Knights didn’t appear in their first bowl game until 1978 and it didn’t appear in its next one again until 2005. Although Rutgers has now appeared in five consecutive bowl games and finished 2006 ranked 12th in the country, this sudden upswing under one head coach is not enough to overlook its previous century of futility. The same goes for basketball, in which Rutgers did advance to the NCAA Final Four in 1976, but has, overall, made a grand total of only six NCAA Tournament appearances.
Then there's the issue of New York's perception as a pro sports town first and likely a Big East basketball town second. I don't buy Greenstein's argument about New York's support of the 2006 football team because anyone can support a winner. In 2005, the Illinois basketball team captured Chicago's hearts during its run to the NCAA Tournament championship game, but hasn't since. Thus, the question remains, does New York care enough about Rutgers for the Big Ten to get the leverage necessary with the cable companies to insure their network's inclusion on their packages? Even if they succeed, can it be guaranteed that viewers will watch year round? Advertisers will want to know this and with Rutgers history of toiling at the bottom of the Big East, it's doubtful the school can draw interest away from Big East basketball during the winter.
Finally, there is the issue of the Big Ten footprint. Is it really worth only establishing a token presence in the Northeast when you could strengthen your Midwest presence instead? Schools like Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas have all been mentioned as candidates at one time or another, but the addition of one (or even all three?) could significantly weaken the league's closest geographic rival, the Big XII. The populations of each of those states are limited, but surely with a higher proportion of viewers watching in those states, as well as no major competition, would offset the small fraction of viewers that might watch in New York and New Jersey.
Look, I think Rutgers is a great school and it certainly brings a lot to the table. But I just don't see what seperates it so definitively from all the other candidates that would make taking a risk on them worthwhile.
Hopefully this fever, like all the others, will pass.
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