Big Ten Divisions

Since it's mid-June, nothing is going on worth discussing, lets take a look at possible division breakdowns for the Big Ten.

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Let's take a look at a few possible scenarios. First, lets examine the typical and over-used example of two 6-team divisions. We'll do an East-West breakdown as that makes the most sense for the Big Ten geographically as scenario #1

East
Michigan
Penn State
tOSU
MSU
Purdue
Indiana

West
Nebraska
Illinois
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Iowa
Minnesota

This scenario uses a simple dividing line to determine the divisions. Its a little top-heavy in the east with 3 of the 4 powerhouses, but like I said, it's just a geographical division. It has nothing to do with competitive balance.

Scenario #2 offers up a North-South dividing line.

North
Michigan
Minnesota
Wisconsin
MSU
Northwestern
Iowa

South
tOSU
Penn State
Nebraska
Purdue
Illinois
Indiana

Not bad actually. A little more even in terms of competition. Nebraska and Iowa could probably go either way in this case.

Scenario #3 goes a step in the other direction and attempts to divide up the conference. In this case, we'll try and keep time-honored rivalries intact, as well as provide a somewhat even competitive balance.

Division A
Michigan
tOSU
Illinois
Michigan State
Northwestern
Iowa

Division B
Penn State
Nebraska
Indiana
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Purdue

I like this scenario best for a 2-division conference. It keeps Michigan-tOSU, Michigan-MSU, tOSU-Illinois, Illinois-NU, Minnesota-Wisconsin, Purdue-Indiana all intact cleanly, while also providing a nice competitive balance.

So...

What happens if the Big Ten decides to go to a 3-division conference?

Breaking it up geographically really seems to tough, and clearly would not make equal divisions in terms team success. So a more thought-out process of dividing up the teams would be necessary. Here's my idea of a 3-division breakdown.


Division 1
Michigan
tOSU
Michigan State
Illinois

Division 2
Penn State
Iowa
Purdue
Indiana

Division 3
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Minnesota

This scenario tries to keep basic rivalries intact, while also keeping in mind geography. But the main feature of this 3-division system is that you can have more cross-division play each year. With a 2-division system, you're more locked into playing the other 5 teams in you division every year. This way, you keep your main rival every year, but you also have the ability and freedom to float other rivals in and out of your schedule.