All of us Big Ten fans were abuzz when Nebraska announced its jump to our then eleven and now twelve team conference. The Big Ten brand of hard hitting, old fashioned football is legendary; and as of late, has come back favor notwithstanding the Southeastern Conference style of razzle dazzle.
But now that the afterglow of the announcement has faded, what are we left with? Once again the Big Ten is showing an appetite for money instead of sports, and that college football at that level is no longer amateur, but a multi-billion dollar business built on the backs of unpaid players and frustrated fans. What is it doing, and why?
This past week the Big Ten announced how the expanded conference is going to operate. It will be divided into two yet to be named divisions: Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue and Wisconsin are in one division. Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern will be in the other. Each team will play all of the other teams in its division, plus three cross divisional games, several of which are mandated.
Of immediate concern is the traditional Ohio State/Michigan matchup at the end of November. Fans in each of the states plan their lives around the game. In my case, my wedding day was determined by the OSU/Michigan game…and reminds me each year it’s time to buy my wife and anniversary card and present.
Winning coaches at Ohio State and Michigan have lost their jobs over losing streaks in the rivalry, especially at Ohio State where the game can determine million dollar bonuses for the coach. When Bo Schembeckler died on the eve of the big game a few years ago, it raised the game almost to a mystical religion. This is a big deal to the schools and to the conference.
So…the Big Ten was faced with a dilemma. How to keep the tradition alive that is the lifeblood of the Big Ten conference and its rabid fans…and how to make more money!!! What a dilemma. And guess what…the money won out.
Here is what they came up with. Ohio State/Michigan is a mandated cross divisional game to be played at the end of the season…just because!!! The big finale will be the divisional playoff game in December at a neutral domed stadium somewhere in the Midwest (it will be in Indianapolis in 2011). Given that the Big Ten Championship has historically been tied to the Ohio State/Michigan game, the question then arises as to what happens if both teams have won their respective divisions…and then play the “just because” mandatory cross over game in November which will have NO conference significance, only to have to play another game two weeks later to determine the Big Ten Championship.
The Big Ten commissioner said the fans would love it. Really? What I see is a disaster waiting to happen. This is not fair to the players who have to get ginned up twice for the “big game(s),” it is not fair to the fans who now faced a diminished importance of a traditional rivalry game, and probably isn’t fair to the other teams in the Big Ten notwithstanding, because the possibility exists that the team with the best win/loss record in the conference would not represent the Big Ten in a national championship game because of “division” win-loss issues.
This is a really dumb idea based solely on a Big Ten Conference dream of money and more money and more money flowing from a Conference championship game. That is all that matters to them.
Here is a better idea. Eliminate some of the warm up games. Ohio State doesn’t really have to play Marshall. Add a week to the season and have the teams play as many conference games as possible, even if they don’t play all of the teams all of the years…just like now. The team with the best conference win/loss record, wins the championship.
But now that the afterglow of the announcement has faded, what are we left with? Once again the Big Ten is showing an appetite for money instead of sports, and that college football at that level is no longer amateur, but a multi-billion dollar business built on the backs of unpaid players and frustrated fans. What is it doing, and why?
This past week the Big Ten announced how the expanded conference is going to operate. It will be divided into two yet to be named divisions: Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue and Wisconsin are in one division. Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern will be in the other. Each team will play all of the other teams in its division, plus three cross divisional games, several of which are mandated.
Of immediate concern is the traditional Ohio State/Michigan matchup at the end of November. Fans in each of the states plan their lives around the game. In my case, my wedding day was determined by the OSU/Michigan game…and reminds me each year it’s time to buy my wife and anniversary card and present.
Winning coaches at Ohio State and Michigan have lost their jobs over losing streaks in the rivalry, especially at Ohio State where the game can determine million dollar bonuses for the coach. When Bo Schembeckler died on the eve of the big game a few years ago, it raised the game almost to a mystical religion. This is a big deal to the schools and to the conference.
So…the Big Ten was faced with a dilemma. How to keep the tradition alive that is the lifeblood of the Big Ten conference and its rabid fans…and how to make more money!!! What a dilemma. And guess what…the money won out.
Here is what they came up with. Ohio State/Michigan is a mandated cross divisional game to be played at the end of the season…just because!!! The big finale will be the divisional playoff game in December at a neutral domed stadium somewhere in the Midwest (it will be in Indianapolis in 2011). Given that the Big Ten Championship has historically been tied to the Ohio State/Michigan game, the question then arises as to what happens if both teams have won their respective divisions…and then play the “just because” mandatory cross over game in November which will have NO conference significance, only to have to play another game two weeks later to determine the Big Ten Championship.
The Big Ten commissioner said the fans would love it. Really? What I see is a disaster waiting to happen. This is not fair to the players who have to get ginned up twice for the “big game(s),” it is not fair to the fans who now faced a diminished importance of a traditional rivalry game, and probably isn’t fair to the other teams in the Big Ten notwithstanding, because the possibility exists that the team with the best win/loss record in the conference would not represent the Big Ten in a national championship game because of “division” win-loss issues.
This is a really dumb idea based solely on a Big Ten Conference dream of money and more money and more money flowing from a Conference championship game. That is all that matters to them.
Here is a better idea. Eliminate some of the warm up games. Ohio State doesn’t really have to play Marshall. Add a week to the season and have the teams play as many conference games as possible, even if they don’t play all of the teams all of the years…just like now. The team with the best conference win/loss record, wins the championship.
I think this system will flop and cause frustration and anger across the board. We will see!
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