On Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 the Big Ten conference—soon to consist of 12 teams—announced its split into two divisions for NCAA football season scheduling. The split was precipitated by the addition of Nebraska, who moves to the conference from the Big Twelve in 2011.
Big Ten Will Preserve Most Rivalries & Trophy Games With Division Split
The two divisions, to be named at a later date, will break up some traditional neighborly rivalries, while attempting to preserve most of the annual "trophy games." The most obvious separating of teams was that of football powerhouses Michigan and Ohio State. Because the Big Ten will, for the first time, institute on conference championship game between division winners, that split will likely insure a Wolverine/Buckeye title game fairly regularly.
Here's the breakdown, one division:
- Michigan,
- Michigan State,
- Iowa,
- Nebraska,
- Minnesota
- Northwestern
The other division consists of:
- Ohio State
- Wisconsin
- Purdue
- Penn State
- Illinois
- Indiana
Within divisions, each team plays the others every season. Each team will also play 3 teams from the other division on a rotating schedule, but apparently with an eye toward keeping longtime traditions—like the Minnesota/Wisconsin border battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe—alive. Then the two division winners will play for the Big Ten title and a trip either to the Rose Bowl or BCS Championship series.
The first-ever Big Ten Championship football game will be played December 3rd, 2011, in Indianapolis. Coinciding with the divison announcement was the release of the Big Ten's 2011 and 2012 conference football schedules, viewable here, at the Big 10 website.
Other popular Big Ten trophy games and/or rivalries include the Michigan/Michigan State "Paul Bunyan Trophy," the Iowa/Minnesota "Floyd of Rosedale" game, the Minnesota/Michigan "Little Brown Jug," and the Illinois/Ohio State battle for Illibuck. There are several more.
Big Ten Now Twelve Teams Strong
The Big Ten is the oldest conference in the United States, and for most of its century-plus history, consisted, as the title suggests, of ten teams. Penn State joined the conference in 1990, and now the addition of Nebraska makes 12.
As the winningest NCAA football program over the last half-century, the Cornhuskers bring with them their own tradition of success. Their presence in the Big Ten will be a shot in the arm to a conference whose powerful reputation on the field has, arguably, dropped a point or two in recent years.
No Division Splits For Big Ten Basketball
Regarding the division split and Big Ten hoops, conference commissioner Jim Delaney also stated on Wednesday that he saw no need for divisions in basketball. Big Ten basketball teams already play an 18-game conference schedule (in additional to about 12 non-conference games first), so every team meets at least once (and many twice) during the year. The conference may consider a change to either 16, or more likely 20, conferences game soon, however.
Primary Source: Big Ten Conference Website
Dale Van Every - Dale Van Every is a freelance and fiction writer living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He earned his Masters Degree in English Literature from ...
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