Around the Big Ten

[lineygoblue]

I didn't go out and burn any couches, .. but I thought it was a good thing that MSU beat OlieO. I didn't watch any of the post-game celebration or interviews. I didn't read any of the stories of the game in our local newspaper yesterday.

But, I don't understand why you seem to have so much of a problem with those of us who enjoyed watching MSU hand OlieO a giant #h%t sandwich.

[hack]

I enjoyed it too. But calling it a great day for Michigan fans underscores what a sorry state the program is in.

[Mike]

My reasons for wanting Sparty to lose:

We have a serious threat brewing in E. Lansing. ohio state will continue to be strong and regularly produce 11-12 win seasons. A down year will be 6-2 in the Big Ten and I don't see many of those on the horizon so forget about them for a minute.

Sparty flat out owns the state of Michigan right now. 5 of the last 6 and now a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl trip. I fell in love with Michigan football when I was 10 and Jim Harbaugh was the QB. We were great and routinely beat MSU with relative ease (damn you, Demitrius Brown!). If a 8,9,10 year old kid has been learning football and falling in love with the sport as we did at some point who do you think they recognize as the superior team in this state? If a kid in Michigan is 15 years-old now, how old was he when Michigan was routinely beating Sparty's ass? He probably has to ask his dad about it.

Michigan is a blue blood like GM was a blue chip stock. The auto company was slow to recognize and adjust to foreign competition and it nearly destroyed them. Michigan is in danger of losing the next generation of fans in this state and it WILL cost them dearly if they let that happen. You don't think pictures like the ones Hack has posted make a powerful impression?

There are only so many wins to go around. We all know ohio state will get theirs. If MSU continues to win 11 games a year and wreak havoc on the Big Ten, that takes away from our piece of the pie. So as pleasing as it was to see a dejected Urban Meyer eating pizza in a golf cart, the flip side to that story is the monster being created 70 miles away in East Lansing and Michigan best not whistle past the graveyard.

[whodean]

The Big Ten

Priorities.

OlieO is enemy #1, live in that abominable state, they had a long winning streak and needed to lose. That does not mean anyone here reveled in the Spartan's victory.

[iam416]

I think I would have probably hoped OSU lost if I were in M's shoes. Mostly b/c of the 24-0, as Whodean noted. I mostly wouldn't have watched. It would have sucked.

As a general rule, however, I'd prefer M over an in-state team. There are no realistic football examples, but on the hoops sides, if one of Huggins UC teams ever played M for the title, I would have definitely rooted for M.

[entropy]

I think I would have followed Jeff's line of thinking.. but who knows. We have no rival anymore..

[Dr. Strangelove]

Huskerz haven't had a real rival since 1995.

Can Iowa be one? I know THEY think so.

[entropy]

if they are, we've fallen fast

[entropy]

OU was our big one.. followed by CU... universally, we hated Texas, but that was new. after that, they were just teams that would occasionally have good seasons or you wanted to beat due to the previous year.

longer term, it'll probably end up wisky. PSU could be it with our history, but the BIG is ending that annual game. I just don't see minn or iowa being it and NW is not a big state school..

I wish MSU would have come to the west and everyone got an annual crossover game.. msu is at least >> iowa

[Dr. Strangelove]

Maybe they will reconsider permanent crossovers once we go to 9 conf games. Unless there's some sort of scheduling problem that causes that I'm just not seeing.

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

[entropy]

it should be, imo...


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

[iam416]

Hate the idea of permanent crossovers.

First, they would be ginned up rivalries. The only one that make sense is Indiana-Purdue. There is, at least, a historic case for Goofers-M, but those programs have zero parity. The others not so much.

Second, there's an imbalance. From an eastern perspectiive, in the west there are two programs that appear likely to be consistently good: UNL and Wisky. So two teams would draw a definite scheduling disadvantage. From a western perspective, someone is going to draw OSU (and soon, I think, M will be the same issue).

Third, that costs each team opportunities to play all teams. At a 9 game schedule, you do 2 new teams each year instead of 3 which means you cycle through the 7 a season quicker with the 3.

So, I see no real historic need to do it. I think it could cause a permanent schedule imbalance (acknowledge imbalances will occur, they'll just shift). And I'd rather see everyone from the West once ever 3 years than, say, Wisconsin every year.

In any event, I think the 9 game schedule will come with 16 teams and it will be a straight 7/2 breakdown with no crossovers.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Who are teams 15 and 16 going to be? As if we haven't covered that topic yet, heh

[entropy]

I think my crossovers make sense and give more historical balance

[iam416]

Who are teams 15 and 16 going to be? As if we haven't covered that topic yet, heh

North Dakota and Cornell! Massive coup for B10 hockey!

Cornell also adds even more cache to B10 lacrosse wtih Johns Hopkins! And Cornell finally gets to partner with at least a few fellow Ag and Hospitality schools!