Conference Realignment: How Nebraska Joining Big Ten Affects Ohio State-Michigan

Expansion fever seems to finally be finding its footing, as Nebraska will in all likelihood find a home in the Big Ten.

With the Huskers being one of possibly a handful of teams about to join the Big Ten Conference, one thing that is being largely overlooked is the effect this process has on the rivalries in the conference.

The most specific of these might be the greatest rivalry in college football if not sports: Ohio State vs Michigan.

The Game, as it's known, has been played for over 100 years, though been dominated by Ohio State, going 8-1 since 2001.

Change will hit the rivalry first this season, as The Game will be played on November 27, marking the first time these teams have met after Thanksgiving in the modern era.

When the arrival of Nebraska is made official, it's unclear how the conference will be split up.

But the conference will be facing a dilemma if they form two divisions: keeping the rivalries intact, yet trying to keep two divisions balanced and competitive if possible.

And geographically, dividing north-south will split the teams up, but east-west could make the conference more lopsided should Michigan return to their old form.

Division Scenario 1:

Big Ten North: Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Minnesota

Big Ten South: Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska

Division Scenario 2:

Big Ten East: Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue

Big Ten West: Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska

Scenario two seems more likely to the Big Ten if they do want to keep the rivalry similar what the Big 12 did for Oklahoma and Texas.

Balance will be the problem, as the East appears stronger than the West on paper. But then again, this can change in five years, especially if Nebraska doesn't come to the Big Ten alone.

The addition of Nebraska will most likely split the conference in some capacity, though we won't know exact divisions if there are any for a long time.

But for college purists, the goal that has faded to the backdrop is preserving The Game.

The Big 12 failed to ensure that Nebraska and Oklahoma could have their yearly rivalry as they did in the Big Eight.

The best-case scenario for the Big Ten would be to make sure that this rivalry remains intact every season.

The Game is big to both schools, as it has settled a lot of conference championships in the past several decades back to the days of Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. It has also caused several coaches, including John Cooper, to lose their jobs.

OSU and Michigan have great respect for each other through their decades of hate and conflicts.

And breaking up the rivalry would be bad business for a conference that reached national prominence in part due to the success of both programs.

Although we would love to see the Buckeyes make the venture into the Sea of Red, and the Huskers travel to the Horseshoe, the biggest goal should be keeping the OSU-Michigan rivalry the way it is.

If they can do that, the Big Ten expansion and realignment project should be considered a success, at least in the eyes of folks from Columbus and Ann Arbor.