Big Ten Media Days 2012: No Need for One-Year Conference Re-Alignment

With scandals rocking two two of its schools, the Big Ten conference may have a small competitive balance problem on its hands ahead of the 2012 football season. 

But one thing is certain: A one-year conference re-alignment, like some have whispered at the 2012 Big Ten Media Days this week, is not the answer. 

First, a quick synopsis of the problem: two of the conference's most-recognizable schools—Ohio State and Penn State—are facing postseason bans for next season (in Penn State's case, past 2012, too). 

Ohio State was docked two years of post season play before last season after a tattoo scandal that rocked the football program and led to the resignation of head coach Jim Tressell. 

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you likely know about the child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State. The NCAA brought the hammer down on the school, stripping Penn State of scholarships, cash and postseason privileges. 

Neither school will be eligible for the 2012 Big Ten Championship Game, which pits the Leaders division winner against the winner in the Legends to decide who earns a trip to the Rose Bowl. 

Here's the catch: both Ohio State and Penn State reside in the Leaders Division, which means that instead of having six postseason-eligible teams inside the subdivision, only four exist for 2012. Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois and Indiana remain as teams capable of playing in the conference championship for next season. 

A one-year conference re-alignment has been floated around for next season, but that answer simply isn't feasible this late in the game. And considering Ohio State will be off its postseason ban by 2013, a one-year answer to this unprecedented problem is probably an overreaction. 

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, whose school is in the Legends Division, had another idea for 2012. But it's just as flawed as the one-year re-alignment thought. 

From Fitzgerald, via Colin Becht of the New York Times:

"

From a macro and big-picture standpoint, maybe our division winner should automatically be in the championship. Then you take the other teams that are eligible and you put a committee together, the 12 [athletic directors] and Commissioner Delany as the 13th vote, kind of how we’re doing the playoff. That would make a little bit of sense to me.

"

Fitzgerald went as far as to suggest that two teams from the Legends Division should have the ability to face off in the championship game. 

It's easy to see the problem, but much harder to come up with a useable solution. 

There's a competitive imbalance here, with four teams in one division capable of winning a spot that six have to fight for on the opposite side. And considering the sanctions levied against Penn State, one could assume the Nittany Lions will struggle to play much of a factor in the race regardless. 

Ohio State, in its first season under the ban, went just 6-7 overall and 3-5 in the conference. National championship winning coach Urban Meyer is taking over the program.

Michigan coach Brady Hoke, who also resides in the Legends Division, sees the situation in its true light.

From Hoke, via Becht:

"

This is such an unbelievable circumstance, and I’m sure Commissioner Delany and everyone else, you wouldn’t see this coming. But at the same time, life’s not fair. And whether it’s fair or not, it doesn’t matter. We have a schedule to play. Our focus is on the University of Michigan.

"

Purdue coach Danny Hope also has a good grasp on what the 2012 season really means. 

"

Rather than complicate it and assume that it may be an easier road, I think that we certainly have to grasp the idea that you have to win. We have to beat the teams that are eligible for the division championship and also the teams that aren’t eligible in order to be the team that goes.

"

Hoke and Hope have it exactly right. 

This isn't a fair situation, but it's an unprecedented issue that will linger for just a single year. By 2013, the competitive imbalance will right itself. 

Hope might have said it best. Eligible competition or not, the four teams that can go to the championship still have to win football games. Some will have to go into the Horseshoe and/or Beaver Stadium and win a game. That's no easy task, regardless of whether the two are eligible or not. 

The Big Ten is obviously in a very difficult position. Few conferences have ever faced this kind of situation, and there's no easy answer to fix it. 

Instead of making a drastic change, or drastic one-year re-alignment, the Big Ten should just let the 2012 season play out unaltered.

The six teams in the Legends Division have a tougher road to the championship, but Hoke said it perfectly.

"Life's not fair." For one year, the Big Ten football conference might not be either.