Big Ten Schedule-ology

     Nebraska will be the new Big Ten team in 2011 in all sports, most notably football. So that brings a scheduling change, the conference is looking for something that suits all of the sports. But I don't think that makes a difference. It's pretty simple, let's look at it.

     The Big Ten Conference has twelve teams, based on the location of the schools, it should be divided into two 6-team divisions. What is going to be the division? It's obvious that Lake Michigan and the Illinois-Indiana border should divide the teams. That way it is divided into an East Division and and a West Division.

East Division: Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Indiana. West Division: Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.

     Each team has to play eight conference games each year. Games against the other five schools in its division. Two inter-conference games, played against teams on a rotating schedule every two years which it has already. The other game would  be against a team in the other conference also, but they play that team every year. For example, Ohio State would play against the members of its division. Then two games one year maybe against Wisconsin and Minnesota. One game which they play every year against a team from the other conference would most likely be Illinois because of the rivalry, for the Illibuck. Plus its other four non-conference games.

     Then the winner of each division would play in the Big Ten Championship Game, which probably would be held in Ford Field or Lucas Oil Stadium. The winner of that game would go on to play the PAC-"12" Championship game winner in the Rose Bowl. How great would it be to decide who's going to play in Pasadena with the Big Ten Championship Game and the PAC-12 Championship game held on the same day,maybe not at the same time, but overlapping.

A sample schedule: Michigan

Week 1 - VS Pitt (Non-Conference)

Week 2 - VS Notre Dame (Non-Conference)

Week 3 - VS Marshall (Non-Conference)

Week 4 - @ Purdue (Divisional)

Week 5 - Bye

Week 6 - VS Michigan State (Divisional)

Week 7 - VS Norfolk State (Non-Conference)

Week 8 - @ Indiana (Divisional)

Week 9 - @ Northwestern (Inter-Conference) (Plays for the next two seasons)

Week 10 - VS Nebraska (Inter-Conference) (Plays for the next two seasons)

Week 11 - VS Penn State (Divisional)

Week 12 - @ Minnesota (Permanent Inter- Conference Opponent)

Week 13  VS Ohio State (Divisional)

Big Ten Championship Game - VS Iowa

Rose Bowl - VS Washington

THIS IS A SAMPLE SCHEDULE WITH THE NEW FORMAT.