The condition of Big Ten football

Just like Earl in the Caribbean, a storm is gaining strength in Big Ten country.  The storm has been churning for a while, but the eye is about to hit shore.  Battling in the ring are two powerful entities, the Traditionalists – call this side the Becks and the Modernists – call this side the Delaneys.  At stake is owning the identity of the conference for the next 25 years.

The Traditionalist values loyalty, order, culture and unity.  They want to protect the purity of college football, and reject the need for change to make the sport better. A Traditionalist fights against progression, and fears the Modernists will destroy college football.

The Modernist values innovation, change and market expansion. They believe a new system is necessary to protect the sport.  Modernists reject history, and fear more of the same will only lead to the demise of the conference.

There are three primary theatres where the battles are taking place.

The first is on conference expansion.  Round one was in the early 90’s before Penn State joined.  Round two is over with Nebraska joining the conference.  Round three centers on adding teams – two or four.  Could this be the Big Ten’s ‘Thrilla in Manila?’

The Modernists rightfully won the first two rounds.  The Big Ten was stagnant in the late 1980’s, and needed a face-lift.  Penn State was a perfect addition to the conference, and except for a few down seasons, has been a major player in determining the conference champion.  Fast forward 17 years, and the same was true.  The Big Ten had lost ground to the Big 12, the SEC and the ACC by not having a conference championship game.  Getting a twelfth team was imperative, and like Penn State, Nebraska will strengthen the conference and compete for championships.

The Traditionalists need to win round three.  Fourteen teams is too many, sixteen is absurd.  At the heart of expanding again is Notre Dame.  The Big Ten’s multiple attempts at courting Notre Dame have repeatedly failed.  It is time to move on without the Fighting Irish.

Even if Notre Dame is not the prize, adding two more teams should be avoided.  With 14 teams, at best, each school would play nine conference opponents presuming they all play three non-conference games.  The chances are likely that a few of the top teams will not play each other.  Seasons like 2002, when Iowa and Ohio State did not play each other, will be more common.  Additionally, having more teams just adds the need for more tie-breakers – see Big 12 2008 on the absurdity of tie-breakers.  Anytime the outcome is settled subjectively instead of on the field, it is bad for business.

If the Big Ten considers adding four more teams – see above, only more perverse.

The second battle is changing the date of The Game.  Ohio State vs. Michigan is one of the best rivalries in sports, not just college football.  For 75 years, The Game has been played in the last week of the season.  The outcome frequently determines the conference championship, and often impacts the national championship. Moving the date back to mid-season would be a major change that according to recent polls, would severely alter the mental condition of the residents of Michigan and Ohio State.

The reason behind moving The Game is the Big Ten is trying to accomplish two other goals.  They are trying to set up the division alignments properly – to the Modernists, this means putting OSU and Michigan in different divisions, and the conference is subsequently hoping to get a potential second Ohio State/Michigan game in the Big Ten Championship. Traditionalists feel this would ruin college football's most precious rivalry. Modernists say two is better than one.

Both sides have pretty good evidence to support their argument.  Traditionalists point to the ACC as Exhibit A.  When Miami joined the ACC in 2004, experts predicted that the Hurricanes would dominate the conference along with Florida State.  The Canes and Seminoles would clash in the championship game every season with the winner vying for BCS titles.  Fans are still waiting for this to happen.

They also point to the SEC West where Alabama and Auburn play at the end of the year.  The Iron Bowl is one of college football’s most intense rivalries, and like The Game, often impacts the outcome of the SEC and the national championship.  Moving the Iron Bowl would be sacrilegious in Alabama, and the Traditionalists want the Big Ten to keep that view in mind when considering a potential change.

Alternatively, the Modernists point to the Big 12 South where Oklahoma and Texas play the Red River Shootout earlier in the season.  The rivalry is powerful and the outcome generally impacts the winner of the South Division, but they feel some of its flare is lost because the Big 12's two best teams cannot play each other again for the title – which many people wish for every year.  Modernists ask us to imagine how much more intense the rivalry would be if OSU and Michigan could play twice a year.

At this point, the Modernists appear to have the upper hand in the debate. In terms of priorities, the Big Ten seems to want Michigan and Ohio State in separate divisions more than it wants the schools to play at the end of the regular season.  The winner will be announced mid-September - if you're a Traditionalist, you lose.  Sorry to ruin the ending of the story.

The last issue is agreeing to a playoff system.  This is where the battle takes a strange twist.  The Chief Modernists become the Benedict Arnold’s of their time.  Jim Delaney and his Woody Allen sidekick Gordon Gee are the key leaders opposing a playoff.  To the chagrin of the Modernists, the enormous power that Delaney and Gee wield over expansion and conference alignment also filters into the advocacy of maintaining the current BCS system.

Modernists are scratching their heads wondering how in the world Delaney’s primary goal of making any change necessary to expand of the power of the Big Ten no longer applies when it comes to creating a FBS playoff system. Don't expect any changes, Delaney's only 61 and his contract runs through 2013.

When you add up the issues, the Traditionalists seem to be losing battles they should be winning, and winning battles they should be losing.  Getting a twelfth team was the right move.  Moving The Game is a bad idea.  Having a playoff is good for the schools, the players, the fans and the sponsors.  At the end of the day, it is not the Traditionalists or the Modernists who win, it is King Delaney.  All yield, or be run over.