Big Ten Conference: Which Football Division Holds the Power?

The Big Ten is close to announcing its new division format for the now twelve-team league, and reports say that the new divisions could look very interesting.

There is a special scheduled to air on the Big Ten Network at seven p.m. tonight, but no one is quite sure what the topic is about. Many in the know sources feel it will be an announcement of the new divisions.

There are already speculations that the divisions will look as follows:

Division 1

• Iowa
• Michigan
• Michigan State
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• Northwestern

Division 2

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Ohio State
• Penn State
• Purdue
• Wisconsin

If that were the case, it would mean that long standing rivals, Ohio State and Michigan fall into separate divisions. That doesn’t necessarily mean the two teams won't meet on a yearly basis, but it is interesting to note.

The conference will also add a championship game component to the schedule now that there an even amount of teams. The game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts.

After a quick analysis of the divisions, they look to be fairly balanced. The addition of an up-and-coming nationl program like Nebraska will no doubt boost the strength and reputation of the conference.

The Big Ten’s four biggest names—Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Nebraska—are split up evenly, as are Wisconsin and Iowa, both of whom comprise the next tier of prominence. The conference’s four consistently weakest programs—Northwestern, Purdue, Indiana, and Minnesota—are also split up evenly to add to the balance.

If this is indeed how the conferences end up looking, then I would have to say the Big Ten got this about as right as they could have.

There will be those that gripe about Ohio State and Michigan being in separate divisions, but trust me, I’m sure the Big Ten will see the value in making sure that that game is played every year.

When you think about it, the two schools technically aren't supposed to play each other every year considering Big Ten teams only play eight conference games under the current system. Yet somehow, the conference has made sure that that prestigious game has never been skipped over.

The Big Ten is a smart conference. They know the value of tradition, but they also know the financial value of expansion and TV money. When you look at all the money they’re poised to make from the conference’s specialized television channel, it’s easy to see that they’re no dummies. The Big Ten will get this right.