Three Reasons Why the Big Ten Needs a Complete Conference Schedule

The purpose of this article is simply to argue for the Big Ten to institute a schedule that includes every Big Ten team playing every other Big Ten team during the season. The benefits would be three-fold.

First, a complete schedule would increase the overall strength of schedule for all Big Ten teams, adding value to the BCS decision process. Second, a complete schedule would immediately increase fan interest, maximizing attendance and ticket value across the conference. Finally, a complete conference schedule would result in a true conference champion, or at least true co-champions.

A complete schedule would immediately increase the strength of schedule for the conference as a whole.

Currently the Big Ten is ranked fourth on the Sagarin scale behind the Big 12, ACC, and SEC. Wisconsin has the highest schedule strength in the conference at 16.

The top three teams in the conference—PSU, OSU, and MSU—have schedule strength rankings of 54, 36, and 49 respectively. I wonder if that has anything to do with powerhouses Coastal Carolina, Ohio, and Florida Atlantic with Sagarin rankings of 173, 122, and 115 respectively on their pre-conference schedules.

The lowest-ranked team in the Big Ten is Indiana at 100, which would give a significant boost to the BCS hopes of the top Big Ten teams.

A complete schedule would immediately increase fan interest and boost league attendance and provide real value.

Some will argue that most of the Big Ten teams have little problem selling out their stadiums, but wouldn’t Buckeye fans rather purchase a ticket to see Iowa or Indiana in the Horseshoe than Ohio or Akron? Wouldn’t Nittany Lion fans rather have purchased tickets to see PSU battle Minnesota or Northwestern rather than blowouts against hapless Coastal Carolina and sad Syracuse?

I know that Iowa fans would rather see the Hawkeyes risk losses to Ohio State and Michigan than pad their record with meaningless cakewalks over Maine and Florida International.

Finally, a complete schedule would provide the conference with a true champion.

At the end of the last 10 seasons there have been five times when the Big Ten crowned two or more conference co-champions. In some of those years the co-champions did not play each other at all, or the record was skewed by the partial schedule.

The current 12-game season would easily allow each Big Ten team to schedule 10 conference games with two games remaining to play those important non-conference rivalry games.

Michigan, MSU, and Purdue can continue their rivalries with Notre Dame, Iowa can play Iowa State (yawn), and Penn State can keep that exciting Temple showdown on the schedule, but gone will be those ridiculous games against Div I-AA and II teams who will trade a thrashing for a big payday.

I have heard the arguments against a full Big Ten schedule, but in my opinion they ring hollow. There is the money argument that scheduling Big Ten teams would necessitate home and away arrangements, where the current patsies don’t. The bottom line is that each Big Ten team would lose one home game per season at most.

Under the current schedule, each team plays four home and four away conference games and then can schedule three non-conference games, which brings most to 7-8 home games and 4-5 away games per season.

Under a complete conference schedule teams will play 5 & 5 conference games with two discretionary non-conference games that will result in 6-7 home games per year instead of 7-8. The home game reduction could be easily made up by increasing ticket prices and television revenues to reflect the improved schedule.

Others will argue that the Big Ten is too tough a conference and players can’t hold up to that much pounding. To this I say, it's football and that’s what it’s all about. There is certainly an increased risk of injuries, but that risk would now be equally shared by every team in the conference.

Let’s face it—the only reason we do not play a full conference schedule is because coaches and teams want/need to pad their records. If the Big Ten is serious about regaining its title as the best football conference in the NCAA, the first step should be to institute a complete conference schedule.