Football Divisions might come to an end this month….

[Richie O]

Iowa AD Gary Barta on timeline for Big Ten's schedule changes

Gary Barta: “I think we're far enough along in the concept. And, really, we can't wait much longer."

theathletic.com

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren’s departure won’t delay the conference’s plans to change its football scheduling alignment for the 2024 season, Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said Thursday.

For multiple years, conference and school officials have discussed altering or ending the East-West alignment in part to have a more equitable championship matchup. There was momentum to enact changes for the 2023 season to coincide with a new media rights agreement until USCand UCLA accepted Big Ten invitations beginning Aug. 2, 2024. Conference officials decided in October to delay any structural football changes until USC and UCLA participate in league play.

Warren, who was hired earlier this month as the Chicago Bears’ team president and chief executive officer, still participates in conference meetings, but school officials have no interest in waiting for a new Big Ten commissioner before finalizing the structure.

“We’ve had enough conversation,” Barta said. “I think we’re far enough along in the concept. And, really, we can’t wait much longer. It’s really important to lay out ’24 and beyond. We’ve talked about different versions of it. We’ve also talked about a range from ’24 to some other number out aways so we can all plan. Maybe it’s a four- or five-, six-year window that we lock in, so that we can put together our non-conference schedules.”

Big Ten officials have their winter meetings scheduled for Feb. 20-21 in Rosemont, Ill.

“It might get finalized this month,” Barta said. “We’ll certainly talk about it. It’s on the agenda.”

 

[tlbakernc]

They need to expand to 20/24 teams and form 4 divisions.

 

[doctornick]

They need to expand to 20/24 teams and form 4 divisions.

Not at all.

No reason to have divisions anymore since the NCAA changed the rule that you don't need them to stage a championship game. IT's better not having divisions as it allows for a lot more variety in the schedule.

 

[blair10]

This does not change anything. PSU still needs to beat top programs like Ohio State and Michigan to win the BIG conference. Finishing in 3rd place or lower is irrelevant as long as there is a 4 team CFP format.

 

[Online Persona]

This does not change anything. PSU still needs to beat top programs like Ohio State and Michigan to win the BIG conference. Finishing in 3rd place or lower is irrelevant as long as there is a 4 team CFP format.

We've frequently played Ohio St and Michigan back to back or like last year in a 3 game stretch of undefeated at the time Michigan, 1 loss at the time Minnesota, and then undefeated at the time Ohio St. No team in the country except possibly Georgia could get through that stretch without a loss and 99% have at least 2 losses there.

No division means you don't have 3 of the top 7 teams in the country to start 2023 lumped together and probably not playing stretches like that. Of course, I don't think they change next year's schedule if they scrap divisions but who knows.

 

[LMTLION]

There were discussions on this board in the past about division-less schedules with 2 or 3 defined rival opponents you play every year and then rotate through everybody else. I think that works best, and I would hope that one of our rivals is Ohio State.

 

[GregInPitt]

This does not change anything. PSU still needs to beat top programs like Ohio State and Michigan to win the BIG conference. Finishing in 3rd place or lower is irrelevant as long as there is a 4 team CFP format.

Yep, but that's not what this thread is about.

 

[tlbakernc]

Not at all.

No reason to have divisions anymore since the NCAA changed the rule that you don't need them to stage a championship game. IT's better not having divisions as it allows for a lot more variety in the schedule.

That’s a very valid reason. But I have a feeling there’s to much lost revenue for the conferences not to play championship games. Conference championship games bring in tens of millions. Don’t forget the TV contracts may demand a playoff platform.

 

[Obliviax]

This does not change anything. PSU still needs to beat top programs like Ohio State and Michigan to win the BIG conference. Finishing in 3rd place or lower is irrelevant as long as there is a 4 team CFP format.

I agree but it is entirely possible we don't play they year in and out. I can see a format where they rotate along with teams like USC, UCLA, Iowa, Wiscy, etc. I can easily see a division with PSU, MD, Rutgers, Indiana and Illinois.. I would assume the B1G will preserve UM vs tOSU which has caused the unbalance since they went to two divisions and will as long as they do that.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Not at all.

No reason to have divisions anymore since the NCAA changed the rule that you don't need them to stage a championship game. IT's better not having divisions as it allows for a lot more variety in the schedule.

But there has to be a defined scheduling system. I don’t trust the B2G to make schedules without screwing us over as much as they can.

 

[The Spin Meister]

That’s a very valid reason. But I have a feeling there’s to much lost revenue for the conferences not to play championship games. Conference championship games bring in tens of millions. Don’t forget the TV contracts may demand a playoff platform.

Money, free publicity, rubbing shoulders with top donors and corporate sponsors, the big shots get to stroll around all week congratulating each other for how wonderful they all are…..what’s not to like?

 

[john4psu]

This does not change anything. PSU still needs to beat top programs like Ohio State and Michigan to win the BIG conference. Finishing in 3rd place or lower is irrelevant as long as there is a 4 team CFP format.

Which is ending this year.

 

[Lion84]

Which is ending this year.

Exactly - we need to get into the CFP which is expanding then all bets are off as we have seen year in and year out - TCU anyone?

 

[Online Persona]

But there has to be a defined scheduling system. I don’t trust the B2G to make schedules without screwing us over as much as they can.

You know we'll still open Big 10 season on the road, regardless of which format they use.

 

[doctornick]

That’s a very valid reason. But I have a feeling there’s to much lost revenue for the conferences not to play championship games. Conference championship games bring in tens of millions. Don’t forget the TV contracts may demand a playoff platform.

Huh? I would agree that there should still be a championship game. You don't need divisions to stage one though, just take the top two teams and have them play (like the Big 12 has been doing). Getting rid of divisions with the Big Ten going to 16 teams makes sense but you keep the conference championship game.

 

[doctornick]

But there has to be a defined scheduling system. I don’t trust the B2G to make schedules without screwing us over as much as they can.

I mean, okay, I can understand that. But if the most likely structure is used - 3 fixed "rivals" and then rotating between the other teams - it will be pretty straightforward. 3 teams you play every year, other 12 teams you rotate through playing home and away 2 years out of 4. So you play every team in the conference either every year or 50% of the time.

Doesn't mean that we won't open the conference schedule away, but that would be possible no matter what scheduling format is chosen.

 

[NitneLiun]

All the speculation on division-less schedules has PSU, UMich and some rando school as Ohio State's permanent opponents. I have a feeling Ohio State isn't going to like that. They would never drop Michigan, so we just might be another school in the rotation for Ohio State.

 

[Online Persona]

All the speculation on division-less schedules has PSU, UMich and some rando school as Ohio State's permanent opponents. I have a feeling Ohio State isn't going to like that. They would never drop Michigan, so we just might be another school in the rotation for Ohio State.

Then again the ratings for PSU-Ohio State are likely too much for them to pass up. It's must see TV and they view us as a team they circle on the schedule every year.

 

[doctornick]

Then again the ratings for PSU-Ohio State are likely too much for them to pass up. It's must see TV and they view us as a team they circle on the schedule every year.

Yeah, to the extent that TV contracts and ratings have an influence, PSU/tOSU is consistently the second highest rated Big Ten game each season so the networks could certianly push for it and geographically it also makes sense.

Ohio State at this point is used to having both PSU and Michigan on the schedule every year - they've played both schools every season (well, except for 2020 when UM chickened out) since PSU has joined the B10.

 

[PSUSignore]

This does not change anything. PSU still needs to beat top programs like Ohio State and Michigan to win the BIG conference. Finishing in 3rd place or lower is irrelevant as long as there is a 4 team CFP format.

It helps immensely because there will be seasons where a team could make a conference championship game without playing OSU or UM in the regular conference season. Every team in the East stands to benefit from this move.

 

[fastlax16]

This does not change anything. PSU still needs to beat top programs like Ohio State and Michigan to win the BIG conference. Finishing in 3rd place or lower is irrelevant as long as there is a 4 team CFP format.

Absolutely helps. UGA has never made the playoff in a season where Alabama was a regular season opponent of theirs.

If you asked UGA fans 5 years ago if they’d like to play Alabama every year in the regular season, they’d all say no or they’d be lying to you.

UGA has only had one regular season opponent finish in the top 5 of the final cfp rankings in at least the last 6 years. We’ve only had one season over that span without at least one. Last year we had two, which is twice as many as the dawgs have had in over a half decade. Their schedule is a joke next year so that streak will likely continue.

 

[johnmpsu]

Divisions mean more teams think they have a chance. That means more money which in the end is the only thing anybody really cares about. Why do you think wild cards, or as I like to call them, lucky losers, exist.

They may eliminate divisions but it won't last.